I darted straight for the musubis as we made our way to the food tents at Sand City’s Westside Festival. There were plenty of other food vendors to choose from, but some delicious spam wrapped in sushi rice and seaweed was the perfect thing to hit the spot after a night of cocktails.
Sand City, for those who aren’t familiar with it is a sub-city of Monterey, just a few miles north up Del Monte Boulevard from Monterey proper. Blink and you might miss it. It’s a very quiet town, but it’s no ghost town. There’s a sense of community–. Everyone seems like a local.
The festival tees’ slogan says “Guitars not Guns”. I wonder how many people here support it.
There are several stages at the festival, and a couple of blocks of street vendors. The lead singer of the reggae band tells a story about how his son was in a car while he was at the Grammys. I could hear the crowd gasp. The kid lived.
A folk band with a smaller audience plays Sunday music at another stage.
Most of the vendors that line the streets are local. An 8-year old girl flags me down and gets me to buy a homemade, raver-style, beaded bracelet.
We drink beers, eat kettle corn, and buy matching raw jade necklaces.
Eventually, the Sunday lazies catch up and it’s time to go. But before we leave for good we stop by the beach and walk in the sand. Goodbye for now, Sand City. 
Penned by Alina K. A. 