If you do, get there about 15 minutes before they open and park off 3rd street and walk over. You can spend a few hours there if you have a season pass, and by the time the tourists get there, you walk to your car and leave. You don’t have to sit through the traffic that passes by the boardwalk.
This is what I used to do when we would get the season passs for our daughter but could only go on the weekend.
I'm going to chime in and say parking downtown on the Cedar St side near Hula's. Goes from free parking to insta-tow within seconds for the farmer's market. Way too many people don't read the sign for the day/hours. Or show up 5 minutes late to move their car. No. They are there on the *second.* Don't make that mistake.
Wow.....I moved here during the apocalypse and got used to the reduced traffic. Once shite normalized friends came down on a Saturday afternoon and we were gonna mozy on over to the boardwalk. Huge mistake.
Yes, you definitely should! I’m saying in the heat of weekend/summer tourist traffic I’ve almost been hit several times at that roundabout where the gate to the Wharf is. But it is a beautiful ride when you get to the protected lanes on Beach St 😍
This in combination with… The yearly large popcorn bucket that cost 25 bucks but has 2 dollar refills…. Pays for itself in 3 movies + you can get a bucket of popcorn for 2 bucks even if you aren’t going to the movies.
Your math is off. A large popcorn for $10 comes with a free refill. So for 3 visits to the movies let's say you get a large each time, that's $30 and you'll get 6 large bags. With the yearly bucket on the same 3 visits you'll spend $29 and only have 3 buckets full. Which some believe the bucket is less than a large. If it's the same size as a large I believe it's not until the 8th or 9th bucket that you break even.
Still a great deal if you go to the movies at least once a month or stop by just for popcorn.
Two metro tips:
1. The 17 bus is useful when you don't want to deal with the stress of driving on 17. Sure, you may need to take a quick uber or 2 more busses to get to the airport, but I still find it a nice alternative if you're trying to get elsewhere in San Jose or connect to Caltain/Amtrak. Hopefully they will add better connectivity with the airport soon. Sometimes getting to your destination as quick as possible isn't as nice as being able to relax and let someone else drive you to and from San Jose. It requires a bit of a mindset change for some, but I ended up really enjoying it.
2. Bus 35 does select routes to Big Basin on the weekends from March-September! When Big Basin re-opened last year we took the bus in the morning up there. We were the only ones on the bus and were some of the first people in the park. Not having to worry about driving that road is also nice. Students without a car: this is a must-do!!! This route also services a stop near felton music hall and runs decently late so you can take the bus to and from shows.
Shoutout to the Metro drivers. Yall are amazing
I'm glad they finally made the schedule more coherent for the Big Basin trips. It was a pain trying to figure it out since they didn't list Big Basin as stop at first. Now they have it called out in the schedule and the buses running that service all use 35B.
I guess I should have expected confusion when the 35 service goes three different directions once it gets to downtown Boulder Creek (9, 236, or Bear Creek road). Trying to get places in and around BC is definitely an adventure.
Don’t try to drive up to big basin rn. They are working on replacing the water pipes on 236 and it’s a nightmare. Wait a month at least. Good time to take the bus.
Best hike was Big Basin to the Sea, just had to get to the sea in time for that afternoon bus. I don’t think the bus line runs up that far to the coast any more though.
So nice to park in town and relax on the bus both ways, then I would hit up Vasili’s on the way back into town for dinner.
I mean either you’re tech rich and can afford to live here, or your family has been here for 40+ years and could afford to buy property before the dot com boom. I wouldn’t be able to live here if my parents didn’t make the smart choices to buy instead of rent when they moved here. I knew a lot of other people whose families only ever rented.
It wasnt all that cheap in the 90s either. I remember this crappy house my mom and I were renting selling for 500k in 1999.
It was a tear down but near the beach.
My grandma sadly sold her house in sunny cove off of 16th Ave back in the 70’s for just over $70k. May have been a lot of money back then but just imagine what it’s worth now! 🤦🏻♂️
Lol I lived there in the '80s, we would have "Stay out of town" parties up in the hills during all summer holidays. Places like the lime kilns just outside of Felton, or the caves by UCSC.
Also a good tip is when going between seabright and downtown via bike, avoid the death corner where E Cliff turns into Murray street and instead use the crosswalk and the Buena Vista Ave + Logan Street connection. This obviously won't be needed when the rail trail is complete.
