Santa Cruz, CA

Pictures by QT Luong

[1 : Overview][2 : West and Wharf] [3 : Beach Boarwalk and East] [All]

Santa Cruz is a relaxed college town, where a great deal of the counterculture that used to flourish in Berkeley has moved. It is also a beach resort town, and claims some of the best surf in California. It was there that the neoprene wet suit was invented. On week-ends, it sometimes looks like the entire town is in the water. The rest can be seen strolling the oldest amusement park in the West, complete with a 1924 wooden rollercaster, or enjoying the beaches. Natural Bridges State Beach is a prime resting spot for monarch butterflies migrating to Mexico. They are best seen in the morning, densely cluttered in Eucalyptus groves, before they take off for the day.

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