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There’s a crispness to the early morning air. Halloween decorations are sprouting up. Even the calendar says Fall has arrived. But this is California, where we frolic outdoors nearly all year round — and we’ve got seven sensational ways to play in San Francisco and beyond, from the always-epic Monterey Jazz Festival to Oktoberfest celebrations to a hike-and-nosh trail mix on the coast.
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1 HEAR: Monterey bops and swings
The Monterey Jazz Festival is this weekend and it’s absolutely loaded with mega-talents, from the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis to Cecile McLorin Salvant, Dianne Reeves and Bill Frisell. Our insider’s survival guide tells you where to park, what to hear and how to catch some worthy acts without ponying up for arena tickets. Plus, there’s an especially strong contingent of women and Bay Area artists performing this year.
2 EAT: Grab a bite before the show
All that jazzy appreciation requires sustenance. Here are four fab Monterey restaurants, where you can grab a bite before or after the show — including a fantastic little diner out on the commercial wharf.
3 GET OUT: And get an early start on Oktoberfest
Yes, yes, the calendar says it’s still September, but why wait around when there’s cold beer quaff, tasty brats to devour and oompah music to be, um, oompahed to? Oktoberfest celebrations are kicking off this weekend in Redwood City, San Francisco and Santa Clara and other locales. Catch our rundown of all the celebrations going on the Bay Area here.
4 SEE: The Fantabulous Smuin Contemporary Ballet
Few Bay Area dance companies are as beloved as Smuin Ballet, with its delightful performances full of sass, beauty and poignancy. This weekend, at last, the company is reviving one of most-cherished works, Trey McIntyre’s bittersweet meditation on romance “Blue Until June,” set to songs from the incomparable Etta James. Get the deets here.
5 SIP: Discover a new Bay Area brewery
No, it’s not your imagination: There really are more craft breweries than ever in California. In fact, 200 new breweries opened their doors in the last year alone, and our Golden State is set to crest the 1,000 (!!!) mark by year’s end. Ready to something new? Perhaps Oakland’s Ghost Town Brewing, Santa Cruz’s Humble Sea or Los Gatos’ Loma Brewing, which won the title of best brewery at last summer’s California State Fair. Prost!
6 WATCH: Lauryn Hill re-create her masterpiece
Lauryn Hill has had an inconsistent career since leaving the Fugees, to be sure, but 20 years ago, she released one of hip-hop’s finest albums, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” still considered a groundbreaking recording in so many ways. Get the weekend off to memorable start Sept. 20 when Hill comes Mountain View to perform “Miseducation” in its entirety. SZA, De La Soul and Shabazz Palaces are also on the star-studded bill. Details are here. If you’re more in the mood for classic — and we mean classic — rock, the Eagles fly into AT&T Park Sept. 20, and Journey, Def Leppard and Foreigner hold forth at the same venue Sept. 21. Details are here.
7 PLAY: Coastal hikes and bites
Cathedrals of redwoods, clear coastal air and Crab Benedict too? This awesome Aptos day trip offers a little bit of everything, trail mix style, from redwood trails to fancy frittatas and a bit of bubbly because — obviously. Any great post-hike brunch requires bubbly. Find our trail and brunch suggestions here.
