The first time I went to the Crepe Place was in 2009 to see Canadian heavy psych-rock outfit Black Mountain. A buddy and I got there early so we could have dinner first. Before we sat down, I took a self-guided tour. โSomething is missing,โ I thought. I didnโt see anything that resembled a stage anywhereโnot even a tiny platform tucked away in a corner.ย
โYeah, the bands usually just play against the back wall,โ my friend, who had seen shows there before, explained. It was challenging to imagine Black Mountainโs wall of sound unleashed within the confines of the Crepe Placeโthey had sold out the Fillmore a few nights before and had a growing fanbase. The capacity, which maxes out around 100, hit quickly, and the room vibrated in unison with the bandโwe stood face-to-face with the group, synchronized, on the same level. I was hooked.ย
J. Mascis, Father John Misty, Camper Van Beethoven, the Lumineers, Kurt Vile, Imagine Dragons and Real Estate are some of the many acts who have performed the venue over the last 25 years or soโsome multiple times. Even the Crepe Place owner, Chuck Platt, plays bass for a popular Santa Cruz punk group, Good Riddance. Along with a variety of innovative thin pancake concoctions like Crepe Gatsby (chicken with red pesto) and Banana Rama (Nutella-smothered bananas and vanilla ice cream) and a thoughtful craft cocktail program, musicโand the people, including staffโseem to be the Crepe Placeโs keys to surviving 50 years. When Mat Weir delved into the Crepe Placeโs history, he was inundated with informationโwhen something so adored has been around for 50 years, itโs bound to amass many stories and memories.
The bottom lineโand Weirโs conclusion, if you want to call it that, is that there is no one reason for the Crepe Placeโs ongoing success. โBringing crepes to Santa Cruz? A local watering hole where youโre almost guaranteed to walk in and see a buddy or make a new friend? An intimate music venue with national headliners?โ Weir writes with a rhetorical tone. The real question: Could you imagine Santa Cruz without the Crepe Place? I know I couldnโt.
In non-crepe-related news, Santa Cruz Burger Week giveaways are in full swing! Itโs as simple as visiting the @santacruzrestaurantweek Facebook page and commenting on the dayโs featured burger spot(s). If you comment, you could win a gift card. There are many tasty burgers to try throughout Santa Cruz County. Visit SCBW today and start working your way down the list.
Adam Joseph | Interim Editor
PHOTO CONTEST WINNER
Gloves lined at Soquel High pre-spring training. Photograph by Ross Levoy.
Submit to ph****@*******es.sc. Include information (location, etc.) and your name. Photos may be cropped. Preferably, photos should be 4 inches by 4 inches and minimum 250dpi.
GOOD IDEA
Our local libraries have so much to offer. Now we can add backpacks filled with supplies for your next outdoor adventure to the list. California State Parks is partnering with REI Co-op to provide backpacks that will be available to library card holders that check out a California State Library Parks Pass. Backpacks will contain binoculars, a hand lens, a compass, various guidebooks and more. parks.ca.gov/30806
GOOD WORK
On Wednesday, Feb. 15, one of our favorite listener-supported community radio stations will celebrate an anniversary: KSQD 90.7 FM, fondly known as The Squid, is turning four years old. The birthday will be commemorated with special broadcasts and listener-submitted wishes. During an era of corporate-owned networks, community radio is more important than ever. Submit your shoutout, donate or just tune in at ksqd.org
Santa Cruz Thread has been the downtown hub of organic body care since 2013. Their growing clientele are in for a real treat as they blossom into establishing a next-level presence on Fair Avenue, on the upper Westside. Established team estheticians, paired with the intimate business management of owner Karissa Cates, have made Santa Cruz Thread a five-star salon.
