Issue 13 / Summer 2026

Opening Vibes

Every issue of Vibes begins with ideas, conversations, photos and half-finished thoughts that do not always seem connected. Then the stories over a few months begin to speak to one another, and a theme always emerges.

This issue moves in many directions. There is Monterey Car Week, artists and dancers transforming public spaces, young women building futures through flag football, and students who began in a garage and became world champions. There are stories about recovering wildlife, brain injuries, scholarships, science, discovery and the strange nature of time. Vibes owner Ryan “Chachi” Craig also takes us beyond the Monterey Bay, into Patagonia, through a stunning pictorial essay that reminds us how much wonder exists beyond our everyday lives.

The more we worked on these pieces, the clearer the connection became: what comes next is not something that simply happens to us. We help create it.

Sometimes that creation is visible. It looks like dancers filling Pacific Avenue, race cars echoing through the hills or young athletes stepping onto a field knowing the game belongs to them, too. Other times, it begins quietly: a student photographs an unsafe bus stop, a volunteer restores a coastal bluff, a nonprofit starts a conversation about brain health or a closed surf shop becomes something new.

Each story is about people who looked at the world around them and decided it could become more.

That same idea is shaping Vibes. This issue marks the beginning of a new creative direction under the care of Gianna Smith. We would not be what we are today without the designers, photographers, writers, artists, editors, advertisers, nonprofits and community members who helped build these pages. But a living magazine should evolve.

The new format gives community stories more room to breathe, while creating more space for photography, art and nonprofits doing meaningful work throughout the Monterey Bay.

One example is our new Vibes Drop In section: carefully curated, one-page profiles of people, nonprofits, small businesses and organizations making an impact. These pages are concise by design, but not throwaway features. Each creates a meaningful introduction and a clear way to connect.

Many stories explore the balance between honoring what came before and making room for what comes next. Frans Lanting shows us that restoration means carrying something valuable forward. Shawn “Barney” Barron’s creative legacy continues through the art and people he touched. Carlo Rovelli reminds us that uncertainty is often where curiosity begins. Maybe that is what this issue is really about: not having all the answers, but still choosing to participate in what comes next.

The future is already taking shape all around us—and now, it feels like it is happening within these pages also.

Brian