Fall is Here
As of this writing, it is a foggy Friday afternoon in mid-August and the final weekend of the peninsula’s annual Car Week. It has been yet another action-packed week with lots of art on wheels, out in force, to do what they do here on an annual basis. These fancy, loud cars racing up and down the highway and through our towns can be a little annoying. It seems bigger than ever, and we have no shortage of people, but there is, however, a shortage of hotel rooms available. Car Week is good for business, and there are many who benefit, including restaurants, retailers and local charities as well as Monterey County (based on the increased tax revenues). As a local, I gave up complaining about the time in traffic years ago. No reason to get upset about it as I know what to expect. And, it’s worth enduring if our local businesses realize some good increases during a time that they all need it.
After the Lamborghinis, Ferraris, and all those other amazing vehicles clear out, we get to enjoy one of the finest times of the year. Typically, we slide into an extended summer-type pattern and should enjoy our best weather of the year along with some of the finest events Monterey County has to offer, including the Monterey Jazz Festival. Now in its 68th year, the longest running jazz festival in the world continues to impress with a stellar line-up on each of its three days, beginning on September 26. With five stages and a vast array of musical styles, the festival never disappoints. Even a grounds pass is getting you admission to see and hear some of the world’s top performers in their respective genres, and this year’s lineup is tremendous. For example, Sunday’s schedule features some amazing entertainment, including one of the world’s best living blues guitarists, Chris Cain. This man oozes soul and talent and if you have never seen him, do yourself a favor. After Chris Cain, you could go see one of the greatest jazz guitarists on the planet, who happens to also be a Carmel Valley resident, Bruce Forman playing alongside saxophonist Paul Contos. Many other amazing artists, including local talent like Along Came Betty, Miranda Perl and Adam Astrup, and world class legends like Pete Escovedo fill out the weekend with Trombone Shorty closing it out on Sunday night. Friday and Saturday’s lineups are equally impressive. The Monterey Jazz Festival is a great way to spend your weekend.
Here is a partial list of a few more events coming this fall: The 50th Walker Cup Golf Match held at Cypress Point Club, Festa Italia Fisherman’s Festival, The 180th Birthday Party for Fisherman’s Wharf, The Ferrari Challenge of North America, Carmel Art Walks, Flavors of Pacific Grove, Gridlife Laguna Festival, Carmel International Film Festival, Carmel-by-the-Sea Art and Wine Walk, Carmel by-the-Sea Birthday Party, Big Sur Food and Wine Festival and the Big Sur Half Marathon, just to name a few.
Living in this amazing place offers up a huge range of experiences and surely something for everyone. I arrived here as a permanent resident in 1990 and am glad I stuck with it. The Monterey Peninsula is easy to love. I started Carmel Magazine 10 years after moving here and Tiger Woods graced the first cover, having won both the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The U.S. Open that year. Amazing! So much has changed in our 25 years of publishing the magazine but we must have done something right as the demand is greater than ever. Those people who predicted the digital era, social media and the internet would be the death of print were wrong. We are finding people still want to hold and read a tangible printed product. Thank you to our readers and much gratitude goes out to our advertisers who have kept us going. We appreciate you!