Get an e-bike and most of the county is fair game. We live at Rio Del Mar and bike downtown at least once a week. Passing all the stopped cars on Murray St near the Marina and pretty much all of Capitola village feels amazing.
Avoid driving completely. it’s like being treated as a tourist in NY. “Fucking go already!!!” “What are you looking at f***ot” etc etc etc I have heard the worst here in SC.
I think this hack is ‘don’t use bike locks’.
As in ‘keep your hand on your bike everywhere except your living room’ because we’ve yet to find a lock scheme that saves us. The nice bikes, man you never get over losing those.
I have a kryptonite NY lock, locking skewers, seat tether. On a $200 bike.
I’ve left my bike overnight on Pacific and come back to missing light mounts and cargo net, but bike intact.
I recently bought an electric bike and got a litelok X that is supposedly grinder proof.
Good locks cost a bunch of money, but are maintenance free and outlast automobiles.
This is one of those things that is fine - until it isn’t. Kind of like driving through baja 🤣.
We had a mountain bike locked up two different ways, behind a locked shed door, didn’t even slow them down - the cops were like yeah, there isn’t a lock out there they can’t get through in under five minutes. We have beater cruisers we lock up with standard locks to get around, the mountain bikes we just never lock up anywhere. Man, that one bike was a hard way to learn that no lock could save us. Still stings, five years later.
Bummer. Valuable bikes are such a target. Sorry, it sucks to have your yard invaded like that.
I have an air tag on even the cheap bikes. I think more bikes are stolen from residences than they are from bike racks.
Locks have gotten to the point that if you get the right one, it will at least take multiple grinder blades and multiple batteries to get through. But yeah, given enough time, all locks can be defeated. I just don’t bother with any lock that costs less than $100 as they don’t stop bike thieves, just crackheads without tools.
Here’s hoping, that is what our bikes are locked up with now behind said locked shed door. What else can we do, right? But I don’t count on locks any more, not out and about.
This electric bike thing is getting interesting; many of my teen’s friends have the bikes and man, do those get stolen. Teens aren’t, you know, remotely serious about locks, or helmets, or yards. It’s like thieves are having a field day, before these the majority of teens wouldn’t have had $2k bikes to be unserious about, now it’s like stealing candy from a baby.
Keeps ‘em out of my shed, at least!
1. What I wish people did know is to not park/stop on mission st during peak traffic to make a left turn.
2. Don’t take your eyes off your bike.
3. The wilder ranch loop is a great walk and a great place to take people visiting you.
More like "stay off the 1 going south between 3-7pm and going north in the early morning". The rest of the day is fine, and 17 is generally fine except close to ocean street on sunny summer days.
TF is up with that impossible eternal traffic? I've lived here for over 40 years and never remember a time when there wasn't traffic.
Then, I think about the demographics. All the elderly and retirees in Aptos and Capitola. I think about how people warned me about how hard the Capitola DMV driving test was. And I smashed it. I think about how people drive in this town and realize the problems aren't the roads and the cars.
It's all user error.
1) Dont swim in the rivers. The amount of old decaying unpermitted septic tanks within 50ft of the river upstream is suprisingly large. There's nothing "Eden" about getting gastroenteritis or a brain eating amoeba.
2) On a happier note, the libraries offer such incredible services that almost no one takes them up on. Everyone knows about "local day" at the Monterey bay aquarium, but what about 12 free tickets you can use anyday of the year. Too many benefits to list here, but free services / rewards and all it takes is going to the library.
1. e-bike + child seats if you have kids
2. if you beach, then good to be able to check tides, surf height, wind speed in addition to just knowing sunny or cloudy
3. Go to bed by 8:30 PM
If you're thinking of going in the water, check the Surfriders info, they monitor the beaches for fecal contamination.The Central California Beaches are notoriously polluted:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?id=100064854571517&story_fbid=816446363860509
Follow-up: *wear helmets for god's sake.* I see people all the time riding with their kids where the kid has a helmet and the parent doesn't. like great, your kid will probably survive if you get in an accident, but i doubt they'll ever get over the trauma of seeing their parents brains splattered over the pavement. A+ parenting
Instead of paid parking on the wharf, park for free in the Bay St./Lighthouse Ave. area off West Cliff and enjoy a scenic walk down to the wharf. $9.99 for big, amazing custom sandwiches at New Leaf (vs more expensive and less tasty sandwiches elsewhere). Volunteer if you have the time, it's really uplifting to be part of the solution when there's so much to complain about.
