Karmel is Hebrew that means something along the lines of “fertile place.” As a result, there are numerous places named either Carmel or some variation upon it. Carmel-by-the-Sea in the U.S. state of California stands out from its counterparts. In part, this is because of its extra-descriptive name. However, it should also be mentioned that Carmel-by-the-Sea has long been popular with artists, so much so that 60 percent of its homes were said to have been built by either artists or other people whose careers were connected with the arts in some way in 1910.

Carmel-by-the-Sea might be best-known because of some of its more unusual practices. For example, the founders didn’t want to see their village become “citified,” which is why they rejected the notion of street addresses altogether. As a result, there is no house-to-house mail delivery. Instead, everything goes to a central post office instead.

Another example would be the ban on high heels unless wearers get a permit free of charge from City Hall. The local police don’t bother to enforce the rule. However, it apparently exists to protect the city from being sued by people wearing high heels who had stumbled over irregular pavement caused by encroaching tree roots.

On top of this, it is interesting to note that there are no chain restaurants that can be found in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Fortunately, this doesn’t mean that out-of-towners are out of options when it comes to local cuisine. After all, there is a full range of eateries and other establishments situated within a convenient walking distance of the places where they are staying, meaning that they won’t be short on options in this regard.