Presented by the Monterey Bay Chapter of the United Nations Association, this three day festival features films from countries as diverse as Iraq and Indonesia, and includes numerous Academy Award nominees.
The festival closes with “Gasland,” a film about the controversial practice of natural gas and oil extraction called “franking.” All screenings are at the historic Golden State theater in downtown Monterey at 417 Alvarado St. Admission to each session is only $5, and students with I.D. are free.
Street parking is available evenings, and the city of Monterey is offering free parking in the garage behind Wells Fargo (at Franklin and Tyler) on Saturday afternoon (take a ticket when you enter, and say you attended the International Film Festival when you exit).
Thursday evening, November 3rd • 7 pm
Humanity Explored – 7 min
The Warriors of Qiugang – 39 min – China
Benghazi Rising – 53 min – Libya
Triangle Returns – 9 min – US, Bangladesh
The Price of Sex – 73 min – Moldova, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Dubai
Friday evening, November 4th • 7 pm
Poster Girl – 38 min – US, Iraq
Which Way Home – 63 min – Mexico, US, Guatemala, Honduras
Blood in the Mobile – 82 min – Congo, Finland
Saturday, November 5th • 1 pm
The 10 Conditions of Love – 54 min – China, US
Strangers No More– 40 min – Israel
Killing in the Name – 39 min – Jordan, Indonesia
Sarabah – 60 min – Senegal, Germany
Saturday evening, November 5th • 7 pm
The Dark Side of Chocolate – 46 min – Ivory Coast, Mali
Sun City Picture House – 27 min – Haiti
Gasland – 106 min – US
The Monterey chapter of the United Nations Association is dedicated to the same concerns that led to the creation of the parent body: human rights for all, combating world poverty, resolving conflicts through peaceful means, and protecting the world’s environment.
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The town of Pacific Grove is straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting, and so are these upcoming baking and home-canning workshops at the Happy Girl Kitchen Company.
Happy Girl—purveyor of organic “food that feeds your soul”—is our source for all things wonderful in the world of jams and preserves: from pickled vegetables to luscious fruit preserves (and summertime strawberry lemonade). It’s a great place to pick up a gift, or a light breakfast/lunch.
These hands-on sessions will teach you home-canning techniques so you can preserve and eat local foods year round.
They each include an organic lunch made from local produce—and of course you’ll get to take home an assortment of each recipe.
Each workshop runs from 10 am to 3 pm at at Happy Girl’s store/cafe/kitchen (173 Central Avenue, Pacific Grove), and the fees run from $110-$135 per person.
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“Fiery Sunset” by Warren Strouse
Or art, music, and wine walk? Any way you look at it, this Pacific Grove event is super fun – and free.
Pick up an Art Walk map at the Chamber of Commerce or any participating location, and head downtown on Friday, October 28, from 6-9 pm.
Listen to live music, pop into the shops and galleries, sip wine and enjoy complimentary hors d’oeuvres at the following venues:
- Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History – 165 Forest Avenue
- Tessuti Zoo – 171 Forest Avenue
- Sun Studios – 208 Forest Avenue
- Sprout Boutique – 210 ½ Forest Avenue
- Artisana Gallery – 309-A Forest Avenue
- Glenn Gobel Custom Frames – 562 Lighthouse Avenue
- The Pacific Grove Art Center – 568 Lighthouse Avenue
- Pacific Grove Hometown Bulletin – 620 Lighthouse Avenue
- Monterey Bay Educational Center and Gallery – 153 Fountain Avenue
- Barry Marshall Art Gallery – 213 Grand Avenue
- Strouse and Strouse Studio Gallery – 178 Grand Avenue
And why not enjoy the area in one of these great Pacific Grove accommodations?
“Cottage on the Park” is perfectly located for a stroll downtown (and it’s just two blocks from the beach).
Or, if all that art has you in a fervor to break out your brushes, there’s plenty of plein air at this lovely four bedroom home near the white sand dunes of Asilomar Beach.
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Visitors to the Monterey Peninsula can’t help but notice that the area is blessed with an extremely high number of fine bakeries.
In the words of one Yelper: “Okay, teeny, tiny Monterey has at LEAST four fabulous bakeries. How come in Newport Beach we have zero???”
We don’t know why, and we’re certainly not about to question our good fortune. Here are just a few of our favorites:
Parker-Lusseau Pastries • 539 Hartnell, Monterey
This weathered white adobe with a petite porch looks as if it were transported from another era… and the savories, croissants, and pastries are as delectable as any you will find in the finest Parisian patisserie.
Paris Bakery Cafe • 271 Bonifacio, Monterey
A downtown tradition, the almond croissants (especially if you’re lucky to get one warm from the oven) are to die for. But you will have a mighty difficult time stopping there when faced with an extensive display of pastries pretty enough to paint.
Pavel’s Backerei • 219 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove
Pavel’s is yummy and reasonable – check out the Texas-sized glazed donuts for only $2.50. (And oh, those apple fritters and the gigantic cinnamon rolls… and don’t get me started on the bombolinis!)
Patisserie Bechler • 1225 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove
You’ll swoon from the sugary aroma when you walk in the door. Locals rave about the quiches and the French macarons (colorful little bites of heaven in flavors like caramel sea salt and pistachio). And the adjoining cafe is a good spot for breakfast or lunch.
Pastries and Petals • Mission & 5th Ave., Carmel
Hard to find but definitely worth the search. Surrender to their scrumptious cheesecake and red velvet cupcakes, lemony treats, breakfast muffins and warm cinnamon pull-aparts… accompanied by a delicious latte or cafe mocha, of course.
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Ready for an evening of wining, dining, and dancing under the stars?
It’s all happening at The Taste of Carmel on Thursday, October 6 from 6-9 pm at the Carmel Mission.
The theme of this year’s annual food and wine celebration is “Footloose and Fancy Fare”—and attendees are encouraged to come dressed in their best 80s attire.
The fundraiser, which benefits the Carmel Chamber of Commerce, takes place in the lovely Mission courtyard.
Twenty local wineries will pour libations while more than thirty local chefs—including those from Aubergine, Basil, Bahama Island Steakhouse, Forge in the Forest, Highlands Inn, Fresh Cream, and Il Fornaio—serve “small bites” showcasing their cuisine.
And whether you want to take a spin at Laguna Seca—or attend next year’s Academy Awards—you’ll find a wide range of enticing items to bid on during the Silent Auction.
Tickets are available at www.tasteofcarmel.com or by calling 831.624.2522.
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Everyone knows how important honeybees are—but what about the butterflies?
An essential part of the ecosystem, these delicate, fluttering jewels also pollinate flowering plants— and every autumn a small but determined population of Western Monarchs migrates from Washington and Oregon to Pacific Grove, California: a.k.a. “Butterfly Town, U.S.A.”
You can view these natural wonders October through February at the Monarch Grove Sanctuary, free and open from sunrise to sunset.
But don’t miss the annual Butterfly Parade and Bazaar on Saturday, October 1 (with local schoolchildren dressed in wings) or the Historic Home Tour of classic Victorians on Sunday, October 2.
Looking for a Place to Land?
To commemorate this inspiring natural migration, Monterey Bay Property Management is offering discounted $999 weekly rates at select Pacific Grove rentals between Oct. 1, 2011 and Feb. 29, 2012 (subject to availability, holiday dates excluded, tax and cleaning fees additional).
For more info, contact the little butterfly on the left – reservationist Ashley Magallanes in her first Butterfly Parade, circa 1993.
Ashley@MontereyRentals.com or call (831) 655-7840.
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