Posts from — February 2010

Friday

Check out the Pacific Grove art scene at the Pacific Grove Wine, Art and Music Walk. Shops and galleries throughout Pacific Grove will be open; stop at the Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce at Forest and Central to pick up a free map. 6pm-9pm, free.

The country’s only chanterelle mushroom festival, the Big Sur Chanterelle Festival and Cook-Off, kicks off tonight with a reception at the Big Sur Lodge at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Entertainment includes fire dancing by BiG SuRCuS. 6-9pm, $40. Buy tickets at the official Big Sur Chanterelle Festival and Cook-Off website.

The flamenco-influenced Yuji Tojo and the funky, soulful Al James Power Trio once again join forces at Bullwacker’s on Cannery Row for an aurally addictive evening. 8:30pm, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. No cover.

Bon Iver or Conor Oberst fans will want to catch indie folksters Every Atlas, Santa Cruz folkie El Chon and angsty folk music act The Broads at Jose’s Lounge Underground tonight. 9pm, 638 Wave Street, Monterey.

Saturday

The Big Sur Chanterelle Festival and Cook-Off continues with a sold-out FUNgus Hunt and Identification Seminar at 9am, the big Chanterelle Cook-Off ($40) at the Big Sur Lodge at 1pm , and the delectable Awards Dinner ($100) at the Big Sur Lodge at 7:30pm. Buy tickets at the official Big Sur Chanterelle Festival and Cook-Off website.

In honor of John Steinbeck’s birthday, the National Steinbeck Center hosts the Steinbeck Birthday Celebration. SpectorDance Company will perform two dance media pieces based on John Steinbeck’s work beginning at 10am, as well as performances by the Mission Park School Choir and the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts Folkloric Dance Company with Ramon Silva. Abdoulaye Diallo leads an African dance and drumming workshop. There will also be appearances from VFX Supervisor and Animation Director Daniel Jeannette (Where the Wild Things Are) and author/illustrator Kathryn Otoshi. All events are included in the price of admission. It’s also a pay-what-you-can day for Monterey County residents. One Main Street, Salinas. 10am-5pm.

Leave the dogs at home for the East of Eden Cat Show at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. Watch as both pedigreed and non-pedigreed cats and kittens compete for titles in eight categories. 10am-4pm, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey. $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and children, free for children 3 and under.

Sara McCoy returns like an acoustic second coming of Janis Joplin to Bullwackers. 9pm, 653 Cannery Row, Monterey. No cover.

Santa Cruz jam band Our Satori bring a Jack Johnson-esque vibe to Fernwood Resort on Highway One in Big Sur. 9pm, no cover.

Low-fi San Francisco act Commissure have been compared to Mogwai. Tokyo Raid sound like early Interpol on speed. Local singer/songwriter James Meder plays ethereal, emotional folk. The Dreamer and the Sleeper play sweet,, upbeat acoustic pop. Is it an interesting bill? You bet. Catch it at Jose’s tonight. 9pm, 638 Wave Street, Monterey. 21+, $5.

Sunday

The Big Sur Chanterelle Festival and Cook-Off concludes with a fabulous Chanterelle Brunch at Fernwood Resort’s Redwood Grill. Brunch starts at 10am and is limited to 40 people. Order your $25 ticket at the Buy tickets at the official Big Sur Chanterelle Festival and Cook-Off website.

Two-time Tony award winner Christine Ebersole is a singing/dancing/acting sensation. A recent New York Times review of her current show began, “Christine Ebersole materialized like a goddess formed out of the ectoplasm in screwball heaven…” and just got more effusive from there. Another review said her “almost unparalleled versatility is perfectly showcased in her sublime new cabaret show.” See for yourself when the “screwball goddess” materializes at Carmel’s Sunset Center tonight. 7pm, San Carlos at 9th St. Tickets are $37, $44 and $51 and are available on the official Sunset Center website.