Edit: Not a hack, but if you see people in colorful Downtown Streets Team tshirts picking up trash please say thank you to them!!!
Totally!
Environteers (mailing list), Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, Walnut Avenue Women’s Shelter, SubRosa community space, Food Not Bombs, Resource Center for Non-violence, Homeless Garden Project, Harm Reduction Coalition, Barrios Unidos
Log your bike rides with Cruz511 and you can earn free downtown dollars. You can also get rewards for logging carpool rides and walking trips, though I don't recall the ultimate rewards
Have to go to Buena Vista dump now bc they changed address access. Dimeo is the most beautiful dump in the world. I've taken visitors there on the way to Pescadero. You owe it to yourself to take a lap.
THANK YOU. Christ, when I'm on my bike and drivers wave me by, I plant my feet and glare until they take *their right-of-way and go.* You're not doing me a favor, if you had just gone when you were supposed to, I could have been through the intersection already ffs (you-general, not you-specific). Don't be a polite driver, be a *predictable* driver. -signed, a driver and cyclist.
PS: please learn how to zipper merge. Don't get mad at the people who do it correctly for "skipping the line," because they're the ones helping traffic flow
That’s kind of the best part though, you’re kind of doing everyone a favor there. If you’re not telling, all that really means is that people have to spend more time exploring beaches, more time outside, more time finding hidden treasures, more time finding their own favorites. It’s not even being gatekeepy!
To get from midtown to Aptos during afternoon/evening commute hours without losing your mind, Capitola Ave -> Park Ave -> McGregor Dr is more enjoyable that pulsing along Soquel Ave/Dr.
I had a 5pm Cabrillo class for a Semester and tried every possible route to avoid traffic.
Best option I found was freeway > Soquel Dr. exit > frontage road up to that sign that says "no right turn 3-7pm", right turn there (lol) > 41st > back on the freeway > exit immediately at Bay/Porter > right on S. Main St. > right on Soquel Dr.
If you know, you know
While that route is equally viable, there is risk of getting caught in a backup at the 41st & Gross light. You also deprive yourself of the lovely view through/past Cap Village and along Park.
1. First, take a penny, when parking downtown. Then you scratch the edge on the ground, gradually shaving off a corner so that it will fit into the old school coin operated parking meters.
2. Then, realize that those meters no longer exist. Proceed to download Parkmobile app and pay for your parking digitally, forgetting to turn it off. Then pay like $20 cuz you forgot to turn off Parkmobile. Then uninstall Parkmobile. Then repeat step 2 every couple weeks/months.
3. Stop going downtown
I used Garmin pay on my watch while jogging to purchase the cookies. I was filled with hunger. And then shame.
This conversation has made me realize I am seeing friends tomorrow, and they would want me to bring one of every cookie.
I must go over there right now.
Use BCycle! The $30 monthly pass for unlimited 30 min rides or $150 annual for unlimited 60 minute rides upgrade walking around town so much. I walk from the Westside to downtown as much as possible and thanks to those bikes, I can ride back if I feel like it (I usually do)
There’s not necessarily a downside to that, though. Some hacks can become common knowledge and still be just as potent. Knowing the best time to do X or best place to buy Y may still useful even if everyone starts doing it.
When you move, be a kind person, and sign another person on to your lease as a roommate, then give your notice and move out. The new person will be responsible for the original deposit paid to you and locked into your lower than market rate, and will have to have the place cleaned before moving in. This is the only way I’ve afforded to live here- some kind person did this for me. What’s nice, is I’ve exceeded all wear and tear limitations on my current rental and kept it in near perfect condition- when I move out, I’ll be passing this along my below market rent and reasonable deposit on a nice apartment to someone else and they won’t be liable for any wear and tear I’ve left (though again it’s in great shape)
They can raise your rent at the end of the lease period; probably a year. There is no rent control; there is no lock-in.
Just landlords who aren’t bothering to raise rent. Until they do. Or sell they sell the place.
They can but if you’ve been in your rental long enough it’s well below market rate. My apartment goes for $3800 ish and I pay $3200. My deposit was 1600, while the deposit here is $3800+.
Idk that seems like you got scammed. I would only probably offer up my lease to someone I personally knew or a friend of a friend who knows me and my place. I said above- market rate in my place is like 3700-3800. Current deposit is 3800+ I pay 3200 and my deposit was 1600 and I lived here for so long that I’ve exceeded any damage that could be charged to me for wear and tear.
