Thursday saves its best for after dark, with an amphitheater rock bill in Mountain View and stand-up, poetry, and an author talk spread across San Jose and Palo Alto. Daylight belongs to the kids: the field guide strings together free library programs on stories, writing, and reading practice. Partly cloudy and 83 cooling to 59, so the outdoor picks hold up all evening.

Today's field guide

Storytime to smoked brisket

Today's guide is built for anyone with a kid in tow: Mandarin stories and songs in the morning, a writing club with language games after school, and one-on-one reading practice with a teen coach at 5. Each stop comes with a meal nearby, New York-style bagels for under $15 to start, Asian-fusion plates on Blossom Hill for lunch, and slow-smoked ribs and brisket to close it out.

Tonight's pick

Southern Hospitality Tour: The Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers

6:30 PM · Shoreline Amphitheatre · Mountain View

An outdoor rock double bill is the right call on an evening that cools from 83 toward 59, and this one pairs The Black Crowes with Whiskey Myers on the Southern Hospitality Tour.

Also on the calendar

The calendar leans hands-on early and performance late: a beginner sewing workshop at 5, a free lawn concert in Cupertino at 6:30, then an author talk at Kepler's, poetry in Willow Glen, and stand-up comedian Rex Navarrete at the Improv. Open the full calendar →

Asking around

Recommendation requests lead today, shawarma and laptop-friendly cafés, plus a standing chess night at Crepevine in Palo Alto and one neighbor trying to give away seven bottles of wine.