The holiday season can be a lot like journalism. There’s a lot to sort through to get to the meaningful content. It proves impossible to plan away moments of panic completely. Deadlines loom, like always, then they accelerate. It can be tricky to survive, let alone thrive.
But there are coping mechanisms. For a long time my primary sanity tool has been exercise, and one of my top biking/running/swimming partners has been my friend, colleague and Weekly design chief Karen Loutzenheiser.
Another way to stay on balance: vacations, however brief. Some of the best getaways await within an hour – think Big Sur, Pinnacles National Park, San Juan Bautista – and stuffed with possibilities, like Loutzenheiser’s Santa Cruz. Last month, in the space of one evening, at her behest, we squeezed in a cruiser bike ride to cult craft beer hubSante Adairius’ superb new taphouse location (rusticales.com); Abbott Square’s new market-style confluence of live outdoor music, trendy restaurant stalls (Milk and Wood popsicles, All Aboard raw bar, Veg on the Edge, Pizzeria La Bufala, Poke It) and Front and Cooper beer-wine and cocktail fun (abbottsquare.org); a Santa Cruz Warriors game (santacruz.gleague.nba.com); and classic rock from the jukebox at vintage Brady’s Yacht Club (425-9854). Every stop dripped with character. And Loutzenheiser has a bunch more recommendations where that came from, for those with an appetite for activity and flavor who could benefit from a mini holiday vacay across the bay:
Santa Cruz Mountain Brewery
There’s no place better after a long mountain bike ride through the Santa Cruz Mountains for a Rail Trail IPA, or any of the other seasonal beers from the all-female brewing team. The fish tacos from companion business Kelly’s French Bakery – and the artisan corn dogs from cult hit El Salchichero – come in clutch. “They’ve got the biggest row of bike parking you’ve seen,” Loutzenheiser says. “And they’re usually full.”
11:30am-10pm daily. 402 Ingalls St., Santa Cruz, (831) 425-4900, scmbrew.com
Pogonip Park
The Emma McCrary Trail is fairly new, transforming a drug-ridden spot down by the railroad tracks into paths for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and dog walking. (It is also connected to the broader University of California Santa Cruz trail system.) The trail’s swooping contours and banked turns make it a mountain biker’s dream. “It’s awesome whether you’re going up or down,” Loutzenheiser says. Pogonip covers 11.5 miles all told (3 of those miles are multi-use), and also links into Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Another favorite destination for mountain biking awaits nearby: Wilder Ranch State Park.
Sunrise to 7pm April through October, until 4pm November through March, 333 Golf Club Drive, cityofsantacruz.com/government/city-departments/parks-recreation/parks-beaches-open-spaces/open-spaces/pogonip
Tortilla Flats
The margaritas at this small and unique Mexican spot are, in a word, “ridiculous,” according to Loutzensheiser, especially those made with seasonal fruit like watermelon. She leans toward the enchiladas Durango with Peruvian ahi chilies or the “Flatland” plates with a spicy, vegan, high-protein patty of almonds, sesame, sunflower, peanuts, garlic and tomato, available in tostadas, tacos, enchiladas or burritos.
11:30am-close daily, 4616 Soquel Drive, Soquel Village, (831) 476-1754, tortillaflatsdining.com
Lúpulo Craft Beer House
The unique scope of food here can be hard to explain – the owners describe it as “based loosely around the convivial nature of food that exists in Spanish tapas bars and Belgian beer cafés.” But it’s harder to resist, thanks to dishes like sourdough-rye waffles, mushroom-manchego montaditos and sweet corn empanadas. The strategically located downtown spot also impresses with ever-rotating, hard-to-get regional craft beers, with 16 on tap and scores more in bottles.
