Santa Cruz Half Marathon Quickie Report

Old Apr 22nd, 2009, 07:07 PM
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Santa Cruz Half Marathon Quickie Report

Hi guys,

Not a full-blown report, but a rundown of my weekend in Santa Cruz with friends to run the SC Half-Marathon. I live in San Francisco, was born in SC, so no real surprises here for me, but some info may be helpful to others so here ya go...

1. House we rented
VRBO 155891
http://www.vrbo.com/155891
If you're familiar with Santa Cruz you know the East Side is a bit funkier than the West Side. This place is on the East Side and about 4 blocks to Twin Lakes beach. We really liked it. It's very cute, tiny rooms but fully equipped and the outdoor space and gardens are great. Three outdoor seating areas in the back yard, another one in the front. Hot tub. Heat lamps. Lovely landscaping. The works. I took some pics, so I'll post them soon.

I saw someone here asking about sandy beaches near Santa Cruz; I loved the Boardwalk beach as a teen, but I wouldn't really hang out there nowadays. If you're looking for a frame of reference, I'd say it has some of the same vibe as Venice Beach in southern Cal--but certainly family friendly so don't worry too much. However, not calm. I'd say Twin Lakes and down the coast there (see Google maps) offers sandy and not-too-hectic beaches. Of course the West Side has them too, but less of a continuous stretch. On the West Side, Natural Bridges is wonderful!

2. The race
Wow, this is a beautiful course. I've done Wharf-to-Wharf in SC, but man alive is this race pretty. We happened to luck out with a very unusual, no-coastal-fog morning. Much of the run is along West Cliff. Stunning views: seals, crags, blue ocean, surfers, waves, birds, sky, sun. If you're a runner, it's worth it. And if you're a walker, still fine. This race serves up a 10k too, so definitely consider it.

I suspect this wil be a low-interest post, but I'll post our restaurant review and photos within the next few days.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2009, 12:38 PM
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3. Photos of the rental house
http://www.pbase.com/leelygoes/santa...ach_house_0409

I didn't really take any other photos that don't have my friends in them, so this is about it for pics.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2009, 12:40 PM
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Outdoor space means so much more to me than interiors!

Nice photos!
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Old Apr 23rd, 2009, 01:15 PM
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Thanks, GoT.

4. Dining
We grilled the first night. There's a Whole Foods at 911 Soquel Ave., so we stocked up there.

Second night we went out to La Posta, an Italian restaurant on Seabright.

I don't really think of Santa Cruz as a gourmet destination--and perhaps I'm wrong--but the food at this restaurant was quite good. For whatever reason, the kitchen was slow to get our order out, so our server brought us a complimentary plate of olives and the salumi platter. Excellent. We then had a couple salads, asparagus with a fried egg, and beets with pistachio and ricotta salata to start followed by two pizzas and the tagliatelle alla bolognese. Everything was tasty and fresh, but I think the pizza with house-made sausage and the salumi plate were the standouts. The bill was about $100, including a glass and a quarto of wine and a beer.

http://www.lapostarestaurant.com/
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Old Apr 23rd, 2009, 02:16 PM
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A half marathon and a quickie! My, aren't we energetic! Sorry, couldn't resist.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2009, 02:27 PM
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pdx, it's Fodorites like you that make it all worthwhile.

Hilarious.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2009, 02:56 PM
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LOL PDX good eye! and even better mind
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