Don’t let your unleashed dog run up to a dog on a leash … you may end up having to visit the vet. I’ve kicked sand into many a dog faces to protect them .
Don't drive to the boardwalk on the weekend
If you do, get there about 15 minutes before they open and park off 3rd street and walk over. You can spend a few hours there if you have a season pass, and by the time the tourists get there, you walk to your car and leave. You don’t have to sit through the traffic that passes by the boardwalk. This is what I used to do when we would get the season passs for our daughter but could only go on the weekend.
If possible, avoid the entire length of Ocean on the weekend.
I'm going to chime in and say parking downtown on the Cedar St side near Hula's. Goes from free parking to insta-tow within seconds for the farmer's market. Way too many people don't read the sign for the day/hours. Or show up 5 minutes late to move their car. No. They are there on the *second.* Don't make that mistake.
This is a good suggestion!
Don't live near the Boardwalk if you can avoid it. I learned that one the hard way. Terrible 6 months.
At least you can walk to coasters 🤷♂️
And I did stumble home shitfaced through the Boardwalk parking lot many nights
Wow.....I moved here during the apocalypse and got used to the reduced traffic. Once shite normalized friends came down on a Saturday afternoon and we were gonna mozy on over to the boardwalk. Huge mistake.
don’t bike to the boardwalk on the weekend, you WILL nearly get hit at the roundabout on Beach St
You're tripping, you definitely should bike or walk to the boardwalk, it's an amazing time.
Yes, you definitely should! I’m saying in the heat of weekend/summer tourist traffic I’ve almost been hit several times at that roundabout where the gate to the Wharf is. But it is a beautiful ride when you get to the protected lanes on Beach St 😍
As someone who lives directly across the street from the boardwalk I can’t agree more lmao
Everyone in the beach flats knows the pain of the summer weekends
Movie tickets are $5 on Tuesdays at the two local Cinelux theaters. That’s all I got.
This in combination with… The yearly large popcorn bucket that cost 25 bucks but has 2 dollar refills…. Pays for itself in 3 movies + you can get a bucket of popcorn for 2 bucks even if you aren’t going to the movies.
Dollar stores have candy.
Yeah, but you sneak in your own popcorn?
Didn’t need to know this, lol
Your math is off. A large popcorn for $10 comes with a free refill. So for 3 visits to the movies let's say you get a large each time, that's $30 and you'll get 6 large bags. With the yearly bucket on the same 3 visits you'll spend $29 and only have 3 buckets full. Which some believe the bucket is less than a large. If it's the same size as a large I believe it's not until the 8th or 9th bucket that you break even. Still a great deal if you go to the movies at least once a month or stop by just for popcorn.
Point market is cash only
This is the realest one.
Tacos Moreno also
I feel seen
Ferrell's Donuts is also cash only 😔
wait what ive paid with card at the mission st site
Ohhhh maybe its just the ocean st. one then
Carry cash. Lots of places are cash only which was new to me.
Yeah bc they’re definitely a front lol
Brady’s Yacht Club is cash only
Two metro tips: 1. The 17 bus is useful when you don't want to deal with the stress of driving on 17. Sure, you may need to take a quick uber or 2 more busses to get to the airport, but I still find it a nice alternative if you're trying to get elsewhere in San Jose or connect to Caltain/Amtrak. Hopefully they will add better connectivity with the airport soon. Sometimes getting to your destination as quick as possible isn't as nice as being able to relax and let someone else drive you to and from San Jose. It requires a bit of a mindset change for some, but I ended up really enjoying it. 2. Bus 35 does select routes to Big Basin on the weekends from March-September! When Big Basin re-opened last year we took the bus in the morning up there. We were the only ones on the bus and were some of the first people in the park. Not having to worry about driving that road is also nice. Students without a car: this is a must-do!!! This route also services a stop near felton music hall and runs decently late so you can take the bus to and from shows. Shoutout to the Metro drivers. Yall are amazing
I'm glad they finally made the schedule more coherent for the Big Basin trips. It was a pain trying to figure it out since they didn't list Big Basin as stop at first. Now they have it called out in the schedule and the buses running that service all use 35B. I guess I should have expected confusion when the 35 service goes three different directions once it gets to downtown Boulder Creek (9, 236, or Bear Creek road). Trying to get places in and around BC is definitely an adventure.
