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South Bay Today
Wednesday, August 12, 2026
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🌤 mostly sunny · high 80°, low 58°
The best window today is right after work: free jazz on the Los Gatos plaza, a five-mile Castle Rock hike, and a coastal-history author talk at Kepler's all start within a half hour of each other. Daytime belongs to the hands-on crowd, with a bowl-cozy sewing workshop in the morning and a voice-assistant class for seniors in the afternoon. Before you lock in evening plans, neighbors are trading spots to watch the Perseid meteor shower.
Today's field guide
Market, media lab, miniature books
Three ideas, each with a meal to match. Browse the downtown San Jose farmers' market with a Nirvana Soul coffee in hand, spend the afternoon digitizing family cassettes and photos at Palo Alto's Vintage Media Lab with Zareen's for lunch, then stitch a tiny fabric book with artist Gigi Farmer in Los Altos before kebabs and dumplings at NAR on W El Camino Real in Mountain View.
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Morning pick
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9:00 AM · Hammer Theatre Center · San Jose · Free
Stroll through the farmers' market and load up on seasonal local food.
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Breakfast nearby
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Breakfast · San Jose
Trendy cafe featuring specialty coffees & teas, plus sweet treats amid funky decor.
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Afternoon pick
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1:00 PM · Mitchell Park Library · Palo Alto · Free
Preserve family cassettes, records and photographs by transferring them to digital at the lab.
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Lunch nearby
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Lunch · Palo Alto · $15–30/person
Cozy, colorful kitchen presenting contemporary takes on classic Pakistani and Indian dishes.
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Evening pick
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6:30 PM · Los Altos Library · Los Altos · Free
Stitch a tiny fabric book or needle case with sustainable artist Gigi Farmer guiding each step.
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Dinner nearby
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Dinner · Mountain View
Kebabs, dumplings, and Eastern European plates in Mountain View on W El Camino Real.
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Tonight's pick
John Mellencamp: Dancing Words Tour
8:00 PM · Shoreline Amphitheatre · Mountain View
Enjoy John Mellencamp's greatest hits on the Dancing Words Tour.
Get tickets →
Also on the calendar
Free library workshops carry the daytime, and the 6 o'clock hour is where you'll have to choose between the trail, the bookstore, and the plaza. Open the full calendar →
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10:00 AM · Mt. Pleasant Library · San Jose · Free
Sew your own fabric bowl cozy to use as a hot pad in this hands-on library workshop.
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2:30 PM · Almaden Library · San Jose · Free
Learn to use voice commands for news, weather, and reminders in this hands-on workshop for seniors 55 and up.
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5:30 PM · Village Square Library · San Jose · Free
Walk in and learn Bollywood dance moves in this volunteer-led fitness class.
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6:00 PM · Castle Rock State Park · Los Gatos
Join the coed hiking group for a five-mile trek through Castle Rock State Park.
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6:00 PM · Kepler's Books · Menlo Park
Hear Joseph Ogilvy and James Workman trace the California coast's history through three marine species.
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6:30 PM · Los Gatos Town Plaza Park · Los Gatos · Free
Hear Smoked Out Soul at the free Jazz on the Plazz concert series.
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What neighbors are talking about
Meteor-watching plans, a grocery scoop for downtown San Jose, and two genuinely useful civic finds.
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South Bay residents are seeking the best nearby spots to watch the Perseid meteor shower.
r/SanJose
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A new independent boutique grocery store is coming to downtown San Jose.
r/SanJose
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San Jose residents can request new curb ramps via a city form.
r/SanJose
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Mountain View offers a Community Emergency Response Team academy to train residents for disasters.
r/MountainView
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- Stephen Stanwood
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