By Jessica Loi
Watch a Film Under the Stars: This summer, the city of Menlo Park is hosting its annual movie series in Downtown Menlo Park. This free program offers a variety of family-friendly films throughout August and early September. Menlo Park welcomes the public to enjoy nationally beloved features such as Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Zootopia and The Goonies. Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, blankets and snacks to share at the showing. However, participants can leave parking troubles at home by taking public transit to Downtown Menlo Park. Both the Caltrain Menlo Park Station and the SamTrans ECR bus have stops near Oak Grove, which is a three-minute walk away from the Menlo Movie Series location at the intersection of Santa Cruz Avenue and Curtis Street.
Muni Fare Changes to Come: In April, the SFMTA Board of Directors approved fare increases by up to three dollars for monthly Muni passes in the upcoming fiscal year. The new rates will be effective as of September 1, and riders who use Clipper Card autoload to purchase monthly passes will be able to view these charges around mid-August. Muni explained the fare increases as an attempt to balance inflation and keep the system working as safe and efficient as possible. The cost increases are determined by the Automatic Fare Indexing Policy, which calculates Muni prices based on inflation and the cost of operation.
Feel the Rhythm with San Jose Jazz: This weekend, one of the Bay Area’s largest music festivals returns for their 26th year of fun. From August 12-14, Jazz Summer Fest 16 will take over Downtown San Jose to bring people delicious food, music-themed film screenings, and more. With 12 stages and more than 120 performances, Summer Fest 2016 is guaranteed to never have a dull moment. The program includes artists from genres such as blues, Latin, R&B, salsa, funk, world, and most importantly, jazz! Tickets are required and all 12 performance venues are within walking distance of one another around the centerpiece stage at Plaza de César Chavez Park. To ditch the traffic stress, festivalgoers can ride Caltrain to the Diridon Station and take VTA light rail to any downtown station.