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The Monterey Bay Area has long been a magnet for artists, writers and actors, so it's no surprise that its arts scene is robust. Artists, writers and actors are notorious for their vices, so it's fitting that the area's beer-drinking and wine making communities are robust as well.
Music
Festival time! The Monterey Jazz Festival, that hoary but vibrant, three-day celebration of jazz, is held every September on multiple stages at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. The Monterey Blues Festival, in June, brings in heavyweights like B. B. King and Etta James at the same location. When those weekend-long musical extravaganzas close up shop for the year, the Monterey County Symphony's October-May series of concerts keeps toes a-tappin'. The organization welcomes internationally renowned guest artists for a classics-based program, seasoned with choice works from the modern repertoire. They perform at the Sunset Cultural Center in Carmel. The very same venue also plays host to performances sponsored by Chamber Music Monterey Bay, which pulls in top small-group performers for its six-concert, winter-and-spring series.
Theater
Several fine repertory groups make Monterey's theater scene one of the better regional locales in the country. The Pacific Repertory Theatre puts on several plays each year from modern and classic playwrights at Carmel's Golden Bough Playhouse. Carmel's Carl Cherry Center for the Arts is a good place to catch a rotating program of dance and drama including productions by Monterey's own Unicorn Theatre.
Wine
Though dwarfed by the wine making powerhouse that is the Napa Valley, Monterey County has its share of respected vineyards and vintners. Accordingly, wine is quite the cultural force throughout the region. Here are some highlights: A Taste of Monterey's Cannery Row Bay View Tasting Room invites wine enthusiasts to sample a wide range of regional vintages, all in a comfortable setting with an unforgettable view. Soif Wine Bar offers an impressive selection of wines as well, this time alongside a delectable menu of contemporary Spanish cuisine. True die hards will want to invest in the Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Passport Program, a great way to see a variety of operations in action—and sample the product! Another surefire way to get your fill is to attend the annual Monterey Wine Festival, a four-day bash involving lectures, tours, auctions, demonstrations, food, music—and, of course, more tasting! If so much activity sounds a bit too hectic for you, stop by Terra Nova Fine Wines, a retail store every connoisseur will appreciate. Grab a bottle or three for a picnic on a bluff.
Nightlife
Sometimes, Monterey can feel a bit like old London. Maybe it's the fog, maybe it's the quaint little streets—or maybe it's the plethora of bona fide British-style pubs lining the streets. Saunter into any one of them and you'll be sure to stumble out after some pints, some shots, some darts and a hearty dinner of bangers and mash. Of all of them, the Crown & Anchor has been voted "Most Authentic," and its heated outdoor patio keeps locals and travelers coming back for more. The Mucky Duck, in a Spanish-style adobe building built in 1924, also has a cozy outdoor patio, as well as 60 single-malt scotch options. The Monterey branch of the beloved regional chain Britannia Arms keeps patrons busy with raucous trivia contests and karaoke nights. Down near Fisherman's Wharf, find your way into the London Bridge Pub, right on the waterfront. Choose from more than 60 beers from all over the world. At Bulldog British Pub, when you tire of ales and lagers, be sure to get yourself a 'Red Silk Knickers'—if only because it's fun to order.
Steinbeck
What would a trip to this region be without a fitting remembrance of John Steinbeck, author of such bestsellers as East of Eden and The Winter of Our Discontent? The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, and its annual Steinbeck Festival do a great job. The Center has comprehensively cataloged every pertinent piece of information from every nook and cranny of the esteemed writer's life. The Festival draws revelers from all over the world, offering a celebratory look into the history of the Salinas Valley and its favorite son. If Salinas is a little too out of the way, simply take a stroll down Cannery Row, being mindful to read between the lines and imagine the place as it once was (before the candy shops and theme bars). Who knows: perhaps you'll stumble into some forgotten little alleyway where days gone by are still faintly palpable. If not, try Steinbeck's Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum. Wax museums may be a hokey concept, but this one is filled with nothing but waxy depictions of the life and times (and imaginings) of one Mr. J.E. Steinbeck III.
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