When I was a child, the night had a somewhat scary, mysterious sense to it. In my late teens, the darkness inspired creative attempts to break curfew. Later on, the hours after sunset signaled unwinding with friends at a bar over cocktails. Now, it’s typically a prompt for settling into the couch with my husband, a glass of wine and a movie. With each stage of life, I’ve discovered a new relationship with the night. The stillness and quiet brought on by the sun’s absence can have a meditative effect, offering a time for reflecting on the day’s events and preparing for the next sun up. In this issue, we explore the night shift.

One common midnight devotion of my adolescent years was a run to Taco Bell. Too young to enter bars and too old (or so I told myself) for board games, fast food establishments were one of the few places my friends and I could escape to late at night. It was thrilling to socialize with friends in a booth while sharing a mound of tacos, loaded potatoes and whatever Frankensteinesque burrito-quesadilla combination was on the menu at the time. In some respects, this was the taste of independence. To revisit these days of yore, our own Chef Rachel Ponce brings us a creative culinary approach to the parking lot eats of fast food joints. And let me tell you — it’s a true taste of nostalgia.

After a long day of work, running errands and looking after kids, many people enjoy a cocktail or glass of wine with friends. A “night cap” can be a simple ending to an arduous day. Or it can be the start of an unexpected night out (speaking from personal experience). Bartenders work their magic, preparing evening elixirs for our imbibing pleasure. And for those who opt to socialize soberly, a zero-alcohol wine produced in San Luis Obispo County provides an invitation to the party.

If you’re someone who likes a peaceful stargazing session, Harmony may be worth a visit. With clear skies and a surprising host of local businesses, this perceivably sleepy town is inviting. It’s not hard to imagine that a few of the town’s mere 18 residents may carry out a few different jobs to keep things up and running. Moonlighting — working more than one job — is something several SLO County residents do to pay the bills or simply for their own enjoyment. We’ll explain!

Here’s my suggestion: Keep this issue by your bedside and dive in before hitting the hay. My dreams are often influenced by the day’s final conversations, thoughts and readings — so why not let these pages fill your dreamscape with incredible food, drink and community? It gives new meaning to “sweet dreams.”