This week, Halloween events are starting to gain momentum, but we'll devote a separate post to all the spooky goodness. For now, here are some hand-selected, "carefully curated" events to peruse, the cheaper the better.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20

LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI: "Over the course of an adventured-filled life, now in its tenth decade, Lawrence Ferlinghetti has been many things: a poet, painter, pacifist, publisher, courageous defender of free speech, and owner of San Francisco's legendary City Lights bookstore. Now the man whose A Coney Island of the Mind became a generational classic reveals yet another facet of his manifold talents, presenting here his travel journals, spanning over sixty years. Selected from a vast trove of mostly unpublished, handwritten notebooks, and edited by Giada Diano and Matthew Gleeson, Writing Across the Landscape becomes a transformative work of social, cultural, and literary history. City Lights Bookstore, 261 Columbus Avenue, 7 p.m., Free

ASTRONOMY: If you just saw The Martian and are ready to leave the planet: First, you weren't watching the movie right, and second, stay here and take a look from our wonderful vantage on the rest of the galaxy. "Come and learn about telescopes, binoculars and astronomy observing basics!" with the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers. A short session before the usual lecture is targeted primarily to those new to astronomy and who want to start observing the evening sky. Different types of telescopes will be setup and owners will be available to answer questions. Presidio Observation Post, Building 211, 7 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., Free

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21

THE INTERNET ARCHIVE HONORS THE GRATEFUL DEAD: "Come honor our partners — the hackers and historians making amazing things with the Internet Archive’s collections... we’ll present the first Internet Archive Hero Award to the Grateful Dead — Pioneers in Sharing." Expect hands out demos, vintage recordings, 3-D oculus rift games, memorabilia, music, food, drink and more. Internet Archive
300 Funston Avenue, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., Free with registration

BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II: "GREAT SCOTT! It's hard to believe that we're nearly at the day Marty McFly travels to in the smash hit middle chapter of one of the most beloved trilogies of all time. Celebrate this milestone by joining Doug Benson and surprise guests as they riff Back To The Future Part II live on the actual date that Marty landed in futuristic Hill Valley — October 21, 2015! Bring your hoverboards, power shoe laces, Mr. Fusion, self-drying jackets, Pepsi Perfect bottles, Food Hydrators and Jaws 19 as we go back... to the future! Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, 8 p.m., $20

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22

PHOTO PROJECT SCREENING: "Ever wonder what’s going on behind people’s phones? For the last two years, filmmaker Ivan Cash has traveled the US and beyond, asking strangers to share the last photo on their phone. Having conducted this experiment in eight cities, Ivan has created short films for each location." The Roxie, 7 p.m., $10

NEW WORK BY JAMES TUCKER: "Alite Designs presents new work by James Tucker of The Aesthetic Union in Being & Somethingness. This series of topographical abstracts showcases the versatility of letterpress and the beauty of California's legendary landscapes. With this series Tucker sought to record his own experience of six inspiring destinations: Bolinas, Bishop, Donner Pass, Joshua Tree, Big Sur, and Sibley. Steeped in history and personal mythologies, these natural areas are household names in California and beyond." Alite Outpost, 3376 18th Street, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Free

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23

WALK-IN MOVIE: You can see the entire outdoor Proxy movie schedule and learn more from our previous coverage, but this week in Hayes Valley it's Kumiko Directed by David Zellner, Written by David & Nathan Zellner, 2015, Nominated for the U.S Grand Jury Prize (Dramatic) and winner U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Musical Score, 2014 Sundance Festival. "Kumiko lives in a cluttered, cramped Tokyo apartment with her pet rabbit Bunzo, and works a tedious job for a nitpicky boss. When she discovers a battered VHS cassette of “Fargo”, she becomes convinced that the movie’s buried suitcase of cash is real, and heads off into the harsh Minnesota winter in hopes of finding the treasure." PROXY, Hayes and Octavia Streets, 7 p.m., Free

ORGAN LOUNGE: Expect "[b]lues, soul and jazz with the amazing Steve Lucky (Hammond organ and vocals) plus Carmen Getit (guitar and vocals)." At the Royal Cuckoo, they're always featuring the mighty Hammond organ, so it's Friday is just another night. Royal Cuckoo, 3202 Mission Street, 7:30 p.m., Free

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24

BBQ FEST: San Francisco has never been confused with a BBQ town, but that could change thanks to new offerings and the inaugural installment of a new festival at the Yard at Mission Rock. Favorites like the Whole Beast and Cat Head's will be doing their smoky thing to the sounds of live music, all accompanied by suds from Anchor Steam. 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., $45

BOOK TOUR BY BIKE: "Rally at South Park for the biannual Bikes to Books tour and enjoy a robust 7.1 mile tour of San Francisco... ride the city and make new friends while learning some history and then have a couple of beers." Jack London Street (at South Park in San Francisco), 12:45 p.m., ride will commence at 1:00 p.m. sharp and end at approximately 4:00 p.m. in North Beach, outside City Lights Books, Free, Maps and posters available for purchase

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25

ANTIQUING: It's the last day of the 34th annual SF Fall Antiques Show, "the oldest continuously operating international art and antiques show on the West Coast. The Show features approximately sixty dealers from across the United States and Europe, offering for sale an extraordinary range of fine and decorative arts from around the world representing all styles and periods, including furniture, silver, ceramics, glass, jewelry, rugs, textiles, paintings, prints, photography, books, sculpture and objets d’art." Ooh, la la. Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., $15-20

COMEDY: "Attractive Camp is a comedy throwdown that's part stand-up, part roast battle, and wholly entertaining. We pit comedians from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and Conan against sensational local performers who frequent Cobb's Comedy Club and The Punchline and see whose jabs hit hardest. Hosted by Nicole Calasich, Jesse Hett, and Abhay Nadkarni, Attractive Camp will turn your sleepy Sunday into a jackknife powerbomb of laughs." Lost Weekend Video, 1034 Valencia Street, 8 p.m., $10