I live in San Jose, California, a city known for many things, but perhaps best known as the Silicon Valley. It's the city Dionne Warwick made famous when she sang that 70's hit: "Do You Know The Way To San Jose?" I've fairly new to this town, so I'm going to devote this entry this time to my hometown, of Santa Cruz, California.
Santa Cruz is a very interesting place. It's about a 40 minute drive from San Jose, and I do the commute there almost everyday on windy Hwy 17 for work each morning. I guess you can say that I still live half of my life there. Santa Cruz is a beautiful beachtown surrounded by majestic redwoods. It's not only known for it's pretty coastline and beaches and famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk, but also for it's liberal political, anti-commericalism, socially conscious views, and it's street performers.
Yes, above is a real saying: KEEP SANTA CRUZ WEIRD....
Growing up, I remember my father driving us to downtown Santa Cruz every Sunday after church. "Let's take a drive down Hippyville!" he would say. There we would see many street performers, often dressed in bright colors, with flowers in their hair, singing and dancing in front of the very famous Cooper House with tamborines. There was also a weird thing to see out there, and whenever a out of town guest would visit, my father would make a point of taking them downtown so they could see the "Hippies." Our guests always left impressed, surprised, and shocked at times of what they saw.
Today, Santa Cruz hasn't changed much. The Cooper House was a victim of the 1989 quake, and it no longer is standing there, but the energy of the place is still there. I recently took my cousin Tania (who is here visiting from Portugal) and I took her on a stroll through the open air mall so she could experience the REAL Santa Cruz--that and a big ice cream sundae at the famous Marini's. Let's just say she saw some weird people, but left very impressed. "You are right, Julie. This place is weird, but I love it!"
Me too, Tania, me too!
5 comments:
Oh i would love it too..i would want to go watch and experience something so unique and fun! I like reading about where you live!
hugs, lisa
Weird can be good, where do i sign up? -Kelly http://journals.aol.com/pixiedustnme/Inmyopinion/entries/2006/08/26/where-i-live/1370
Very cool!!!
be well,
Dawn
Sounds like a great people watching place...I love to people watch and make up stories about what I think their lives are like. I hope no one is watching me!
SOLD! That was what you were trying to do right, sell us on your hometown, because that's what you did. It really is a place i'd like to visit one day.
Shermeen xx
http://journals.aol.co.uk/shermeen0621/PublicThoughts/
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