Cannery Row is a waterfront street in the New Monterey section of Monterey, California, known for formerly being home to a number of now-defunct sardine canneries. The last closed in 1973. The street name, formerly a nickname for Ocean View Avenue, became official in January 1958 to honor John Steinbeck and his novel Cannery Row. In the novel's opening sentence, Steinbeck described the street as "a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream."