Santa Cruz

Growing up in Santa Cruz would be a dream come true for some lucky kid.  Today, we witnessed the third-grade class field trip—aboard a 50-foot catamaran to cruise Monterey Bay.  They were all waving madly to everyone on the wharf and having a great time.   I remember my third-grade field trip; it was a visit to the irrigation ditch running through town to capture frogs and crickets.  

Large numbers of teenagers were playing volleyball on the beach.  I am guessing this was their high school physical education class.  Man, maybe I would have loved P.E. if I had played volleyball in my bikini on the beach.   My high school P.E. involved cowering in the corner during the war ball game in the gym.  Maybe Mike would have shown up for P.E. if he played on the beach with bikini-clad hotties….

Seriously, Santa Cruz is beautiful.  And the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is very cool with the wooden rollercoaster, the Ferris Wheel over the water, arcades—all painted in brilliant colors and the beach literally steps away.  The Coney Island of the West.  Walking around the rides and arcade, we found we were behind a family from New Jersey.  They were almost a clone of the Soprano family.  I am not making this up.  In his New Jersey accent, the son was discussing the shortcomings of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk compared to Coney Island.  “Lemme-tell-yous this is no Coney Island Pawk.”  Hilarious. 

Mike was ready by noon for a cold beer in a frosty glass.  He was very insistent on the frosty glass.  We found a great bar on the wharf with a perfect view of the ocean and the fishing boats in the bay.
 
Interestingly enough, we have found that we get the best local advice from hairstylists, golf partners, and…bartenders.  Based on the advice of our bartender today, we ate at the Crow’s Nest next to the marina.  The restaurant is positioned on the channel for boats incoming and outgoing.  Lots of boats going out today—the weather was spectacular for sailing.