The SeeMonterey newsletter for March features the top 10 snapshot spots in Monterey County, as determined by a combination of input by local photographers, comments from visitors, and the photo subjects we most frequently see in the SeeMonterey photo pool on Flickr.

As with any Top 10 list, however, hard choices had to be made. Our picks have led to debates among our staff and will probably be debated by our readers as well. Below are some photos of spots that almost made our list.

Asilomar State Beach

Day 220 of 365 by Rob Weiher

Photographer Michael Troutman of DMT Imaging says that Asilomar is one of his favorite photo spots. “It’s a really great place to watch the waves come in, to watch the surfers,” he says, and notes that it has great “tide pools for macro photography.” It’s also a great place “to photograph a beautiful, beautiful sunset,” he says, something that has worked out well for him professionally as well as aesthetically. “One of my best selling photos was one I shot at Asilomar last August. It was dramatic — like something you’d see in the Southwest,” he says.

Point Sur

Point Sur by Refractionless http://www.flickr.com/photos/refractionless/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Rachael Short listed Point Sur in her list of top 10 iconic snapshot spots. The huge volcanic rock with the lighthouse on top is certainly an eye-catching sight on the drive down Highway One. Is it more iconic than Bixby Bridge or McWay Falls?

The “It’s Happening in Soledad” sign

It’s Happening in Soledad by Kelan Champagne

The “It’s Happening In Soledad” sign, which references the Pinnacles National Monument and the Soledad Mission, was named the number one Highway 101 landmark by Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle. It has been featured on two separate T-shirts (here and here). It has its own Yelp page. There’s even a band named after it. There’s no doubt the “It’s Happening in Soledad” sign is a fixture in the minds of those who take Highway 101 from San Francisco to Los Angeles, but can a billboard rival the locations in our Top 10 for scenic beauty?

Cannery Row overpasses

Cannery Row Company, Monterey Canning Co. by Troy Holden http://www.flickr.com/photos/troyholden/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Some of the walkways that arc over Cannery Row date back to the neighborhood’s heyday as the epicenter of the sardine canning industry. Shots like this capture the area’s past as well as its present as a tourist center.

What iconic snapshot spots in Monterey County that you feel we missed? Give us your feedback in the comments here, and share photos of your iconic Monterey County snapshot spots in our Flickr photo group.

Friday

Can’t tell the Big Dipper from Cassiopeia? Couldn’t spot Orion in the starry sky if he hit you over the head with his big club? Head over to the Garland Ranch Regional Park Star Party. There will be telescopes, hot drinks, cookies and knowledgeable amateur astronomers sharing their knowledge. Begins at sundown. Garland Ranch Regional Park parking lot, Carmel Valley Road. Free.

The Monterey Public Library hosts its elegant annual Chocolate and Wine Tasting Benefit. Drink local wines and chocolate beer and devour both sweet chocolate treats and savory molés. There’s a silent auction, live music, door prizes and the annual Best Chocolate Cookie Contest. 7-9pm, 625 Pacific Street in Monterey, tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Call 831-646-5601 to order tickets.

The award-winning ATOS Trio (seen above performing Cassado) perform at the Sunset Center in Carmel tonight. The program includes Beethoven’s Piano Trio, Op. 1, No. 2; Cassadó’s Piano Trio in C Major; and Schubert’s Piano Trio in E-flat Major. 8pm, San Carlos St. and 9th Ave. Tickets are $29 to $52 and can be purchased on the Chamber Music Monterey Bay official website.

San Francisco’s Ryan Bisio has a quirky, bluesy, rootsy sound that combines influences like Tom Waits and Dave Matthews to create something truly unique. San Diego’s Jon Ji plays an acoustic blend of jazz, folk and blues that sounds a bit like Jack Johnson. They play Jose’s at 638 Wave Street in Monterey tonight. Salinas singer/songwriter Michael James Glines opens. 9pm, $5.

