easytraveler... I started the thread and appreciate your help. I have found your initial post here the most helpful. I plan to follow your recommendations when making this drive next week.

do you have any lunch suggestions in Santa Cruz or somewhere a little more quaint along route 1?

Phil's Fish Market also has a very quaint seafood restaurant south of Santa Cruz, in Moss Landing. The restaurant is about five minutes west of Rt 1, and well worth a stop. It's a super casual, concrete floor type place. We wouldn't think of passing up a chance to eat there when we're in the area.

http://www.philsfishmarket.com/

By the way, I'm going to copy this thread into a Word file in case it's pulled in its entirety by the editors. If it is, I'll delete the vitriol and repost.

On the drive down, someone had recommended Barbara's Fish Trap in Half Moon Bay for lunch. Phil's sounds like the same kind of place.
Anyone else have comments on either of these places?

Easytraveler, thanks for your help to me and others! You are always generous.

Betsy, excellent idea on preserving the thread and reposting it. I will be glad to see mine go, along with the ones I felt it necessary to respond to. Thanks for taking this on.

ET, getting an idea just how many fans you've got?

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Fodorites are the bestest! ((Y))

Thanks all for the magnificent support!

JBC: ever the gentleman! :)

spike74: Thanks so much for your gentle kind words. You must be a gentleman too, like JBC. Or a terrific lady! :)

The other posters have given you some excellent suggestions and ideas here. Stu, J-Correa, traveldawg, sequoia, TripleSec (have I missed someone?) are Fodors regulars for the Bay Area and know a whole lot more than I do. You can't go wrong taking any of their advice as they always give you straight talk.

I've met Betsy and she's a heck of a lady. You can't go wrong with her suggestions either.

Half Moon Bay is a good place to stop. Lots of restaurants. My favorite restaurant in that area used to be in Princeton By The Sea, but I don't believe the restaurant exists any more. Used to be right on the water - loved to watch the sunsets...

Further down, near Santa Cruz is the Shadowbrook Restaurant in Capitola. Shadowbrook has its own cable car, but believe it's open only for dinner now.

There are many wonderful restaurants along Highway 1 and even inland. Two days ago I had to go to Monterey and we had dinner at Tarpy on Highway 218. This is a first time at Tarpy's for me, but it won't be the last! (So many good restaurants to discover, so little time!)

pastyp, texasjo: I treasure your support!

Have fun, everyone! It's a beautiful, if a bit hot, day! :)

Easytraveler
Yes, every word typed here was learnt/plagiarized from somewhere/somehow/sometime