It only took me 30 years to find my way into an actual salon. At the time, I had just branched off into my own business as an independent marine service contractor focusing on small engine mechanics and custom boat lettering. I had particularly avoided such pampered treatment as an industrious single mother with a low-maintenance surfer-girl persona. I was curious and slightly desperate to try out the famed fad of eyebrow threading and bikini waxing. As a working woman with more engine grease on my fingers than jewelry, self-care was getting out of my weathered hands. I have returned to the sanctuary of body care through Santa Cruz Thread. Throughout the last decade, I have periodically sought my California endless summer Brazilian wax or cleaned up my brows, underarms and wild-mane hairline. I see the same women, not only Karissa, who is always a quick response to fit me in or pair treatment areas, but also her sister-like staff. It sounds so cliche to say, โweโve laughed, weโve cried,โ but it couldnโt be closer to the whole truth.
As a committed patron, I had heard the discussions of their goals for relocation. Their Front Street main entrance had been one of several downtown locations impacted by break-ins. Unfortunately, many neighboring businesses have been forced to respond with increasing security. I enthusiastically offered to help contribute artwork to her new space. Months ensued before Karissa secured the Fair Avenue location. I was honored that she approached me, another mom, and fellow businesswoman as her consultant artist for interior design. After viewing the spacious layout illuminated by coveted natural lighting, right across from New Leaf and just behind Verve, I was absorbing all the warmth and fuzzies I can only Imagine Karissa herself must be feeling as a fully invested business owner. We are delighted to reveal the love and heart that has been invested into bringing Santa Cruz Thread to the Westside.
Liza Star, Local Artist
These letters do not necessarily reflect the views of Good Times.To submit a letter to the editor of Good Times: Letters should be originalsโnot copies of letters sent to other publications. Please include your name and email address to help us verify your submission (email address will not be published). Please be brief. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and to correct factual inaccuracies known to us. Send letters to le*****@*******es.sc
โI was devastated. I thought, โOh my gosh, this is it,โโ Chuck Platt explains with wide eyes. โThen I got calls from some of the employees who have been here 20 plus years, and they all said, โHey Chuck, donโt worry.โ The Crepe Place gets through everything.โ
Heโs sitting in his office above the popular midtown restaurant and music venue, discussing the early days of the 2020 lockdown. It was a dark time for everyone, particularly for new business owners like Platt and his wife, Vanessa. They purchased the Crepe Place two years prior and had the usual new ownership wrinkles smoothed out just as the pandemic hit.
The long-term staff already knew: The Crepe Place would survive. The establishment had already endured a mountain slide, only to move into the Cooper House months before the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake condemned the building. More recently, Chuck was hospitalized in early 2022 after being hit by a car in front of the restaurant. He suffered a broken ankle and collar bone, an injury to his left knee and lacerations to his face and body.
โThings were going so well,โ Vanessa recalls. โThen our cook, Hugo, called and said Chuck had been in an accident.โ
At first, she didnโt believe him, knowing her husbandโs penchant for pranks. When she realized it wasnโt a joke, she rushed to his side. Vanessa, a CPA by trade, mainly works the back end, worried about how the Crepe Place would operate without Chuck. Her worries were quickly eased.
โEveryone offered to help and cover shifts so I didnโt have to go in and could concentrate on making sure he was okay,โ she says.
Once again, the Crepe Place prevailed.
Former Crepe Place bookkeeper Marilyn Sandow at the North Pacific Avenue location more than 40 years ago.
50 YEARS STRONG
February 2023 marks the Crepe Placeโs 50th year, and the spot will deliver 30 days of sweet, savory and sometimes loud surprises. Throughout the month, there will be an array of music from local acts like Kai Killion (Getaway Dogs), Hod & the Helpers and the DJs at Peopleโs Disco, and heavy hitters such as Russ Rankin, Mattson 2 and the Mermen.
Their golden anniversary will also be honored by midtown friends and neighbors, Sante Adarius, who concocted a special anniversary brew, Come Again, canned or on tap.
Chuck also plans on bringing back some classics as specials, including the Tunisian Doughnut, โan old-school, day-one Crepe Place item.โ
โIโve never even had one myself,โ Chuck admits.