Saturday

The Monterey County Fair’s “Gigantic Garage/Fair Sale” lets you take home your own piece of the Monterey County Fair. 8am-noon, 2004 Fairgrounds Road, enter through Gate 5.

Shark by Mike Rainey

It’s a sharktastic weekend at the Monterey Bay Aquarium with “Shark Days.” Watch shark and bat ray feedings, hear shark stories, watch video programs on shark research efforts, attend a book signing by “Sherman’s Lagoon” creator Jim Toomey, create items in the shark crafts workshop, and more. There’s even exclusive, behind-the-scenes Shark Days tours, which can be reserved in advance through this web link. The first 500 people to visit the event information booth today will receive a 2010 “Sherman’s Lagoon” shark calendar. Shark Days is included with regular aquarium admission; Shark Tours are $10 extra for members and $12 extra for non-members. 10am-5pm.

The Monterey Symphony’s program “Little Russian Treasures,” featuring guest conductor Dmitri Yablonsky, is loaded with interesting compositions not often heard in this area. The program begins with Valse fantaisie by the father of Russian classical music, Mikhail Glinka and includes two of Shostakovich’s most fun pieces (Jazz Suite No. 2, featured in the clip above as conducted by Yablonsky, and Tahiti Trot) and the ever-controversial Scriabin’s Symphony No. 2 in C minor. Hear this intriguing program at 7pm at Sherwood Hall, 940 N. Main St., Salinas. Tickets are $15 for the 2pm final rehearsal and $20 and $39 for the 7pm performance and can be purchased on the Monterey Symphony’s official website.

The Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel and Spa hosts an all-night 1930s-style extravaganza to benefit Monterey’s Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA). “The Cotton Club” features dinner, dancing to the music of Dennis Murphy and his 17-piece Big Band, a live and silent auction, raffles, and more. 5:30pm-11:30pm. Tickets range from $225 up and can be purchased at the official website.

The Paige Too Trio plays a mix of smooth jazz and R&B tonight at the Big Sur River Inn. 7pm, Highway One, no cover.

The Cannery Row IMAX hosts the fundraiser “Ultimate Wave Search Jam” for the Surfrider Foundation and Camp SEA Lab, featuring the debut of surf legend Kelly Slater’s IMAX movie “Ultimate Wave Tahiti 3D”. The party starts at 6:30pm; the film premieres at 7pm at 640 Wave Street in Monterey. Each $15 ticket includes one free raffle ticket.

Smoky-voiced Sarah McCoy of the Zippidy Yeah’s has a voice like Janis Joplin and plays piano like Tori Amos. She plays a solo set tonight at Fernwood Resort on Highway One in Big Sur. 9pm, no cover.

Santa Cruz indie act Electric Leaves play wandering, introspective music that wears its Radiohead influences on its sleeve. They play at Jose’s tonight along with indie/punk trio Tan Sister Radio and Pacific Grove’s < ahref="http://www.myspace.com/familiarspheres">Familiar Spheres. 9pm, 638 Wave Street Monterey, $5.

Sunday

Learn all about the mysterious and fascinating world of sharks as Shark Days continues at the Monterey Bay Aquarium from 10am-5pm. Shark Days is included with regular aquarium admission; Shark Tours are $10 extra for members and $12 extra for non-members. 10am-5pm.

The Monterey Symphony brings the fascinating “Little Russian Treasures” to the Sunset Center at 8th and San Carlos in Carmel at 3pm. Tickets are $48-$69 and can be purchased at the Monterey Symphony official website.

Not only is Valentine’s Day this weekend; it’s also the weekend of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The entire county is packed with things to do from Friday through Monday.

Looking for something romantic to do this weekend? See our listing of Valentine’s Weekend Top Romantic Events for ideas on how to celebrate.

Going to the AT&T? See our Insider’s Guide to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am for tips on how to get the most out of the event.

You say you’re not romantically inclined, and you have no interest in golf? No worries. There’s still plenty of fun things to do.

