Santa Cruz

A friend who moves frequently with his family told us that to make our relo easier, we should make a list of the things we'll miss about Los Angeles and then go and find their "replacements" in our new locale.

Santa Cruz is astonishing. Not only does the place itself provide the beach we lost -- the boardwalk of Santa Monica, the cafes of Manhattan, the beauty of La Jolla and perhaps even Malibu in some parts -- the journey to get there is also mysterious and suspenseful, the mountain scenery unfolding before you as you wind down the 17 South from the 280 giving you the sense that the world is much larger than you are or will ever be, and there is deference.

On a whim yesterday morning, we drove the route -- less than an hour from here -- and started our day at the Beach Boardwalk. Rides and food carts don't open until noon, so we had an hour to get our bearings and the kids were thrilled. An empty boardwalk with full view of the kiddie rides, funhouses and series of roller coasters hanging overhead made them start running in circles like excited dogs do for the entire gap of time between our arrival and the opening. We bought a $20 points card -- double points that day -- so 40 points total, and most of the little-kid rides are 3 points per child. Forty points was plenty for a morning on race cars, helicopters, the swing.

From there we drove along the coast over to Natural Bridges beach then up to Delaware Blvd. in search of lunch. We found Kelly's French Bakery at 402 Ingalls, in a shopping complex of converted industrial warehouses that now houses a brewery, wine-tasting rooms, several chic boutiques, and Kellys. Another stroke of luck on a drive-by: kid-friendly and delicious, with a counter full of French pastries, quiches and fresh bread in addition to a full menu, with plenty of seating inside and out, great for noisy four-year-olds.

But the highlight of the day was what we did next: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. It looked fairly close on the map, so I suggested we drive up and see how big the trees were. Santa Cruz, like I said, is astonishing, because just 5 miles from the beach, you're breaking into wilderness. The entrance to the park is next to a 1-mile loop through some of the most incredibly beautiful, majestic scenery my kids have ever seen -- redwoods as tall as 300 feet just steps from the parking lot, at the edge of deep woods, accessible and close to bathrooms and snacks. This would be quite enough but adjacent to the loop, there is a footpath to another attraction we hadn't heard of: Roaring Camp Railroad.

The history behind Roaring Camp is a combination of practical needs for the logging industry in the 1840s and the growth of a tourist population in the area. As logging threatened the redwoods it was recognized by some that people might actually be willing to travel to see them. So, a grove was preserved, miraculously and train service was established between the beach and the trees in 1875. Roaring Camp itself became a place to preserve steam trains from around California and today several are in use and housed at Roaring Camp, with daily service from Santa Cruz Boardwalk to Roaring Camp/Felton to Bear Mountain. It's incredible to me that this exists.

We arrived too late to take the train yesterday but it will be near the top of our list for the future. We did have the opportunity to romp through the expansive grounds, which include a couple of food and souvenir shops, a covered bridge, a duck pond, a covered wagon, kids' play barn and a BBQ pit.

As we drove home, it became clear that proximity to this area is a big reason to consider living in one of the more southerly towns in the South Bay, like Los Gatos or Saratoga. The shape of the geography forces you to choose between proximity to this, or the City. Today, it feels like a close call.