Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Screaming your head off aboard the Giant Dipper on the beach board-
walk, then learning to surf in
Santa Cruz
.
2
Cruising Hwy 1, where the sky touches the sea, along the rocky coastline
of mystical
Big Sur
.
3
Being mesmerized by aquatic denizens of the 'indoor ocean' at the kid-
friendly
aquarium
in Monterey.
4
Marveling in disbelief at the grandiosity of
Hearst Castle
after meeting the
neighbors: ginormous elephant seals.
5
Hanging loose in college-town
San Luis Obispo
, surrounded by beaches,
vineyards and mountains.
6
Exploring down-to-earth novelist John Steinbeck's blue-collar world in the
agricultural small town of
Salinas
.
ALONG HIGHWAY 1
Anchored by Santa Cruz to the north and Monterey to the south, Monterey Bay teems with
richly varied marine life and is bordered by wild beaches and seaside towns full of charac-
ter and idiosyncratic charm all along its half-moon shore. On the 125-mile stretch south of
the Monterey Peninsula, you'll snake along the unbelievably picturesque Big Sur coast
and past Hearst Castle until Hwy 1 joins Hwy 101 in laid-back San Luis Obispo.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz has marched to its own beat since long before the Beat Generation. It's coun-
terculture central, a touchy-feely, new-agey city famous for its leftie-liberal politics and
live-and-let-live ideology - except when it comes to dogs (rarely allowed off-leash), park-
ing (meters run seven days a week) and Republicans (allegedly shot on sight). It's still cool
to be a hippie or a stoner here (or better yet, both), although some far-out-looking freaks
are just slumming Silicon Valley millionaires and trust-fund babies.
Santa Cruz is a city of madcap fun, with a vibrant but chaotic downtown. On the water-
front is the famous beach boardwalk, and in the hills redwood groves embrace the
University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) campus. Plan to spend at least half a day
