Santa Cruz

On the northern tip of Monterey Bay lies the ultra-cool, hip and trendy Santa Cruz, California. We were all excited to explore the laid back seaside city famous for its cultural history of surfing, skateboarding and cycling. And of course, its utterly iconic Boardwalk. 

We were already familiar with the skateparks in the city as we had visited them back when Kim took his Sabbatical in 2008. Henry wanted to revisit the full pipe looping tunnel at the Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park at Mike Fox Park. While we were in Santa Cruz, Henry later discovered on Instagram that Nyjah Huston had been skating at the park earlier in the week. The last time we saw Nyjah Huston was when he was competing as a teenager in the X Games in LA and we were sorry to have missed him. Skateboarding is legendary in Santa Cruz and boardshops are everywhere. 

Our adventures began on Santa Cruz Wharf, the longest wharf in America at 2,745 feet in length, roughly about half a mile, extending out into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Really it is a very long pier but it was misnamed as a wharf due to a naming error written in to the bond measure. Typically, a wharf runs parallel to the water's edge, while a pier juts out, perpendicular to the water's edge.

​Santa Cruz Wharf is definitely a pier!

We strolled past small shacks advertising fishing tours, whale watching tours, cycle tours and more. Then we hit the restaurants over looking the ocean with all the seafood options you might expect. Oysters, shrimp, scallops, clams, lobsters in tanks and the fresh aroma of salt, lemon, seafood and a hint of white wine hit the senses. We were all slavering! Then we were distracted by the barking of sea lions that drew us further down the wharf. They were loud as their cheerful chatter echoed beneath the wharf as they sat and jostled for space on the wooden frame below. They were comical as they plopped and flopped into the water then scrambled to get back up again to bask in the sunshine. We stayed and watched for a good long while. We mooched around the surf and skate shops, and we decided we had to buy souvenir t-shirts with the Santa Cruz logo from Nolands to support the local business.

Later we ambled over to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.

​Before we got anywhere near it, we could hear the delighted screams of the thrill riders on the Typhoon, Cyclone, Fireball and of course the star of the Boardwalk, the old "woodie" roller coaster, the Giant Dipper. The Boardwalk was a heaving mass of families having a whale of a time. The gorgeous ice cream pastels of the Sky Gliders leisurely passed over our heads as we were happily assaulted by the vibrant sights and delicious smells of fairground food; cruzin' crepes, sweet and salty kettle corn, ocean blue slushies with bendy straws, powdered funnel cakes, deep fried Twinkies and Oreos, beach tacos, chowders, churros and floats, cotton candy clouds, soft serve ice cream "SANDaes", tater twists, walkin' waffles and so much more. 

Of course I could not help but to think back to one of my favorite 80's movies, The Lost Boys, that was filmed on the Boardwalk. Do you remember that fabulous soundtrack? I loved the remake of The Doors "People Are Strange" the best. 

We finished the afternoon with a lazy cuppa at Steamer Lane, watching the surfers dodge the currents and the cliffs at Point Santa Cruz and ambling around the Santa Cruz Lighthouse then up the coast a little to see the natural bridges jutting out from the cliffs. The Californian brown pelicans kept us company.

​Lovely lazy day. Sigh.