Old Monterey District Blog

Below are the showtimes for Osio Theater, December 6-12, 2019. Osio, a nonprofit movie theater dedicated to independent, foreign, and art films, is located at 350 Alvarado Street in Old Monterey. Purchase advance tickets on our website.

THE AERONAUTS
Weekdays at 2pm, 4:15pm, 6:45pm
Sat & Sun at 11:30am, 2pm, 4:15pm, 6:45pm
Set in 1862, wealthy young widow Amelia Wren and headstrong scientist James Glaisher mount a balloon expedition to fly higher than anyone in history. This is a journey to the very edge of existence, where the air is thin and the chances of survival are slim. As their perilous ascent reveals their true selves, this unlikely pair discover things about each other - and themselves - that helps each of them find their place in the world they have left behind. Watch the trailer.

JOJO RABBIT
Weekdays at 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm
Sat & Sun at 11:15am, 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm
This World War II satire follows a lonely German boy whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism. Watch the trailer.

MARRIAGE STORY
Weekdays at 6pm
Sat & Sun at 11am, 6pm
A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes Watch the trailer.

THE IRISHMAN
Daily at 1:45pm
An epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries, and connections to mainstream politics. Watch the trailer.

PARASITE
Weekdays at 1:30pm, 6:45pm
Sat & Sun at 1:30pm, 6:45pm
Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between...Read More

Cha-ya Japanese Tea and Things, located at 118 Webster Street in Downtown Old Monterey, is happy to announce our holiday hours. From now until Christmas, we're open seven days a week: Monday-Friday, 10:30am-5:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am-3:30pm. We have a lovely collection of gift items perfect for the holidays.

Happy Thanksgiving.

It's quiet just about everywhere today, but nowhere does it feel more quiet than in places that are public squares that are rarely lacking in bustle. You can tell that a place is truly a public square when it feels entirely wrong when it's at rest like today and it's very rare to find Monterey's Downtown so empty and devoid of emotion. It's just a little too quiet without the personalities that make a place a place. The women (mostly) and men who create the small town magic in a place like Old Monterey are here so much that you can think of them as characters on stage at Disneyland playing a version of themselves in their own little booths. They play the version of themselves that provides you with a "third place". They're characters who know your tastes and make you look great. Sometimes they're even that face you seek out when you need a little support or encouragement.

Most of the time when you shop, your time and money is converted into a paper receipt or a line item on a billing statement that you get at the end of the month. When you shop or play in a place like our district, the transaction isn't so simple. Every time you come here to buy a cup of coffee, pick up a gift, or even just to sit down for a while on a park bench by yourself, you're part of the show. You cast votes with your dollars and feet that a place like Downtown Monterey is a public square where everyone can come play whatever version of themselves they feel like playing that day. Perhaps more than ever, we need our public squares where people are not reduced to usernames and selfies.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and we're thankful for all of you who are a part of our community.

Below are the showtimes for Osio Theater, November 29 - December 5, 2019. Osio, a nonprofit movie theater dedicated to independent, foreign, and art films, is located at 350 Alvarado Street in Old Monterey. Purchase advance tickets on our website.

JOJO RABBIT
Weekdays at 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm
Sat & Sun at 11:15am, 1:30pm, 4pm, 6:30pm
This World War II satire follows a lonely German boy whose world view is turned upside down when he discovers his single mother is hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. Aided only by his idiotic imaginary friend, Adolf Hitler, Jojo must confront his blind nationalism. Watch the trailer.

MARRIAGE STORY
Weekdays at 1:45pm, 4:30pm, 7:15pm
Sat & Sun at 11am, 1:45pm, 4:30pm, 7:15pm
A stage director and his actor wife struggle through a grueling, coast-to-coast divorce that pushes them to their personal and creative extremes Watch the trailer.

THE IRISHMAN
Daily at 12:30pm, 5pm
An epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries, and connections to mainstream politics. Watch the trailer.

FRANKIE
Daily at 2pm
Unfolding over the course of a late summer’s day in the fabled resort town of Sintra, Portugal, three generations gather for a vacation organized by the family matriarch. In this fairy tale setting, husbands and wives, parents and children, friends and lovers, stirred by their romantic impulses discover the cracks between them as well as unexpected depth of feeling. Watch the trailer.

PARASITE
Weekdays at 6:45pm
Sat & Sun at 11:15am, 6:45pm
Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. Watch the trailer.

PAIN AND GLORY
...Read More

Shelley Bennett Skincare, located at 588 Houston Street in Downtown Old Monterey, contains a retail shop full of great skincare products perfect for holiday gift-giving. We offer our own Shelley Bennett Skincare products, Caudalie's full line, and Image Skincare's clinical line, in addition to skincare tools such as jade rollers, organic cotton washcloths, and more. These items make great holiday gifts and stocking stuffers for the discerning woman.

Shelley Bennett Skincare is a small, owner-operated business. Please phone the office for product inquiries and pick up times, 831-324-4611. Shipping and local delivery are available.

The Shelley Bennett Skincare Line

Shelley Bennett Refining Jojoba Cleanser
Use daily or a couple times a week of face, neck, décolleté, and body for a renewed, smooth texture. It will feel refined, osft, and healthy! Key ingredients include alpha and beta hydroxy acids, biodegrable jojoba esters, green tea, and aloe.

