East Bay Magazine

18/07/2025

Yes, summer in Las Vegas is hot. Very hot. Sometimes super hot. Yet there are reasons why a short, zippy trip in July or August can be a fun choice. Hear me out.

Since, in fact, Vegas summers are always really hot, the city is set up for it. Some fun things to do when it isn’t hot will not be on the table, i.e., anything outdoors. I’d save the excursion to Red Rock Canyon for the next visit. But even if dashing from air conditioning to air conditioning is mandatory, the crowds of tourists will be much diminished. Hotel deals and lower entrance fees abound...

Read more by Janis Hashe about Las Vegas travels this summer at the link in our IG stories, JULY/AUG 2025 highlights in our profile, or at eastbaymag.com. ✨🌞

https://www.eastbaymag.com/vegas-when-it-sizzles/

Vegas when it sizzles: Hot times in the neon desert this summer offers a wide variety of activities, especially off the overpopulated Strip.

17/07/2025

While dreaming of travel and craving respite from summer season busyness, I received a fortuitous email in May that planted a seed-like idea. Short on time for two weeks abroad or a similar stint at a destination in the U.S., could a three-day, two-night beach excursion to a location within a two-hour drive of the East Bay suffice?

Read more from Lou Fancher about waves, wildlife and worry-free luxury in Monterey below. Or visit eastbaymag.com. 🌊🤍

This article features: - - - - - - and more!

https://www.eastbaymag.com/a-coastal-escape-offers-waves-wildlife-and-worry-free-luxury/

A coastal escape offers waves, wildlife and worry-free luxury for three days of beauty and adventure in Monterey.

15/05/2025

For the casual music fan, the transition at SFJAZZ from the organization’s founder, Randall Kline, to trumpeter Terence Blanchard has been a seamless affair.

Week by week, the roster of artists performing in the SFJAZZ Center’s 700-seat Miner Auditorium and intimate 107-seat Joe Henderson Lab looks much the same in 2025 as it did in 2023. At least, that was the case until the organization unveiled the radically reimagined San Francisco Jazz Festival (SFJF), an event long overdue for conceptual update.

Running Friday-Sunday, June 13-15, the SFJF is now a proper buzz-generating festival, featuring some three-dozen concerts across multiple stages at the SFJAZZ Center and the Festival Tent covering an adjacent parking lot at Franklin and Oak. With DJs, food, wine and beer vendors, and art and vinyl merchants ensconced at each venue, the festival offers an array of access options, including limited full-access VIP and three-day passes, single-day passes and venue specific passes.

Showcasing a bevy of top improvisers, from venerable NEA jazz masters and mid-career virtuosos to under-the-radar stalwarts and rising stars, the lineup bristles with talent, including many artists who’ve never previously performed at the SFJAZZ Center…

Read more by Andrew Gilbert below!

https://www.eastbaymag.com/san-francisco-jazz-festival-reinvents-itself/

08/05/2025

It’s been a decade or two since craft cidermakers first started to make their mark on the beverage market. Arguably the most well known cider producer, Angry Orchard, began distribution in 2005. Now there are more than 700 cidermakers in the U.S. 20 years later.

While most consumers understand cider as being an alternative to beer—which it can very well be for our gluten-free friends or those just desiring something carbonated but without tasting like a mouthful of grain—its placement is more like a link between the beer and wine worlds…

https://www.eastbaymag.com/cider-takes-root-in-the-east-bay/

Cider takes root in the East Bay, as local cidermakers blend craft, community and tradition to offer a link between beer and wine worlds.

07/05/2025

Daniel Gahr and Shirin Raza are co-owners of and, since last fall, , which opened in Palmetto’s former space. Raza is the general manager of both establishments, and Gahr is the creative director. Before they opened Bar Shiru, Gahr had been working at Pandora. The offices are nearby in the uptown/downtown neighborhoods. They chose to open a bar there because they loved the musical energy, the overall nightlife and the general feeling of hospitality.

“Certainly in the 21st century, we consider Oakland to be the musical and cultural heart and soul of the Bay Area,” Gahr said.

Read more below!

https://www.eastbaymag.com/building-oaklands-soundscape-to-foster-community/

Building Oakland's soundscape to foster community: Daniel Gahr and Shirin Raza bring music and hospitality to Gold Palm and Bar Shiru.

06/05/2025

Both the use and the mystique of spices goes back centuries. Ancient Egyptians used spices such as coriander, cumin, myrrh, frankincense, cinnamon and ginger in cooking—and also mummification.

The ancient Chinese developed the classic “five-spice blend” of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seeds, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. In Africa, spices such as pepper, cardamom, cumin and ginger were used as currency, as well as in cooking. The Aztecs and Mayans used allspice and white cinnamon, among other spices.

Highly valued as preservatives, spices commanded premium prices during the Middle Ages in Europe, as they had to be shipped overland or imported by ship. The Molucca Islands in Indonesia, even today still called the Spice Islands, were the largest producers of mace, nutmeg, cloves and pepper in the world.

