Central Coast - California - page 1127

northwest of Santa Cruz on Hwy 1. On weekends between mid-March and mid-December,
you can usually ride Santa Cruz Metro ( 831-425-8600; www.scmtd.com ) bus 35A up to
Big Basin in the morning and get picked up by bus 40 at the beach in the afternoon.

Capitola

Six miles east of Santa Cruz, the diminutive beach town of Capitola nestles quaintly
between ocean bluffs. Show up for mid-September's Capitola Art & Wine Festival , or
the famous Begonia Festival ( www.begoniafestival.com ) , held over Labor Day weekend,
with a flotilla of floral floats along Soquel Creek.
By the beach, downtown is laid out for strolling, where cutesy shops and touristy res-
taurants inhabit seaside houses. Drop by family-friendly Capitola Beach Company (
MAP GOOGLE MAP ;

831-462-5222; www.capitolabeachcompany.com ; 131 Monterey Ave;

10am-6pm; ) or Capitola Surf & Paddle ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 831-435-6503;

www.capitolasurfandpaddle.com ; 208 San Jose Ave; 10am-6pm) to rent water-sports gear or, if

you book ahead, take surfing and SUP lessons.
Catch an organic, fair-trade java buzz at Mr Toots Coffeehouse ( MAP GOOGLE MAP ;
www.tootscoffee.com ; 2nd fl, 231 Esplanade; 7am-10pm; ) , which has an art gallery, live
music and ocean-view deck. Head inland to Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria ( MAP
GOOGLE MAP ; www.gaylesbakery.com ; 504 Bay Ave; dishes $4-10; 6:30am-8:30pm; ) , which
has a deli for assembling beach picnics. A few miles farther east in Aptos, Aptos St BBQ
( www.aptosstbbq.com ; 8059 Aptos St, Aptos; mains $5-23; 11:30am-9pm) pairs smoked tri-tip
beef and pulled pork with California craft beers on tap and live music nightly.
The Capitola Chamber of Commerce ( GOOGLE MAP ; 800-474-6522;
www.capitolachamber.com ; 716g Capitola Ave; 10am-4pm) offers travel tips. Driving down-
town can be a nightmare in summer and on weekends; use the parking lot behind City
Hall, off Capitola Ave by Riverview Dr.

Moss Landing & Elkhorn Slough

Hwy 1 swings back toward the coast at Moss Landing, just south of the Santa Cruz County
line, almost 20 miles north of Monterey. From the working fishing harbor, Sanctuary
Cruises ( GOOGLE MAP ;

831-917-1042; www.sanctuarycruises.com ; 7881 Sandholdt Rd; adult/

child 12yr & under $50/40; ) operates whale-watching and dolphin-spotting cruises year-