IntelTexture, supper clubs and a different waterfront.
A tufting exhibition, Old Skool Cafe and the Richmond stories worth bringing into a day out.
A good California week can change scale quickly: a close look at something handmade, a room built around dinner, a waterfront with a much bigger story. This one has all three.
Start with texture at Bedford Gallery, keep Old Skool Cafe in the dinner conversation and give Richmond’s history some room. The thread is people making things, making a place and making an evening worth staying for.
High Pile makes a case for looking closer.
October 15 · craft and culture
Bedford Gallery’s High Pile exhibition puts tufting in the frame in 7x7’s October 15 coverage. It is a welcome invitation to consider a material we might otherwise register only as something soft underfoot.
The appeal for me is the change of attention: texture, repetition, somebody making choices with their hands. A photograph can start that curiosity. Then comes the question of scale, of what an object asks you to notice when you are close to it.
High Pile belongs to the October exhibition trail; check the gallery’s present program before a visit. Keep the craft itself on your radar. It deserves more than a passing glance.
A food park, a neighborhood and a new name.
Three different ways to look past the usual circuit.
Spark Social, San Jose edition.
Spark Social’s food-truck-park format reaches downtown San Jose in the October 13 story. Keep it in mind for the group that never agrees on dinner. Let everyone arrive with a different appetite; check the current vendors before choosing a night.
Pacific Heights, on foot.
7x7’s October 14 Pacific Heights guide is the companion for a walking afternoon. Choose one food stop before starting, then let the rest of the route develop around whatever catches the eye. Leave time for the block you nearly skipped.
Learn the name Darius Acuff Jr.
Sactown gives Darius Acuff Jr. its October 16 Best Rookie Move entry. A Sacramento sports detour for the reading list: spend a little time with a name before it becomes part of every familiar conversation.
Put Old Skool Cafe on the conversation list.
October 16 · food and people
Old Skool Cafe is the subject of 7x7’s October 16 supper-club story: Jazz Age inspiration, soul food and cocktails. That is a promising starting point for an evening that has a shape of its own.
Some dinner choices begin with a dish. Others begin with the kind of evening you want to have. A supper club suggests giving the room some time instead of racing through a reservation.
Read the story for the people behind it, then choose a night from the café’s current programming. Bring someone who will enjoy making dinner the main event.
Richmond’s waterfront, with people in the frame.
Historical context · Richmond
The National Park Service’s Rosie the Riveter history connects Richmond’s WWII shipyards with workers, families and the SS Red Oak Victory.
Use those people as the starting point for a waterfront outing. The industrial landscape has a story beyond its silhouettes: who worked here, who arrived here, who made a life around the work? Choose one site to understand properly. Check museum or ship access directly, then give that one stop the time it deserves.
Jay Jeffers, and permission to have some fun.
Older read · September 9
San Francisco designer Jay Jeffers discusses his book Modern Classic in 7x7’s September 9 interview. Keep it as the older read in this week’s mix. The idea of a “design wink” is what catches my attention.
A space can be considered without feeling overly serious. Before buying anything, look at the object you already own because it makes you smile. Give it a little room. That might tell you more about your taste than another perfectly matched arrangement.
Let the celebration choose the destination.
Historical seasonal guide
Sunset’s October 14 California fall-festival guide belongs to the seasonal archive now. Read it as a trail into the towns and celebrations behind the dates.
For a future trip, try letting a local celebration supply the destination. A day feels different when you arrive for something the place cares about.
Sources & further reading
7x7 · 2026-10-15
7x7 · 2026-10-13
7x7 · 2026-10-14
Sactown Magazine · 2026-10-16
7x7 · 2026-10-16
National Park Service · Undated source
7x7 · 2026-09-09
Sunset · 2026-10-14