So this is what most people envision when they think of Santa Cruz, CA. This is a panoramic view of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk which is a pretty nice beach boardwalk very close to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area. Santa Cruz is a beach town on the Monterey Bay and home to University of California at Santa Cruz. This gives the town a unique mix of being a college town, Silicon Valley suburb, and beach town all in one.
My first stop in Santa Cruz was the University. The campus is rather large with buildings nestled into the foothills and canyons. I have to respect those students who bike and walk to class as their daily workout is pretty strong. Although, walking through coastal redwood forests is not the worst place. They also maintain a very nice arboretum on campus which is very nice and showcases plants from around the world. I was able to get some interesting close-ups of some flowers as shown above. A wedding cut my time short here, but it was a nice escape from the standard Santa Cruz fare. You can even hear the steam whistle from the Roaring Camp Railroad!
After a fun night of teppanyaki and card games with some new friends, it was back to the beach for a little sun and fun. The boardwalk is one of the few remaining boardwalks from the turn of the century and has all the standards - candy, carnival games, rollercoasters, and a big sandy beach full of families escaping the heat. They still operate a vintage carousel which I recorded below:
Santa Cruz is a popular place with a well-earned reputation as a playground for college students, families, and beach bums alike. If you have $1 million for a small old house, you too can live there. Or rent a converted garage for almost $1,000 per month! For the rest of us, a weekend day trip is a perfect opportunity to escape the real world and gorge on junk food before hiking through the coastal redwoods. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.
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