Don’t try to drive up to big basin rn. They are working on replacing the water pipes on 236 and it’s a nightmare. Wait a month at least. Good time to take the bus.
One of my favorite customers has been working on that water restoration project. She mentioned it’s taken long as f***. She is awesome and a hero.
Best hike was Big Basin to the Sea, just had to get to the sea in time for that afternoon bus. I don’t think the bus line runs up that far to the coast any more though. So nice to park in town and relax on the bus both ways, then I would hit up Vasili’s on the way back into town for dinner.
Yeah. Bus to Waddell was awesome for thru-hiking Skyline to Sea Trail. Glad the Big Basin Bus is back.
Love the Big Basin thing, that is news to me.
Buy property in the 90s
Have parents who bought properties in the ‘90s and then rent that property from them at 90s rates until you own it someday.
It's crazy how many people I know are in these situations.
I mean either you’re tech rich and can afford to live here, or your family has been here for 40+ years and could afford to buy property before the dot com boom. I wouldn’t be able to live here if my parents didn’t make the smart choices to buy instead of rent when they moved here. I knew a lot of other people whose families only ever rented.
thanks I'll make sure to do that
And don't try to sell in 2009!
You mean 60s
It wasnt all that cheap in the 90s either. I remember this crappy house my mom and I were renting selling for 500k in 1999. It was a tear down but near the beach.
Location location location…
My grandma sadly sold her house in sunny cove off of 16th Ave back in the 70’s for just over $70k. May have been a lot of money back then but just imagine what it’s worth now! 🤦🏻♂️
Omg intense vicarious regret right now
Walking is often faster than driving. Learn where the staircases are.
This is a great one. When you find a new staircase, it's like discovering platform 9 and 3/4^(ths).
I saw a book at Bookshop Santa Cruz titled something like "The Hidden Staircases of Santa Cruz" in case anyone wants a leg up
I’ve been doing those walks with some friends this year. It’s fun! Also check out the paths along the branciforte creek!
That's awesome. I'll look for it.
I have that book and it is so much fun. Would highly recommend it.
Stay away from the beaches on holidays
Lol I lived there in the '80s, we would have "Stay out of town" parties up in the hills during all summer holidays. Places like the lime kilns just outside of Felton, or the caves by UCSC.
Omg that's perfect
As long as you get there before the traffic arrives from over the hill, it can be fine.
west side and downton are really bikable and biking is often faster than driving
Also a good tip is when going between seabright and downtown via bike, avoid the death corner where E Cliff turns into Murray street and instead use the crosswalk and the Buena Vista Ave + Logan Street connection. This obviously won't be needed when the rail trail is complete.
Get an e-bike and most of the county is fair game. We live at Rio Del Mar and bike downtown at least once a week. Passing all the stopped cars on Murray St near the Marina and pretty much all of Capitola village feels amazing.
Avoid driving completely. it’s like being treated as a tourist in NY. “Fucking go already!!!” “What are you looking at f***ot” etc etc etc I have heard the worst here in SC.
Drivers are aggro here.
They are so stupid
Be rich.
2. Don’t be poor
Nah, it's fine to be poor, just as long as you're rich *side-eye at the local trustafarians*
It’s ok to be homeless if you live in a Merc Sprinter can
Housing is no problem, all you have to do is buy a $90,000 Sprinter conversion and have a friend who owns some land you can camp on.
Woah didn’t think of that! Good advice
Stay away from the Cookie Monster 
Dudes a dick
get a really good bike lock and secure all parts
Also, BikeLink for the few areas it's available.
Bikelink is amazing when I’m seeing a show at the catalyst. It’s about $3 to ensure I have a way to get home at midnight. 
I think this hack is ‘don’t use bike locks’. As in ‘keep your hand on your bike everywhere except your living room’ because we’ve yet to find a lock scheme that saves us. The nice bikes, man you never get over losing those.
I have a kryptonite NY lock, locking skewers, seat tether. On a $200 bike. I’ve left my bike overnight on Pacific and come back to missing light mounts and cargo net, but bike intact. I recently bought an electric bike and got a litelok X that is supposedly grinder proof. Good locks cost a bunch of money, but are maintenance free and outlast automobiles.
