Rose

Dont miss Monterrey and Hearst Castle at San Simeon.

L

No offense Linda

But I would not choose Bubba Gumps as my restaraunt for Monterey. It always looks better than it tastes.

Kelly

Charm is a relative word. I would NEVER apply it to Santa Cruz. The campus is one of the nicest examples of blending nature, scenery and education. But the the rest of the town has yet to offer me anything worthy of another visit. I've been there on 4 occasions and always found it to be the same boring, hippie town.

santa

You should stay away from Santa Cruz then,the last thing we need around here are more uptight stick-in-the-muds clogging up our streets.Right now we're enjoying crystal clear weather,82 degrees at the beach and no tourists. Ah I love September! It's hard living in paradise.

zane

I don't really don't understand all the Santa Cruz bashing on here. I guess all those "old hippies" must be doing pretty well to be able to afford a $600,000 fixer upper and all the BMW's I see in the grocery store parking lots. Must be the same people who bash San Francisco. Oh well too bad for them,they don't know what they are missing.

l

Since when do BMWs and over-priced fixer-upper shacks equate to class?

kam

Albionetti's on Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey is a much better place for lunch than Bubba Gump's. Hwy 9 over the hill through the redwoods is beautiful but be sure nobody in the car suffers from car sickness---it's really switchback at certain points and if foggy you can easily lose your way. As far a Sta. Cruz vs. Carmel---that's just another example of diversity of California.

zane

I never said BMW'S equal class. What I was saying was that Santa Cruz has a very diverse population .Some people seem to be under the impression that the only people who live in Santa Cruz are old hippies. We have our share of hippie types but no more than any other artistic or culture rich area. Granted most tourists head straight to the tourist areas and might not see the real Santa Cruz. They should try to explore some other areas. Capitola is nothing like downtown Santa Cruz, Boulder Creek is nothing like Aptos. I doubt if any one who has a meal at The Shadowbrook restuarant will think they are in a town full of old hippies. It has to be one of the most beautiful restaurants in California. Carmel is a great place,my wife and I spend a weekend there about twice a year. But to compare Santa Cruz to Carmel is foolish,they are two different places. It's like comparing San Francisco to Los Angeles, both are great cities for different reasons.

Michael

I disagree with Tom's posting. Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay is far prettier than between Monterey and Santa Cruz. Unless it is blowing a gale, it is more enjoyable than 17 and driving up Silicon Valley to SF. If Devil's Slide worries you, just turn right on 92 at Half Moon Bay to 280 north to SF. On the return trip, go to Columbiaville north of Yosemite, Yosemite (of course) but also Sequoia.

Tom

Michael, I disagree with your assessment of Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz. I have travelled this road many times, and the stretch south of Santa Cruz is much more scenic that that north of Santa Cruz. To say that Highway 17 is not scenic is totally unjustified. Highway 17 through the Santa Cruz mountains is one of the most scenic drives in Northern California along with the 280.

cal

Highway 17 is scenic,but hopfully only for the passengers. I wouldn't want the driver admiring the views while going 55 mph with all the "super commuters" passing you on the right going 70 mph. 280 is a lovely drive though,especially if the hills are green. Just a word of warning re: 17.