We are taking advantage of the summer and bopping along the Bay Area, doing everything you can possibly do within a 150 mile radius of San Francisco. Check out this itinerary that Angie Picardo from NerdWallet put together as inspiration for this trip. Below is what we ended up conquering.
What to Do in Santa Cruz
Friday
Checked in to the Beach Street Inn, which happened to have a room open up when I called them. Not that expensive and centrally-located by the Boardwalk.
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Strolled along the pier on our way to Stagnaro Bros for dinner. Unremarkable. I wouldn’t recommend it, although a lot of locals said they loved it. Beware the tourist restaurant traps.
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We were like teenagers on a date, walking up and down the Boardwalk, riding roller coasters, and happened upon Cracker live in concert. We had an upper-level unobstructed view for free. What luck!
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Saturday
Hiking at Henry Cowell Redwood State Park. We were so happy to find this swimming hole! Swimming holes are the ultimate sign of summer!
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We topped off our day in the sun by wine tasting at Hallcrest Vineyards. So good! We finished the night having dinner at 515 Kitchen & Cocktails which was surprisingly good, but I didn’t get any pictures from dinner. I say surprisingly because living in SF, you get spoiled eating damn good food. So when you go anywhere else, you tend to be disappointed.
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Sunday
We went to mass for the first time since the miscarriage, so yeah, kind of a big deal for us. We went to Holy Cross, formerly Mission Santa Cruz. The pastor, hailing from Brooklyn, was excellent. Totally hilarious and had a good message about bringing God into our daily lives. At the end of the day, take 3 minutes to think of the following: 1) What happened during the day that you are grateful for? 2) What happened during the day that upset you that you can ask the Lord to help you heal? 3) What can you do and think about to make tomorrow your best day? Just 3 minutes!
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After church, we walked all along Natural Bridges State Beach.
Ok, seriously looked like an awesome time for sure and so glad you got to do this. So jealous though, because really looked like so much fun, but saving every last penny right now, so it is more day trips this summer then a real vacation for us!!
Janine, we’re in a similar boat. Dean has a new job so he has zero vacation days which means it’s just small, local trips for us.
Looks like a great trip and I love the 3 things / 3 minutes at the end of the day idea!
Yes, Michelle, we are taking advantage of local trips since we can’t travel too far away. Hope you’ve had a fun weekend as well.
Love the boardwalk pictures…looks like so much fun! 🙂 Glad you had a nice getaway, and I definitely like the 3 things/3 minutes idea! 🙂
We are having such a fun summer. Hope you are as well!
We will definitely put Santa Cruz on our list of places to visit in California. The picture of Natural Bridges State Beach is gorgeous!
Yes Mo, Santa Cruz is a perfect weekend getaway.
Love all the pictures, I would love to visit, I have never been to California, let alone out west. It looks so beautiful. 🙂
Thank you Kathryn for browsing the pics! Following you on Bloglovin.