Longtime crepers might remember the honey and lemon syrup-soaked wonder, topped with cinnamon, powdered sugar and fruit jam. It was so delicious Good Times even showcased it in 1981.
โBut no matter how full, I can always find room for a Tunisian doughnut,โ Donna Blakemore wrote. She described it as โhuge,โ adding with chagrin, โnow $1 but still worth it.โ
Chef Hugo Diazโwhoโs been there since 1996 and whose father, Antonio, has also worked as a chef at the restaurant since 1989โis excited about the โvery tastyโ treatโs return, despite how long it takes to make.
โYou have to make the dough and then let it self-rise for a whole day,โ Hugo divulges. “But it’s worth it.โ
While the future is sweet, every survival story is about more than perseverance. Drizzled throughout are bonds of love, family and community, and the Crepe Place is no different. Every local has a Crepe Place story or memory, has known or been an employee or all of the above.
โItโs a Santa Cruz restaurant,โ Eric โGiffโ Gifford saysโhe co-owned the spot from 2007 to 2018 with Adam Bergeron. โWe prided ourselves in being a reflection of our communityโwe felt the responsibility to keep the place going strictly from the feedback we would get from our customers.โ
With the wood-centric interior, Zen gardenโSanta Cruzโs โbest kept secret,โ according to longtime bartender Nick Gyorkosโand extensive bar, thereโs not another place that embodies Santa Cruz. Its laid-back atmosphere and kitschy artโfrom the famous โMarihuanaโ poster and Bob Dylan painting to framed comic books and cluttered knick-knacksโmake it a tower of a bygone era.
โItโs always been like a family,โ bartender Dave Pierce says. Heโs been there for 26 of the last 33 years. โWe have the best customers in the world, or at least around here.โ
More than a restaurant. More than a venue. The Crepe Place is a community hub and one of the few remnants of an older, simpler, less expensive time.
In addition to the owners and the art, the employees should be credited for the Crepe Placeโs unexplainable charm. Many of the staff have worked there for yearsโsome for decadesโgenerational employees for generational customers.
โThere was a time when it was almost impossible to get a job here,โ Gyorkos recalls. Heโs worked there for 17 years. โNobody ever left.โ
As rare as it is for restaurants to survive and thrive for 50 years, it’s even rarer to see one that has changed so little. It looks almost the same as when Gary and Marlene Keeley opened the doors in 1973.
The vintage wooden sidewalk cutout of a French gendarmerie nationale is one of the Crepe Placeโs many trademarks. In 2009, Black Mountain performed to a packed houseโthe Sadies (returning on March 1, 2023) opened. The first Crepe Place menu is worthy of a space at the Smithsonian.
AS THE CREPE FLIPS
From the start, the Crepe Place has always been a family establishment. Gary Keeleyโs sister, Sharon, initially told him to open a creperie after a trip to Paris.
โShe fell in love with them,โ he remembers, from his Corralitos home. โShe said it would sell in Santa Cruz, and she was right. There was no other entity selling crepes, and I think most Santa Cruzans had never even heard of them.โ
They opened in a small, one-room buildingโlong since demolishedโon the corner of Ocean Street and Soquel Avenue.
โWe could seat 12 people if they were friends,โ Keeley laughs. โWe had three little tables, and the space was tiny!โ
They called their new restaurant The Seine on The Other Side, combining the previous tenantโs nameโThe Other Sideโwith the French connection.
โWe tried to be French and used words like โFromage,โโ Keeley says, pointing out that the original menu still hangs in the Crepe Placeโs backroom.
โOur customers called us the Crepe Place. So, when we moved near the clocktower on [North Pacific Avenue], thatโs when I changed the name,โ he says before adding with a laugh, โAnd itโs a great name!โ
That was 1974โpresent-day Los Piรฑos locationโwhere they continued to grow for the next 14 years. Keeleyโs daughters worked there, andhis oldest, Lauren, would continue waiting tables for several years, eventually taking over the management aspects of the business. A lot of the menu is the same as it was then.
