Welcome to the weekend, Lowdowners.

We’ve got Super Bowl weekend, which means two things:

Obvious but worth reiterating - if you’re heading over the bridge for anything, pad your timing. Levi’s is deep in the South Bay, but the ripple effect is real.

Here’s what we got in store for you this weekend:

1.The Meritage Resort and Spa - Crush Lounge

The classy pick. Awesome entertainment angle (bowling, pool etc.) so even non-football people have something to do besides pretend to care about the game.

2/3. Napa Palisades Saloon / Downtown Joe’s

This is the loud, downtown atmosphere option.

Downtown Joe’s and NapaSport are basically a package deal. Tons of big screens, big crowd energy, and you can bounce between them in a 4-minute walk.

Downtown Joe’s also has the outdoor setup, so if you need fresh air between touchdowns…you’ve got an escape hatch.

4.Butter’s Burgers at Armistice Brewing

If you want a chiller Super Bowl vibe that’s still downtown, this is a real solid move.

5.The Clubs

If you want a Super Bowl watch plan that’s indoors, cheap-ish, and most importantly, can grow into a much bigger form of community, the move is usually one of Napa’s member-run clubs.

Big TVs, loud crowd, random raffles, and that “everyone knows someone” energy.

Now - I’m not a member at any of these. I just know people who know people. So I can’t promise they’re definitely doing something for the Super Bowl. But these are the spots I’d check first (call / peek at their Facebook before you commit):

Here are your options though

Heads up: the crowd will skew a bit older - but honestly, that’s kind of the point. If you’ve been meaning to get more plugged into the community, this is a great avenue to do so.

If you liked the Tom Petty open mic vibe from last week, here’s your next excuse to swing back to Tonewood & Courage.

Smokehouse is playing Saturday, Feb 7 and these guys are bomb. A super legit blues group that have been around forever. You can check out some of Anthony Paule here to see if tickles your fancy.

Here are the details:

Usually Tonewood shows are free, but for a proper group like this - fair enough. Still felt worth sneaking into this issue.

If you want to start planning early (because the good stuff always fills up), this is a strong left-field Valentine’s move.

If you’ve never done an escape room, it’s basically you and your crew get put into a themed room and you’ve got 60 minutes to solves clues, crack puzzles, and “escape” together. Like a live action group project. Super, super fun.

Bonus: it’s a Feb 12 thing, so you can celebrate a little early and avoid the full Feb 14 madness.

Quick note: book sooner rather than later - Valentine’s-y events like this tend to sell out or run out of prime time slots.

#ExperiencesOverThings

So by the looks of it (and based on the people I’ve met through this newsletter), a lot of you are building something - small biz owners, side hustlers, creative projects, etc.

This event came across my feed while I was pulling ideas for the newsletter:

Worth noting: it doesn’t seem like a Napa-founded group. It looks like an event company that runs these in multiple cities, so I can’t personally vouch for the turnout or vibe.

That said, the concept is interesting and I could see a lot of you enjoying something like this if it’s done well.

If you know of any entrepreneur meetups in Napa that you actually recommend, reply and send them over, I would love to include them. Or if the answer is “there aren’t any”… maybe we should make one ourselves…

Have a lovely weekend. Stay safe.

P.S. If you’ve been enjoying the newsletter - we don’t ask for much. Share it with a friend and help grow the Lowdown.

I would appreciate it a lot :)

Until next week, Callie.