Shelley Bennett Pumpkin Exfoliating Mask
Use 1-2 times a week as a delicate yet thorough exfoliant on face, neck, and décolleté. Dissolves dead skin using enzymes to leave skin feeling regenerated and fresh. Key ingredients include pumpkin seed oil, powder, and flakes with glycerin and warming zeolite.

Shelley Bennett Glycolic Moisture Mask
Use once a week alone or added to your Jojoba Cleanser for a kick of stimulation on face, neck, and décolleté. A fine line smoother as well as an anti-bacterial for those unwelcome breakouts. Key ingredients include vitamins A, C, and E as well as glycolic acid and licorice extract.

Shelley Bennett Milk and Honey Firming Mask
Use once every 7-10 days for a special treat on face, neck, and décolleté. This calming mask is healing as it firms your skin and leaves it hydrated and glowing. Key ingredients include milk proteins, oat kernel extract, honey, and vitamins 1, B5, and E.

Shelley Bennett White Charcoal O2 Detox Mask
Use as needed for a burst of brightness, detoxification, and radiance on face, neck, and décolleté. This bentonite clay based mask infuses oxygen, white birch charcoal, and olive leaf extracts into the skin with a bubbling sensation that will keep your skin feeling alive.

Casual Island, a locally-owned, family-operated business, offers a fun selection of holiday gift items that are sure to please the whimsical person in your life. We have a great collection of novelty socks, funny refrigerator magnets, art, and knick-knacks referencing pop-culture hits such as Star Wars and Rick & Morty, in addition to our collection of women's clothing and accessories.

Visit us and find a little something for everybody this holiday season. We're located at 261 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey, across the street from Portola Hotel & Spa.

Luminata Books and Gifts is Stocking Stuffer Central this holiday season! With many gift choices below $10 and even more priced at $10-$20, it's a great spot to find stocking stuffers for friends, family, and colleagues. Visit us at 631 Cass Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Luminata carries books, music, greeting cards, jewelry, candles, crystals, incense, personal care products, wind chimes, stained glass, children's toys, and more.

Haute Beauty Guide presents a holiday pop-up shop now through December 23, 2019 at our spa at 71 Pearl Street in Downtown Old Monterey. We have a wide selection of California-made goods including cards, candles, nuts, jewelry, and art perfect for holiday gifts.

Our selection includes Archipelago candles, Blue Sky Feathers jewelry, Sonder Goods baskets, Lightwell Co. fragrances and candles, Messy Play Kits for kids, and skin care products by Nash & Jones and Jan Marini. Visit us and

Below are the showtimes for Osio Theater, November 15-21, 2019. Osio, a nonprofit movie theater dedicated to independent, foreign, and art films, is located at 350 Alvarado Street in Old Monterey. Purchase advance tickets on our website.

THE IRISHMAN
Daily at 12:30pm, 5pm
(No 5pm show on Thurs 11/28)
An epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries, and connections to mainstream politics. Watch the trailer.

FRANKIE
Weekdays at 1:30pm, 3:45pm, 6pm
(No 6pm show on Thurs 11/28)
Sat & Sun at 11am, 1:30pm3:45pm, 6pm
Unfolding over the course of a late summer’s day in the fabled resort town of Sintra, Portugal, three generations gather for a vacation organized by the family matriarch. In this fairy tale setting, husbands and wives, parents and children, friends and lovers, stirred by their romantic impulses discover the cracks between them as well as unexpected depth of feeling. Watch the trailer.

PARASITE
Weekdays at 3:45pm, 6:30pm
(No 6:30pm show on Thurs 11/28)
Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks. Watch the trailer.

THE REPORT
Weekdays at 1:45pm
Sat & Sun at 11am, 1:45pm
The story of Daniel Jones, lead investigator for the US Senate's sweeping study into the CIA's Detention and Interrogation Program, which was found to be brutal, immoral, and ineffective. With the truth at stake, Jones battled tirelessly to make public what many in power sought to keep hidden. Watch the trailer.

PAIN AND GLORY
Daily at 4:15pm, 6:45pm
(No 6:45pm show on Thurs 11/28)
Salvador Mallo, a film director in his physical decline, has a series of re-encounters — some of them in the flesh, others remembered. Through his childhood in the 60s, when he emigrated with...Read More

Did you know that Cult Taco offers catering? Let us bring some culinary joy to your holiday party this year! We offer a delicious selection of tacos, tortas, and salads with many gluten-free and vegan options available. We're located at 481 Alvarado Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Code Ninjas is offering a great deal on its drop-in programs for kids when you pay now through Monday, December 2, 2019. Prospective members can sign up one child for a six-month contract for $199 (normally $250), or two siblings for $299. Please note: cancellation fee is $100 if cancelling before completion of 6-month contract.

In Code Ninjas' year-round drop-in program, kids go from White Belt to Black Belt, learn how to code by building games, and release their very own app in the App Store! At Code Ninjas, you can trust your kids are getting the best coding education possible — in fact, we are now the nation's largest coding franchise.

Please contact us at 831-200-3924 to learn more or enroll online now. You can also book a free 30-minute session and tour. Remember, this deal ends after Cyber Monday on December 2, so act now. We're conveniently located at 469 Pacific Street in Downtown Old Monterey.