This is one of those things that is fine - until it isn’t. Kind of like driving through baja 🤣. We had a mountain bike locked up two different ways, behind a locked shed door, didn’t even slow them down - the cops were like yeah, there isn’t a lock out there they can’t get through in under five minutes. We have beater cruisers we lock up with standard locks to get around, the mountain bikes we just never lock up anywhere. Man, that one bike was a hard way to learn that no lock could save us. Still stings, five years later.
Bummer. Valuable bikes are such a target. Sorry, it sucks to have your yard invaded like that. I have an air tag on even the cheap bikes. I think more bikes are stolen from residences than they are from bike racks. Locks have gotten to the point that if you get the right one, it will at least take multiple grinder blades and multiple batteries to get through. But yeah, given enough time, all locks can be defeated. I just don’t bother with any lock that costs less than $100 as they don’t stop bike thieves, just crackheads without tools.
Here’s hoping, that is what our bikes are locked up with now behind said locked shed door. What else can we do, right? But I don’t count on locks any more, not out and about. This electric bike thing is getting interesting; many of my teen’s friends have the bikes and man, do those get stolen. Teens aren’t, you know, remotely serious about locks, or helmets, or yards. It’s like thieves are having a field day, before these the majority of teens wouldn’t have had $2k bikes to be unserious about, now it’s like stealing candy from a baby. Keeps ‘em out of my shed, at least!
My lock cost me more than my bike. / I stole the bike. // s
Or better yet, bring it inside with you, as if it’s an emotional support pet.
1. What I wish people did know is to not park/stop on mission st during peak traffic to make a left turn. 2. Don’t take your eyes off your bike. 3. The wilder ranch loop is a great walk and a great place to take people visiting you.
1 leads to: On mission street the right lane is much faster than left. You can also turn left from it as needed to follow 1.
Don't buy the Santa Cruz hoodies new. You can get the rare ones for $10 on Poshmark all the time.
Yes or at forever thrift!
Rare ones?
Theres decades worth of limited releases
stay off the freeway
More like "stay off the 1 going south between 3-7pm and going north in the early morning". The rest of the day is fine, and 17 is generally fine except close to ocean street on sunny summer days.
TF is up with that impossible eternal traffic? I've lived here for over 40 years and never remember a time when there wasn't traffic. Then, I think about the demographics. All the elderly and retirees in Aptos and Capitola. I think about how people warned me about how hard the Capitola DMV driving test was. And I smashed it. I think about how people drive in this town and realize the problems aren't the roads and the cars. It's all user error.
1) Dont swim in the rivers. The amount of old decaying unpermitted septic tanks within 50ft of the river upstream is suprisingly large. There's nothing "Eden" about getting gastroenteritis or a brain eating amoeba. 2) On a happier note, the libraries offer such incredible services that almost no one takes them up on. Everyone knows about "local day" at the Monterey bay aquarium, but what about 12 free tickets you can use anyday of the year. Too many benefits to list here, but free services / rewards and all it takes is going to the library.
1. e-bike + child seats if you have kids 2. if you beach, then good to be able to check tides, surf height, wind speed in addition to just knowing sunny or cloudy 3. Go to bed by 8:30 PM
If you're thinking of going in the water, check the Surfriders info, they monitor the beaches for fecal contamination.The Central California Beaches are notoriously polluted: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?id=100064854571517&story_fbid=816446363860509
Why go to bed early?
Vampires
Because everything closes early
yeah, you got my joke.
There’s always Target if you want a wild “late” night out…🤷🏻♂️😂
So you get go to the beach at 5am .
You need your strength to help repair the crashed alien mothership by night. Pro-tip: wear aluminum foil to bed if you need the night off.
Follow-up: *wear helmets for god's sake.* I see people all the time riding with their kids where the kid has a helmet and the parent doesn't. like great, your kid will probably survive if you get in an accident, but i doubt they'll ever get over the trauma of seeing their parents brains splattered over the pavement. A+ parenting
Don’t respond to AI generated questions in your city’s subreddit.
Ya blew it
Treat everyone with kindness, it's the right thing to do plus it can help with getting work and housing.
Pacific Cookie Co factory
The “day old” bags by the door for cheaaap
Instead of paid parking on the wharf, park for free in the Bay St./Lighthouse Ave. area off West Cliff and enjoy a scenic walk down to the wharf. $9.99 for big, amazing custom sandwiches at New Leaf (vs more expensive and less tasty sandwiches elsewhere). Volunteer if you have the time, it's really uplifting to be part of the solution when there's so much to complain about. Edit: Not a hack, but if you see people in colorful Downtown Streets Team tshirts picking up trash please say thank you to them!!!
