Golden State Theatre
417 Alvarado St., Monterey, (831) 649‑1070, goldenstatetheatre.com
In three years, Golden State Theatre in Monterey will be 100 years old, and that by itself is impressive. Built as a Castilian castle in 1926, a time when Steinbeck was an unknown, it was supposed to be a fancy venue that could be attended by the masses. Once the largest theater between San Francisco and Los Angeles, it had 1,600 seats, which means that back then it could have entertained one‑third of the city (population 6,000). These days you have to fight for tickets to go experience a night of laughter. Big stars like Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Paula Poundstone and Al Franken have made local audiences laugh here. It is also a wonderful venue for small concerts by bigtime artists such as Patti Smith, the Pixies and Macy Gray.