Fast forward to the East Bay today, and the spice scene is flourishing…

Featuring: , , Oakland Spice Blend, , and others. ✨

Read more below!

https://www.eastbaymag.com/spicing-up-our-lives/

Spicing up our lives is easy to do when all of the world’s spices flourish in East Bay shops, like Oaktown, Brundo, Bombay and more.

02/05/2025

“The first time I entered the dark and vibey realm of Uptown’s Bar Shiru, I was transported. The whole space is a shrine to jazz, where vinyl records are revered by a world-class sound system, thoughtful curation and hushed voices. Portraits of the greats and an imposing wall of albums set the scene. It feels simultaneously like a nod to Oakland’s rich jazz history and a promising peek into its revitalized Uptown future…”

https://www.eastbaymag.com/permission-granted-to-savor-all-senses/

Permission granted to savor all senses—Melomania and more served up in our May/June 2025 special 'food and drink' issue.

30/04/2025

Our May/June issue is here! 🎊

It’s our special “Food & Drink” issue, featuring: East Bay spice shops, craft cider makers, and ; plus art and music from across the bay, with the Ruth Asawa retrospective at@sfmoma, and ‘s SF Jazz Festival. 🍽️🍻🎶🖼️

Flip through the e-edition below, or visit eastbaymag.com!

ON THE COVER: Daniel Gahr snd Shirin Raza of Bar Shiru and Gold Palm, courtesy of Daniel Gahr.

https://issuu.com/metrosiliconvalley/docs/east_bay_magazine_may-june_2025

Welcome to Issuu’s blog: home to product news, tips, resources, interviews (and more) related to content marketing and publishing.

26/03/2025

Every year for the past 25 years, Pantone has announced their Color of the Year. Last year it was Peach Fuzz. The year before that was Viva Magenta. For 2025 they have chosen Mocha Mousse.

It’s a choice with global implications, as designers throughout the world look to Pantone to set the mood for the coming year.

Elley Chang, president of Pantone, says, “Each year the color experts at the Pantone Color Institute (PCI) analyze global events, societal shifts and cultural dynamics to uncover the emotions and needs that are shaping our world. The Color of the Year is a reflection of the moment we’re living in.”

If that’s the case, then we’re in for quite a delicious year.

“PANTONE 17-1230 Mocha Mousse is a delectable brown that nurtures us with its suggestion of chocolate, cocoa and coffee,” says Laurie Pressman, vice president of PCI. “It is a color that brings feelings of contentment, inspiring a positive state of inner peace, calm and balance.”

Read more from David R. Newman on the design possibilities of “Mocha Mousse” below!

Pantone picks 'Mocha Mousse' as Color of the Year; this year's selection sets a calming, delectable tone for home design and decor in 2025.

20/03/2025

Recent images from Los Angeles and in 2023 from Lahaina, Hawaii, of homes left untouched and intact while surrounding houses were entirely destroyed by wildfires are dramatic and compelling. How did one home survive in a neighborhood otherwise completely decimated by the flames and ferocious winds of two of the deadliest U.S. wildfires in the last two years? And how does a homeowner make a new or existing house more fire-resilient?

Interviews with two Bay Area architects, research and resources from experts provide vital information for anyone seeking answers…

https://www.eastbaymag.com/how-to-fireproof-homes-in-style/

How to fireproof homes in style: Protecting new and existing houses from wildfires doesn't have to compromise aesthetics or livability.

17/03/2025

The cacophony of noise coming from the ready-mix concrete plant across the street from Donkey & Goat’s campus doesn’t necessarily suggest that quality wine is being made anywhere nearby. Isn’t a normal California wine experience supposed to include extravagant scenery, modern art sculptures and patios overlooking millions of dollars worth of real estate?

Yet, the wine world can get so caught up in the lavishness of its own physical location that the quality of the wine falls to second behind an overall tasting experience. Berkeley is an up and coming hallmark of Bay Area winemaking that exceeds the need for fluff and exorbitance. The Gilman District, as well as boasting industrial capacity, is home to a plethora of talented natural winemakers. Donkey & Goat is home to its first…

https://www.eastbaymag.com/donkey-goat-pioneers-pet-nat-in-the-gilman-district/

Donkey & Goat pioneers pet nat in the Gilman District; a leader in natural wine production established roots in Berkeley.

07/03/2025

In honor of Women’s History Month, our March/April issue highlights trailblazing powerhouse Tiffany Austin, a jazz vocalist and advocate fostering community through Wyldflowr Arts. Other stories explore Creative Growth’s artists with developmental disabilities, Oakland’s newest dining gem Sirene, wildfire-resistant home design, the ‘godfather’ of Gilman’s wine district—Donkey & Goat, and more.

https://issuu.com/metrosiliconvalley/docs/east_bay_magazine_march-april_2025?fr=sZDkwMjYyODcyNTQ

Read East Bay Magazine March-April 2025 by Weeklys on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!