Santa Cruz'in, part 2

Santa Cruz is known for being a "hippie town" and it is home of University of California Santa Cruz--the mascot of which is a Banana Slug.  Most people know this because of Pulp Fiction.  We went up to the campus and they sell a lot of banana slug merch at the bookstore.  They are certainly proud of it.

Linda R. Chen © 1994 Miramax Films

But it is a sleepy resort town and a college town all rolled into one.  They have many of the comforts of home: a Whole Foods, a Farmers Market, cool restaurants (Cafe Brasil--the banana pancakes are to die for) and water views.  They also have a wharf that you can drive out on to that has shops and restaurants.  

Under the wharf, many sea lions congregate on the beams and pilings that support that structure.  There are openings so you can see them.  Sidney loved looking at them and laughing at the noises they made.

This is adjacent to a large amusement park with a wooden roller coaster and other carnival type rides.  (None of which I went on at 17 weeks pregnant.)  I also saw a type of Brazillian beach volleyball called Footvolley where you can only hit the ball with part of the body you use in soccer--so feet, head, chest.   It looked so hard but very cool.

The seafood & chowder I was able to sample did not blow me out of the water but perhaps we weren't eating at the right places.  At any rate, it was a lovely trip and great that we were able to spend time with family we normally see on the East Coast.  This time for travel we took Southwest Airlines which was okay but it showed Ken and I that we have hit our limit of being able to travel only with one child.  This time we each had our own suitcase and we took Sidney's carseat so all of our hands were full.  We couldn't take one thing more so I think traveling with two kids via plane (in the short term) will be a non-starter unless we have porters and nannies with us--which is pretty much a 0% chance.

We will enjoy what traveling we have left before Intruder-us arrives.