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- LONG BEACH URBAN HIKE, BOAT RIDE, AND LUNCHThe Crab Pot Restaurant & Bar, Long Beach, CA
Event cross-posted with Humanist Hikers of Southern California
I've led this hike several times and it's always been popular.
Date: Sunday, August 31, 2024, 8:30 am to 1:00 pm
We start walking at 8:45 sharp!Location: Meet in front of the Crab Pot Restaurant,
215 N Marina Dr · Long Beach, CA.This is a hike along the beach in Long Beach from Alamitos Bay Marina to Shoreline Village, then catch the Aqualink boat back to Alamitos Bay, and have a lunch at one of the restaurants there.
Parking: Parking is free behind the Crab Pot. The first row of parking spots is reserved for boaters.
https://ridelbt.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/LBT411_May-AquaLink-LongTermParking-Map_R3.pdfHike distance: approx. 6.5 miles, estimated time 2 to 2-1/2 hours. All flat & paved.
From Alamitos Bay, we'll cross Naples Island onto Belmont Shore, where we will go to the beach walkway to Shoreline Village. There's plenty of activity on the beach and a lot of cool architecture to see in Long Beach.
The plan is to give it plenty of time so we can catch the 12:15 Aqualink at Dock #4 by the Aquarium of the Pacific for a very nice 30 minute boat ride back to Alamitos Bay.
We want to get to the dock to line up early to ensure everyone makes it on the boat. There is limited capacity and it is summertime! No Explorer left behind!
After the boat ride we can have lunch at the Crab Pot or another restaurant there.
Aqualink Cost: $5.00 payable in cash (exact change only) or with the Long Beach Transit app.
Info on the Aqualink here, including schedule and payment info: https://ridelbt.com/watertaxis/
See the map here and in the Photos section below: https://ridelbt.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/LBT_Watertaxis-OnlinePDF-MapSchedule_June2024.pdf
Interesting article on the Aqualink & Aquabus: https://la.curbed.com/2019/8/23/20826602/water-taxi-ferry-los-angeles
- FREE: REGGAE IN THE ORCHARDThe Orchard, Newport Beach, CA
Reggae concert in private park-like setting
Cross-posted with LA & OC WEIRDO MUSIC & ART FORUM
Date: Monday, September 1, 2-5 pm
Venue: The Orchard
2016 Tustin Ave., Newport Beach 92660cash donations - we will pass the hat
Fully Fullwood Band:
"Fully" Fullwood - https://fullyfullwood.com/home.html
Bruno Coon
John McNight
Rock Deadrick
Tony Chin - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine_ChinBeautiful 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: TAMPOPO (1985)The Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, CA
Cross-posted with LA & OC Weirdo Music & Art Forum
Date: Monday, September 1, 7:45
Venue: Frida Cinema
305 E 4th St #100, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: (714) 285-9422Dinner 6:15 Taqueria Guadalajara next door
305 E 4th St, Santa Ana, CA 92701Tickets: $9 https://thefridacinema.org/movies/tampopo/
Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 100% positive rating
Trailer here
Director: Jūzō Itami Run Time: 115 min. Release Year: 1985 Language: Japanese
Starring: Ken Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Nobuko Miyamoto, Rikiya Yasuoka, Tsutomu Yamazaki
Arthouse 101: Japanese Cinema enters the 80’s with Jûzô Itami’s acclaimed ***Tampopo ***(original Japanese title: Tanpopo), an award-winning 1985 film that is truly like no other in our series – or in movie history, really. This deliriously inventive comedy follows a widowed ramen shop owner who, with the help of a mysterious trucker (a stoic parody of Clint Eastwood), sets out to create the perfect bowl of noodles. Along the way, we meet an ensemble of eccentric characters whose lives revolve – sometimes absurdly, sometimes erotically – around food.
Nominated for the Best Screenplay and Best Director awards by the National Society of Film Critics, Tampopo is billed as the first “ramen western,” Tampopo is both a genre spoof and a soulful tribute to Japanese cuisine and community. It’s a movie about perfection, pleasure, and the strange, spiritual rituals we attach to what we eat.
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.
- JAPANESE ARTHOUSE 101: ONIBABA (1964)The Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, CA
Cross-posted with LA & OC Weirdo Music & Art Forum
I was unable to attend the July showing of this film, but fortunately they are showing it again.
Date: Tuesday, September 2, 7:00 pm
Venue: Frida Cinema
305 E 4th St #100, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Phone: (714) 285-9422Dinner 5:45 pm Native Son Bar
305 East 4th Street (upstairs)
Santa Ana, CA 92701
https://nativesonale.com/santa-ana-beer-cocktails#foodTickets: $9 https://thefridacinema.org/movies/onibaba/
Trailer here
Rotten Tomatoes gives it an 89% positive review
Director: Kaneto Shindō Run Time: 105 min. Release Year: 1964
Language: JapaneseStarring: Jitsuko Yoshimura, Jūkichi Uno, Kei Satō, Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama
We’re bringing back encores of Kaneto Shindô’s 1964 eerie classic Onibaba,, a visceral, hypnotic tale set in Japan’s medieval past, where two women—an older mother and her young daughter-in-law—live in isolation, killing lost samurai and trading their armor for food. But when a mysterious mask enters their world, desire, jealousy, and supernatural terror take root.
Shot in striking black and white, Shindo’s film blurs the lines between eroticism and horror, realism and folklore. Tall reeds sway ominously, the wind howls, and the mask—once worn to intimidate—becomes a symbol of inner torment and karmic consequence. It’s one of the most iconic and unsettling films of Japanese cinema.
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!