11:30am-10pm daily, until 11:30pm Friday-Saturday, 11am-3pm brunch Saturday-Sunday, 233 Cathcart St., Santa Cruz, (831) 454-8306, lupulosc.com
Sawyer Land and Sea Supply
This place is a community hub for crafty and adventurous types disguised as a boutique apparel store. The owners rally for events regularly – often ones with an ecological bend; they hosted this year’s Santa Cruz Surf Film Festival and filled a truck with relief supplies to send to victims of the Wine Country fires. The walls here are covered with art, and the inventory includes finds like True Ames Greenough surf fins, Superbiscuit hand planes (for bodysurfing) and Yeti Tundra ice chests. “Great gear,” Loutzenheiser says. “Outdoorsy stuff. And they’re just good people. You walk in and you’re smiling.”
11am-6pm Tuesday-Friday, 10am-6pm Saturday-Sunday, closed Monday, 402 Ingalls St., Santa Cruz, (831) 458-3466, sawyersupply.com
Humble Sea Brewery
The relatively new venue, fresh to the burgeoning Santa Cruz beer scene, debuted this year with a magnetic indoor-outdoor space and lots of local collaborations. Loutzenheiser goes either IPA (like the “Socks & Sandals” New England-style IPA) or dives into the saisons with rotating options with adventurous names like Le Jetski (a hoppy 6.3-percent citrus-and-grape treat) and the French Boyfriend (a rye take on saisons with Munich malts). “The place enjoys a completely different atmosphere,” she says, citing an everyday crowd mixing with travelers, “and OMG all their beer is good.”
(1) comment
Bicycles should not be allowed in any natural area. They are inanimate objects and have no rights. There is also no right to mountain bike. That was settled in federal court in 1996: http://mjvande.info/mtb10.htm . It's dishonest of mountain bikers to say that they don't have access to trails closed to bikes. They have EXACTLY the same access as everyone else -- ON FOOT! Why isn't that good enough for mountain bikers? They are all capable of walking....
A favorite myth of mountain bikers is that mountain biking is no more harmful to wildlife, people, and the environment than hiking, and that science supports that view. Of course, it's not true. To settle the matter once and for all, I read all of the research they cited, and wrote a review of the research on mountain biking impacts (see http://mjvande.info/scb7.htm ). I found that of the seven studies they cited, (1) all were written by mountain bikers, and (2) in every case, the authors misinterpreted their own data, in order to come to the conclusion that they favored. They also studiously avoided mentioning another scientific study (Wisdom et al) which did not favor mountain biking, and came to the opposite conclusions.
Those were all experimental studies. Two other studies (by White et al and by Jeff Marion) used a survey design, which is inherently incapable of answering that question (comparing hiking with mountain biking). I only mention them because mountain bikers often cite them, but scientifically, they are worthless.
Mountain biking accelerates erosion, creates V-shaped ruts, kills small animals and plants on and next to the trail, drives wildlife and other trail users out of the area, and, worst of all, teaches kids that the rough treatment of nature is okay (it's NOT!). What's good about THAT?
To see exactly what harm mountain biking does to the land, watch this 5-minute video: http://vimeo.com/48784297.
In addition to all of this, it is extremely dangerous: http://mjvande.info/mtb_dangerous.htm .
For more information: http://mjvande.info/mtbfaq.htm .
The common thread among those who want more recreation in our parks is total ignorance about and disinterest in the wildlife whose homes these parks are. Yes, if humans are the only beings that matter, it is simply a conflict among humans (but even then, allowing bikes on trails harms the MAJORITY of park users -- hikers and equestrians -- who can no longer safely and peacefully enjoy their parks).
The parks aren't gymnasiums or racetracks or even human playgrounds. They are WILDLIFE HABITAT, which is precisely why they are attractive to humans. Activities such as mountain biking, that destroy habitat, violate the charter of the parks.
Even kayaking and rafting, which give humans access to the entirety of a water body, prevent the wildlife that live there from making full use of their habitat, and should not be allowed. Of course those who think that only humans matter won't understand what I am talking about -- an indication of the sad state of our culture and educational system.
Now watch the mountain bikers lie and attack me for telling the truth about their selfish, destructive sport!
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