"Best Beach Action in Northern California " a Santa Cruz Travel Page by atufft

The unique excentricity of Santa Cruz is reflected in its reliable left wing politics, UC Santa Cruz, love for seafood, natural and sustainable food markets, wine and marijuana, meditative arts and massages, bead shops, Niel Young and other recording artists, surfing, skateboarding, and cycling. Many surf board and beach accessory manufacturers are located here, as are companies that build custom mountain and road bikes, skateboards, and apparel for these sports. Despite the deadbeat hippies hanging around town, the realestate prices here are among the world's highest residential realestate of its kind, and causing a certain fresh water supply shortage in years to come. Because Santa Cruz is an easy "back door" commute to San Jose, the world's leader for the tech industries, several major tech firms have actually established their headquarters in or near recreation oriented Santa Cruz itself. However, in comparison to the elite atmosphere of Monterrrey and Carmel, Santa Cruz remains a vibrant place to "get away". Marijuana is virtually legal here, and the Boardwalk, Wharf, and nearby beaches and redwood mountains are the greater attraction for young adults than is Monterey's comparatively touristy Fisherman's Wharf on the south side bay.

Vacationers have long traveled to Santa Cruz from San Francisco, where the western facing beaches are often foggy and chopped up by dangerous rip currents. In contrast, Santa Cruz beaches are protected by the Monterey Bay and and face south, on a warm July or August day water temperatures climb into the tolerable low 70's range, and since the waves are relatively consistent and high, the city has a world class surf reputation. In the early days, a rail line used to run from San Francisco south to Santa Cruz over the redwood studded mountains to the boardwalk. The trains no longer run, although the tracks are often still around, and the Boardwalk has been expanded and recently renovated into a pleasant retro style color tone. The Wharf was also an early feature, one that once was filled with dozens of fish markets. Today, only one original fish market survives, and it's fish are almost entirely from world market distribution, rather than local catch. Even so, Santa Cruz remains Northern California's premier place for beach action.

After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake destroyed much of downtown, the city worked hard to rebuild and today, the street is partly cobbled and at night has a live atmosphere of a European city. Shops stay open for awhile, and people walk the streets between coffee shops and boutique style restaurants. Not as posh as Carmel, Santa Cruz caters to a younger audience of folks still hip to off-beat fashions. Bead and import shops are plentiful here, and elsewhere in town workshops make custom surfboards, skateboards, and bicycles as a high tech love of sport. As great as Santa Cruz really is, tourists are recommended to visit my pages on close by hamlets where there's other great fun--Aptos, Ben Lomond, Moss Landing, and Mt. Hermon. For those spending more time in the Monterey Bay Area or wanting a broader understanding of this region, my pages for Monterey, Carmel, and San Juan Bautista are also worth reading.