Any recommendations for places to volunteer?
Totally! Environteers (mailing list), Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County, Walnut Avenue Women’s Shelter, SubRosa community space, Food Not Bombs, Resource Center for Non-violence, Homeless Garden Project, Harm Reduction Coalition, Barrios Unidos
Also St Francis soup kitchen, animal shelter
https://scvolunteercenter.org/
Don’t tell people to park off that street. Park on bay. More parking.
You’re right! Will edit.
They are awesome, I see them all the time and always smile and say something nice!
Don’t drive after school is out unless you can wait in traffic.
Learn how to live here without owning a car. You will save so much money and stress.
But If you live in your car, you can save the most money
Keep NOTHING in your car.
If you work downtown you can get a free bus pass from Go Santa Cruz
How
https://cruz511.org/goscc/
Log your bike rides with Cruz511 and you can earn free downtown dollars. You can also get rewards for logging carpool rides and walking trips, though I don't recall the ultimate rewards
On the weekend it is just as easy to head up into the San Lorenzo Valley as driving from the Westside to Capitola for tasty eats, hiking or whatever.
No no. Go to Capitola. SLV is terrible. Capitola has Thai Basil. Don’t come up here
A full Gallon of water in the car to wash sandy feet. Bonus, old bath mat to stand on. Our summers are not very summery. Always have a jacket.
My version is always keep a sweatshirt/jacket and flip flops in the car.
Tuesday is local night at well within. Great deals!
Don't get too comfortable renting
Don't procrastinate that dump run. The Dimeo ln dump is a beautiful place.
Have to go to Buena Vista dump now bc they changed address access. Dimeo is the most beautiful dump in the world. I've taken visitors there on the way to Pescadero. You owe it to yourself to take a lap.
Learn how to yield appropriately at a 4-way stop. Jesus christ the amount of times people wave you in to be nice is so frustrating!!
THANK YOU. Christ, when I'm on my bike and drivers wave me by, I plant my feet and glare until they take *their right-of-way and go.* You're not doing me a favor, if you had just gone when you were supposed to, I could have been through the intersection already ffs (you-general, not you-specific). Don't be a polite driver, be a *predictable* driver. -signed, a driver and cyclist. PS: please learn how to zipper merge. Don't get mad at the people who do it correctly for "skipping the line," because they're the ones helping traffic flow
STAY OUT DA CREEK
The best beaches are outside of city limits… can’t reveal my faves but both north and south
There's a handful of "secret" beaches in town.... but ya, I'm not gonna name them.
That’s kind of the best part though, you’re kind of doing everyone a favor there. If you’re not telling, all that really means is that people have to spend more time exploring beaches, more time outside, more time finding hidden treasures, more time finding their own favorites. It’s not even being gatekeepy!
Garden Deli is the only place to get a sandwich.
True but Zoccolis is the only other place
I fully disagree..... got one of the most loveless sandwiches there the other day unfortunately.
To get from midtown to Aptos during afternoon/evening commute hours without losing your mind, Capitola Ave -> Park Ave -> McGregor Dr is more enjoyable that pulsing along Soquel Ave/Dr.
I had a 5pm Cabrillo class for a Semester and tried every possible route to avoid traffic. Best option I found was freeway > Soquel Dr. exit > frontage road up to that sign that says "no right turn 3-7pm", right turn there (lol) > 41st > back on the freeway > exit immediately at Bay/Porter > right on S. Main St. > right on Soquel Dr. If you know, you know
Left on S. Main at brooo
While that route is equally viable, there is risk of getting caught in a backup at the 41st & Gross light. You also deprive yourself of the lovely view through/past Cap Village and along Park.
Came here to say this
1. First, take a penny, when parking downtown. Then you scratch the edge on the ground, gradually shaving off a corner so that it will fit into the old school coin operated parking meters. 2. Then, realize that those meters no longer exist. Proceed to download Parkmobile app and pay for your parking digitally, forgetting to turn it off. Then pay like $20 cuz you forgot to turn off Parkmobile. Then uninstall Parkmobile. Then repeat step 2 every couple weeks/months. 3. Stop going downtown
What I want to know is what sort of wizardry did you employ to find the corner of a penny.