Friday

Meet local authors Adela Castillo and José Alejandro Morán tonight at the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas. The members-only reception is at 6pm, followed by a talk, live poetry meeting and book signing at 7pm. Call 831-775-4721 for details.

San Francisco indie band Callow return from their tour of the Pacific Northwest to play ethereal indie music at Jose’s tonight. Mellow, Postal Service-esque San Jose band Seabright and female-led, Postal Service-esque Santa Cruz band Harlequin Baby open. 9pm, 638 Wave St. Monterey, $5.

Saturday

See beautiful architecture and great art at the Monterey Museum of Art at La Mirada’s Community Day. 11am-5pm, 720 Via Mirada, free.

Local reggae favorites Jonah and the Whale Watchers bring the peace, love, and party atmosphere to Fernwood Tavern in Big Sur tonight. 9pm, no cover.

Sunday

The Together With Love Run/Walk celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The 10K and 5K race raise money for the Monterey County Rape Crisis Center; there’s also a 1K kids’ fun run. The course runs along the beautiful Pacific Grove coastline. Great scenery + good cause = worth getting up early on Valentine’s Day. Kids’ fun run is at 8:15am; 10K and 5K begin at 9am. Sign up online, or register on race day starting at 7:30am at Lovers Point Park.

Tour a historic lighthouse and see some whales at the Point Sur Whale Watching Tour. Point Sur Lighthouse is perched on a volcanic rock over 300 feet above the ocean, which makes it the perfect spot to watch for whales. Our tips from last year: get there early (it’s first-come first-served), bring a zoom lens for your camera or binoculars if you have them, wear comfortable shoes. Oh, and bring lunch -- the top of Point Sur is a gorgeous spot for a picnic. 11am-3pm, Highway One 19 miles south of Rio Road, $20.

In celebration of Chopin’s 200th birthday, Gustavo Romero (shown above playing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3) plays a Chopin program at the Sunset Center. Pieces include Prelude in C sharp minor, Op.45; Nocturne in B major, Op.62 (No.1); Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op.60; Polonaise in F sharp minor, Op.44; Scherzo in B flat minor, Op.31; Ballade in A flat major, Op.47; Ballade in F major, Op.38; Ballade in F minor, Op.52; and Ballade in G minor, Op.23. After the concert, there will be a champagne reception in the lobby to celebrate Chopin’s birth. 3pm, San Carlos and 9th in Carmel, $37.

Moss Landing’s Sublime-esque Hallway Ballers play Jose’s tonight. 8pm, 638 Wave St. Monterey, $10.

Monday

Monterey’s Colton Hall was the site of the California Constitutional Convention in 1849. Today, Mayor Chuck Della Salla unveils two important documents from that event — the roster and the signature page — which will join the exhibits in Colton Hall’s permanent museum. 11am, 351 Pacific Street, free.

George Lopez crowdsurfing at the AT&T, by powerhouse00

Today is the first day of the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am’s practice rounds. While those unfamiliar with golf might consider practice rounds a big yawn, the AT&T’s practice rounds are a hot ticket – especially today.

For fans looking to score an autograph from a celebrity, the Monday practice round provides the best opportunity for getting autographs. Spectators are also only allowed to bring cameras during the practice rounds, making Monday through Wednesday the most important AT&T days for a shutterbug.

Get more tips on the AT&T, including the best spectator spots and this year’s shuttle schedule, on our Insider’s Guide to the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am page.

Friday

The Salinas First Fridays Art Walk invites you to “Feel the Love” in the run-up to Valentine’s Day. Catch live music, dance performances, art openings and more. 5pm-8pm, 100-300 blocks of Main Street and adjacent streets in Salinas. Free.

The Monterey Museum of Art La Mirada turns into a club tonight for “La Mirada Lounge.” There’s light appetizers, a cash bar, and DJ music. 6-9pm, 720 Via Mirada. $10 for nonmembers, free for members.

