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Santa Cruzin'

By Carl Fisher

August 28^th, 2015

Fine foods

While Santa Cruz is known for great beaches and surf, it also has a primo farmers market taking place every Saturday on the edge of town. If I was more of an adventurous cook, I would say that it was foodie heaven. Since I’m not, I have to be satisfied with mostly looking at all the fine produce while snacking on fatty baked goods. Fortunately, I don’t need to worry too much about spoiling my figure due to being blessed with good jeans (and the occasional nice pair of shorts ;-)

Mountain bike madness

While I was primarily focused on food, I couldn’t help but notice another “Santa Cruz” that was right next door. This Santa Cruz was a mountain bike showroom. I felt like I was in a Tesla dealership, but with bikes. It was quite well appointed. You can actually make an appointment to take the bike of your choice for a spin (for a nominal fee), letting you realize your deeply buried mountain bike fantasies without having to drop a huge load of cash for a primo ride.

Vervacious

After stocking up on organic produce, I had to get a little perk me up and one of the best places in San Cruz to do that is Verve Coffee. There’s usually not much of a line up and the focus is on coffee without all those other distractions that can dilute the experience in the downtown location. There is not much seating and I don’t think there is any wifi so you don’t see people camping out at tables with their laptops. It’s not really a good setting for keyboarding. The furniture is also more minimal, consisting of a few against the building and benches around the perimeter fencing. It is a nice relaxing environment to enjoy your java. On this visit I was fortunate enough to be given a private tour of the roasting area by Nicholas who broke down the roasting process and left me with a greater appreciation for all the hard work that goes into the beans before they are ground to make that perfect cup.

Slim pickins by the time I got there. Good thing I'd stopped by the farmers market to get some pastries.

Beach Samplings

Of course I couldn’t go to Santa Cruz without spending at least a little bit of time at the beach. I’m not one to sit on a blanket slowly basting under the broiling sun, but I do enjoy a saunter up and down the beach observing the antics of the locals and doing a little cool wading in the surf. Here’s a sampling of some of the sights.