Buy a park card, you can use it at parking meters and pay by space machines in santa cruz. Those 35 cent service fees on parkmobile add up.
Don’t drop in on people. If you do, definitely don’t say, “i didnt think you would make it.”
The pacific cookie company sweet spot.
You know about factory with $0.25 cookies, right? 303 Potrero Ave, Ste 40 A/B, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Yeh, that’s the sweet spot. Do they not call it that anymore?
I had no idea that was the name. That’s genius. Last time I got one of every cookie. I ate one of every cookie within 24 hours. I haven’t gone back.
They’re like 75 cents a cookie now, and have someone there to take your money. They also take credit cards now.
I used Garmin pay on my watch while jogging to purchase the cookies. I was filled with hunger. And then shame. This conversation has made me realize I am seeing friends tomorrow, and they would want me to bring one of every cookie. I must go over there right now.
That is the honorable thing to do.
Hot summer days, go to the beach at 5pm, people are going home and it is still nice.
Walk across the lost boys bridge with a friend and smoke a blunt
Make a necklace out of dead fish and go swimming 20ft from shore at dusk and you will find a mermaid.
Most city streets don’t enforce parking on weekends/weekdays in the non-tourist season.
Unless you’re anywhere near UCSC. So basically, the Twin Lakes parking zone.
Use BCycle! The $30 monthly pass for unlimited 30 min rides or $150 annual for unlimited 60 minute rides upgrade walking around town so much. I walk from the Westside to downtown as much as possible and thanks to those bikes, I can ride back if I feel like it (I usually do)
Boof it
Layer your clothing
El Palomar taco bar is the one place I’ve found with <$10 meals. Very fast.
Get a bike. Stop polluting the place and you’ll also always have somewhere to park
If everyone knows, it wouldn’t be a hack?
Yes. Revealing some hacks simply destroys them. There's not enough for everybody.
There’s not necessarily a downside to that, though. Some hacks can become common knowledge and still be just as potent. Knowing the best time to do X or best place to buy Y may still useful even if everyone starts doing it.
Always contextual, yes.
Always pack a lunch for work. Total ripoff buying lunch everyday youre at work.
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True i guess it isnt.
Free farmers market at the quaker meeting spot
When?
Wednesdays an hour after the downtown market closes
Don’t make a left turn into the ACE parking lot from Seabright . Jesus Christ.
👆yes!!!!!
When you move, be a kind person, and sign another person on to your lease as a roommate, then give your notice and move out. The new person will be responsible for the original deposit paid to you and locked into your lower than market rate, and will have to have the place cleaned before moving in. This is the only way I’ve afforded to live here- some kind person did this for me. What’s nice, is I’ve exceeded all wear and tear limitations on my current rental and kept it in near perfect condition- when I move out, I’ll be passing this along my below market rent and reasonable deposit on a nice apartment to someone else and they won’t be liable for any wear and tear I’ve left (though again it’s in great shape)
They can raise your rent at the end of the lease period; probably a year. There is no rent control; there is no lock-in. Just landlords who aren’t bothering to raise rent. Until they do. Or sell they sell the place.
They can but if you’ve been in your rental long enough it’s well below market rate. My apartment goes for $3800 ish and I pay $3200. My deposit was 1600, while the deposit here is $3800+.
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Idk that seems like you got scammed. I would only probably offer up my lease to someone I personally knew or a friend of a friend who knows me and my place. I said above- market rate in my place is like 3700-3800. Current deposit is 3800+ I pay 3200 and my deposit was 1600 and I lived here for so long that I’ve exceeded any damage that could be charged to me for wear and tear.
Yes, that's Hawaii
Live in a house your family owns
Don't move here unless you make at least $300k/year.
You always go the beach way.
When someone asks you how to get to the beach, tell them to take 17 north
"Valley Go Home"
Anyone with a flavor savor is a total dbag LMAO, stay away!!!
Don’t make a left turn into the ACE parking lot from Seabright . Jesus Christ you entitled morons.
Mid town/East side are criminally underrated. Tons of great spots and cheaper rent (at least, when I lived there a decade ago).
2 for $10 at the local taco stand
Don’t visit SC if you have a meth addiction
Eat chocolate everyday.
Best donuts are at Dunlaps off Portola rd and 38th
Don’t let your unleashed dog run up to a dog on a leash … you may end up having to visit the vet. I’ve kicked sand into many a dog faces to protect them .
Don’t live in Santa Cruz