Country rockers Mike Beck and the Bohemian Saints play at the “Sweethearts of the Fair Valentine’s Day Dance” at the Monterey County Fairgrounds Turf Club. Enjoy the no host full bar and appetizers and then dance your shoes right off. 7pm. 2004 Fairgrounds Road Gate 5, $8 in advance and $10 at the door. Call 372-5863 to reserve tickets.

Hard-driving Washington country rockers The Lonely H play Jose’s Underground on Wave Street tonight. Local acts St. Mawr (evocative of Modest Mouse’s mellower moments) and ambient rockers Familiar Spheres open. 638 Wave Street, 8pm, $5.

Local favorites The Cachagua Playboys play a toe-tapping night of surf zydeco at Bullwacker’s Restaurant and Pub on Cannery Row. 653 Cannery Row, 8:30pm, no cover.

Saturday

Get a guided tour of Garland Ranch Regional Park’s Kahn Ranch addition with the Monterey Peninsula Regional Parks District. This 3.7 mile Hitchcock Loop hike goes past a waterfall. The MPRPD describes the views as “breathtaking,” and with the 1,100 foot elevation gain, we suspect they mean that literally. 10am, free but limited attendance, register online and get directions via the official website under “Free Guided Hikes”.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dave Mason plays tonight at Carmel’s Sunset Center. (You can download some of his new songs for free -- they’re the ones with the asterisk -- at Dave Mason’s official website.)8pm. Tickets are $47, $58 and $67 and can be purchased at the Sunset Center website.

Find out why Cheeky Spanks was voted Monterey County’s favorite band in the Monterey County Weekly’s 2009 poll at Bullwacker’s Restaurant and Pub on Cannery Row tonight. 653 Cannery Row, 8:30pm, no cover.

How often do you get to hear a psychedelic Motown jam band? Harry & the Hit Men bring their unique sound to Fernwood on Highway One in Big Sur tonight. 9pm, no cover.

It’s a night of hip-hop and reggae at Jose’s Underground on Wave Street. San Jose’s Oneself DaVinci headlines, with support from San Josen’s Solis Cin and locals The Joint Venture and Realization. 638 Wave Street, 8pm, $5.

Sunday

Watch the Super Bowl with a hundred new friends at the Schooners Bistro Super Bowl Bash. There’s team martinis, $2 specialty shots, a half time raffle, and more. 400 Cannery Row, inside the Monterey Plaza Hotel. Starts at 1pm.

Sea Lions by michaelav

Whether you’re in the mood for love or want to avoid it entirely, there’s plenty to do on Valentine’s Day Weekend in Monterey County!

Celebrate your romance at events from Carmel to Salinas and Carmel Valley to Monterey. Tour the wine tasting rooms of the Salinas Valley with the River Road Wine Trail Valentine’s Passport. Go wild at a risque adults only tour of Wild Things, where you’ll learn all about wild animal mating habits. Get your portrait drawn while tasting wine at Taste Morgan. Looking for a romantic brunch, lunch or dinner? Check out over fifteen on our list. Here’s our full list of Valentine’s Weekend romantic events.

Feeling less than romantic? You don’t have to be a golf fan to attend the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. The event, which pairs up golf pros with celebrities, attracts duffers and star-watchers alike. Stars playing at the 2010 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am include George Lopez, Tom Brady, Brandi Chastain, Bill Murray, Don Cheadle, Josh Duhamel, Tony Romo, and Clay Walker, while pros include Phil Mickelson, Retief Goosen, and Dustin Johnson. We’ve got the scoop on how to get the most out of the AT&T, from the best viewing spots to the top evening party places, as well as ticket and shuttle info, at our Insider’s Guide to the AT&T webpage.

Make your romantic weekend complete. Click here to see special romantic offers for hotels, restaurants, spas, activities, and more, good for the entire month of February.