A cultural tour beyond the borders of Oberlin exposes a dynamic array of activities for the week of September 11 to September 17:

Seinfeld may be extinct, but the humor of writer and co-creator, Larry David, continues to evolve. Don't miss the Cleveland premiere of his first feature film, Sour Grapes, at the Cinematheque. An Atlantic City jackpot snares a weekend battle between a brain surgeon and his cousin in this outrageous comedy, which shows Friday, Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. Admission is $6.

Beginning Friday, Sept. 11 with an encore performance Saturday, Sept. 12, the Cleveland Public Theatre ponders feminine mysteries on stage with The Vagina Monologues. Eve Ensler's one-woman show begins at 8 p.m. Call 216-631-2727, for ticket information.

It's crunchy-granola weekend at the International Exposition Center, Sept. 11 to 13, with the Whole Life Expo. The event features 260 exhibits and 120 speakers devoted to natural foods, health, spirituality, and global change. Call 1-800-551-EXPO for more information.

Yet, don't overlook another culinary extravaganza at Wellington's Lorain County Fairgrounds, Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sunday, Sept. 13, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Northern Ohio Garlic Festival celebrates fresh Ohio-grown garlic with lectures, cooking demonstrations, live entertainment, a Garlic Pasta Eating Contest and a car show - all for only $3.

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 5 p.m. observe skill in action with the Live Figure Chess Match at Case Western Reserve University. The event showcases costumed students battling faculty as part of the Second Annual Humanities Week. Call 800-368-CWRU, for more details.

Reserve Wednesday, Sept. 16 for The Life of Oharu, part of The Cleveland Museum of Art's September film series, Zen and the Art of Meditative Movie Making. With striking visual transcendence, director Kenji Mizoguchi, chronicles one 17th century woman's descent from royalty to prostitution, in this 1952 masterpiece. Tickets are $6.

Non-native inhabitants of North America take the spotlight in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Invasion of the Aliens exhibit, staring the zebra mussel, sea lamprey and gypsy moth, now through October 4. Also, don't miss Planet e, the new multimedia integration of astronomy, gems, and jewels. Call 216-231-4600 for further detail.

Step closer to enlightenment, with Buddhist Treasures from Nara, at the Cleveland Museum of Art, now through Sept. 27. The exhibit unveils 15 Japanese National Treasures to the West for the first time. Also through Nov. 15, experience Jasper Johns: Process and Printmaking, a collection of both proofs and finished works by the American master. For addition information, call 216-231-4600.

Arts...Out of Town is compiled weekly by Melanie English. Questions? Concerns? Call the Review ( X8123 ) - it'll be the best thing you ever did for yourself.