Glenn N. wrote: > >THINGS TO DO AROUND SANTA CRUZ > >PESCADERO: 30 miles north of Santa Cruz. Supposedly a Greek diner is there. >Also Duarte's is actually a very good restaurant, noted for it's dessert pies. >Butano State Park is just south of Pescadero. Duarte's is great. The soup (artichoke or green chile) is as much an attraction to us as the pie. Farther down the main street in Pescadero is a grocery store/bakery that makes big round loaves of wonderful, garlicky french bread. About a mile past Pescadero (on the same road that leads you to Pescadero from Highway 1) is Phipps Ranch, a classic old-style roadside attraction. They sell organic produce, many varieties of beans that they grow themselves, flowers, etc. There's a zoo with many varieties of birds, goats, and other barnyard animals, old farm equipment, and U-pick berries. It's a great place to chill-out a backseat full of bored children. >BETWEEN: A number of beaches that you can walk onto. Also Red-White-and-Blue >Beach, a privately owned nude beach. Look for the RWB mailbox - this is >four miles north of SC City limits, so it must be about 6 miles south of >Davenport. Some of these beaches are visible from the road, but others are not visible and not marked from the road (or at least not marked clearly). If you see a bunch of cars parked by the side of the road for no obvious reason, that means that there's access right there to a coastside beach. If you're interested, park your cars with the others and look for the nearest well-traveled path to the ocean. It should lead you right to where the other parkees are. It seems to be legal to use these paths to get to the ocean, even though they do pass through private farmland. Just don't go wandering off through the farmers' fields. >RESTAURANTS: Some are mentioned elsewhere, so skim this whole article. Just to note: If you're in Santa Cruz and are _really_ low on cash, one of the better deals in town in Taqueria Vallarta on Soquel at Branciforte. A substantial burrito -- a full meal for most people -- can be had for about $3.50 (vegetarian, $3.00). A "plato" of meat, rice, beans, guacamole, salad and tortillas is $5.50.
Santa Cruz, CA