What we’re about
Unplug. Unwind. Connect.
Rediscover the joy of real connection through shared experiences and authentic friendships.
So Cal Explorers Meetup is the antidote to a hyper-digital, disconnected world. We gather for fun, relaxed outings to explore the most iconic, historic, quirky, and lesser-known corners of Southern California—together. Whether it's a walking tour, hike, museum visit, or movie night, our adventures are all about learning, exploring, and enjoying each other's company.
We're not a dating group. We're not a networking group. We're simply a welcoming space for adults to connect, laugh, and build friendships—without pressure, expectations, or hidden agendas.
Our crew is mostly progressive, slightly irreverent 40- to 60-somethings with a love for counter-culture and curiosity. But all open-minded adults (18+) are welcome!
Join us for hiking, historic tours, movies, museum visits, kayaking, presentations, live music, good food, great conversation, and spontaneous fun.
So Cal Explorers is where awkward small talk turns into epic friendships. Come along—we’re saving you a seat.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- OLD TIME JAZZ IN THE ORCHARDThe Orchard, Newport Beach, CA
Date: Date: Sunday, September 14, 2-5 pm
Venue: The Orchard
2016 Tustin Ave., Newport Beach 92660Cash donations $20 suggested - we will pass the hat
Beautiful outdoor park-like setting in a private residence in Newport Beach. Bring your own seat, picnic lunch, and beverages for a relaxing afternoon listening to this amazing band. FREE, but please bring cash. We will be passing the hat for donations for the band.
Barrett & Barrett Jazz Band
Dan Barrett - trombone - https://danbarrettmusic.com/about
Andrew Barrett - piano
Katie Cavera - bass
Frank Lenz - drumsFrom Allmusic:
A major player in the small-group swing movement of the 1980s and '90s, Dan Barrett's trombone is equally at home in Dixieland and swing settings. He started on trombone in high school and played in California with the South Frisco Jazz Band and the Golden Eagle Jazz Band, two fine trad groups. At the urging of Howard Alden, Barrett moved to New York in 1983 where he worked with the Widespread Depression Orchestra, played at Eddie Condon's club, and in 1985 was with Benny Goodman's Orchestra. Barrett came to fame through his series of recordings (both as a leader and as a sideman) with Concord; among his many projects were co-leading a quintet with Howard Alden that was reminiscent of John Kirby's band of the 1940s, despite having very different instrumentation. Dan Barrett, who also played with Buck Clayton's big band, switched to the Arbors label in the 1990s where he became musical director and recorded frequently.From Dan Barett's website:
Dan has played both valve and slide trombones for many motion pictures, including Cotton Club and Brighton Beach Memoirs, as well as Woody Allen’s Mighty Aphrodite, Everyone Says I Love You, and Bullets Over Broadway. If you look fast, you can see Dan on the screen in the latter film. (He’s featured a bit more in the movie Wild Man Blues. This award-winning film documents a three-week tour of Europe by Woody Allen’s New Orleans Jazz Band). Dan has performed five times at Carnegie Hall: with Woody Herman (and the New York Pops Orchestra); pianist (and legendary raconteur) Joe Bushkin; in two tributes to Louis Armstrong; and a command performance for Mr. Bulgari of...well, BULGARI.Additionally, Dan composed and arranged the theme music for the American Playhouse television production of Rocket to the Moon, and Christopher Munch's motion picture The Sleepy Time Gal****, starring Jacqueline Bisset. Dan still finds the time to appear at numerous jazz parties and festivals throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Japan.
Dan has recorded under his own name, and with many respected jazz artists. A partial list includes Doc Cheatham, Scott Hamilton, Bob Haggart, Rosemary Clooney, Ruby Braff, Joe Bushkin, Jay McShann, Buck Clayton and Benny Goodman! Dan is especially proud of his associations with Messrs. Clayton and Goodman, for each of whom he played lead trombone and was a featured soloist.
The Orchard: Beautiful outdoor park-like setting in a private residence in Newport Beach. Bring your own seat, picnic lunch, and beverages for a relaxing afternoon listening to this amazing band. FREE, but please bring cash. We will be passing the hat for donations for the band.
- JAPANESE ARTHOUSE 101: GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (1988)The Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, CA
Cross-posted with LA & OC Weirdo Music & Art Forum
I am not usually interested in anime, but this one is supposed to be very good.
Date: Monday, September 15, 7:30
Venue: Frida Cinema
305 E 4th St #100, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: (714) 285-9422Dinner 6:00 Taqueria Guadalajara, 305 E 4th St, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Tickets: $9 https://thefridacinema.org/movies/grave-of-the-fireflies/
Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 100% positive rating
Trailer here
Director: Isao Takahata Run Time: 89 min. Release Year: 1988 Language: Japanese
Starring: Akemi Yamaguchi, Ayano Shiraishi, Masayo Sakai, Tsutomu Tatsumi, Yoshiko Shinohara
The penultimate film in our Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema series is Isao Takahata's Grave Of The Fireflies! In the final days of World War II, two siblings—teenaged Seita and his little sister Setsuko—struggle to survive in firebombed Kobe after losing their home, their parents, and eventually, their place in a society that has collapsed around them. What follows is not just a war story, but a story of love, resilience, and unbearable loss. Rendered with breathtaking beauty by the legendary animators at Studio Ghibli, Grave of the Fireflies is often called one of the greatest animated films ever made. It is also one of the most emotionally shattering anti-war films of any kind—haunting not because of spectacle, but because of its heartbreaking truth.
Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema is a curated 12-film trip through the evolution of Japan—from the quiet post-war resilience of the 1940s all the way to the radical reinventions of the 1990s. Each Monday this July-September, we will explore a new facet of this incredible nation’s cinematic journey throughout the 20th century! All films will be presented in their original Japanese language with English subtitles!
Events in Santa Ana, CAJapanese CultureAnime
ConversationDinner and a MovieClassic Films - JAPANESE ARTHOUSE 101: AFTER LIFE (1998)The Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, CA
Cross-posted with LA & OC Weirdo Music & Art Forum
Date: Monday, September 22, 7:45
Venue: Frida Cinema
305 E 4th St #100, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: (714) 285-9422Dinner 6:15 TBD
Tickets: $9 https://thefridacinema.org/movies/after-life/
Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 89% positive rating.
Trailer here
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Run Time: 118 min. Release Year: 1999 Language: Japanese
Starring: Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Kei Tani, Susumu Terajima, Takashi Naito
Closing out our Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema series is Hirokazu Kore-eda’s 1999 award-winning masterwork After Life (original Japanese title: Wandafuru raifu), a stunning and thought-provoking meditation on life and death.
In After Life, the recently deceased arrive at a waystation between this world and the next. Their task? To choose a single memory from their lives to take with them into eternity. A small team of counselors helps each soul re-create that memory on film, allowing them to move on—leaving everything else behind.
With a mix of actors and real interviews, After Life blurs the line between fiction and documentary, imagination and memory. The result is a quietly transcendent film that contemplates the meaning of life not through grand events, but through small, deeply human moments.
Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema is a curated 12-film trip through the evolution of Japan—from the quiet post-war resilience of the 1940s all the way to the radical reinventions of the 1990s. Each Monday this July-September, we will explore a new facet of this incredible nation’s cinematic journey throughout the 20th century. All films will be presented in their original Japanese language with English subtitles, at a reduced ticket price of $8.