โ[Lauren] says โby farโ the Special Salsa Crepe was our most popular,โ Keeley says. โShe said, โAfter waiting tables for years and years, I served more Salsa than anything else.โโ
Another favorite wasโand still isโthe Whole Thing: a dessert crepe with chocolate, banana and nuts topped with whipped cream and a scoop of Marianneโs ice cream.
The Crepe Place grew in popularity and size as time passed, eventually taking over the old United Bar spaceโand liquor licenseโnext to its North Pacific Avenue location.
Keeley says the restaurant was always a reflection of the community, more carefree than today.
โWe ran a fairly tight business, but we also had a lot of funโ
Once, a group of people wanted to talk with management about the best way to streak through the business. A naked person did indeed run through the restaurantโSanta Cruz’s hippie days marked a very different era.
โLauren said, โWell okay,โ and gave them a route!โ Keeley laughs.
By the mid-80s, the Keeleys tried a second location on the UC Santa Cruz campus. It never caught on. By 1988, the restaurant was more profitable than it had been in yearsโuntil Christmas Eve that same year.
A landslide had brought the entire face of the bluff behind the building down on the restaurant. Instead of waiting for the inspection, clean-up and rebuilding, the Keeleys rented and renovated a downstairs unit in the famed Cooper Houseโnow Abbott SquareโSanta Cruzโs most popular hangout at the time. They reopened in June 1989. However, four months later, the Loma Prieta Earthquake brought Santa Cruzโs downtown to its knees and took the Cooper House with it. The owner of the Cooper House wouldnโt allow any of his tenants to go in and retrieve anything.โ
Luckily, a city employee found a legal loophole that allowed Keeley back into the building. Because of that, some of the spotโs classic decor, like the Bob Dylan painting, Marihuana movie poster and that iconic policeman sign, were salvaged.
With a lot of help from friends and community membersโseveral locals volunteered their time and labor for freeโthe Crepe Place reopened at its current location in February 1990.
Chicago psych trio Bitchin Bajas recently performed the Crepe Place. The small venue has always been a go-to for up-and-coming rockers, like the now-bigtime Father John Misty, and established performers like the late great Justin Townes Earle. PHOTO: Mat Weir
THE MUSIC NEVER STOPS
When longtime employees Adam Bergeron and Eric Giffordโa part-time employee and Bergeronโs then-roommateโbought the business in 2007, they made two significant changes. First, they extended the bar to the striking shrine it is today. Second, they turned it into the all-ages midtown music venue it has become.
โWhen Adam and Giff came in, the Crepe Place became a really great music venue,โ Germaine Faison says.
Faison worked as a waitress at the restaurant for 23 years and under all three generations of owners. She hung it up in 2020 with the lockdown and her mother’s cancer diagnosis.
โSome nights, there would be a great musician, and Iโd want to go home but would be so glad I stayed,โ Faison says. โAnd then youโd see them on The Tonight Show. So many bands that played were about to blow up.โ
Acts like the smooth-voiced Americana of the White Buffalo, heavy psych rockers Black Mountain and the late Justin Townes Earleโthe troubled, musical genius son of Steve Earle. According to Bergeron, whenever papa Earle played the Rio, he would come by to thank them for treating Justin so well. Often, he would pull up a stool, have a drink and watch a ballgame. It’s a testament to the welcoming warmth of the business and a sentiment shared by many musicians.
โJ. Tillmanโaka Father John Mistyโleft Fleet Foxes and spent a year on what he called a โspirit quest,โโ Bergeron explains. โHe would come and play gigs, but plenty of other nights, he would just come and drink beer.โ
Where else but the Crepe Place can fans pay a reasonable price to stand a foot away from major, national headlining acts like Pixies founding frontman Frank Black or Portugal. The Man or Canadian alt-country rockers the Sadies? โthe Sadies return on March 1.
Meanwhile, the music continues with Platt, bassist for longtime punk outfit Good Riddance. Heโs also in the hardcore supergroup Seized Up, who packed the restaurant for their live debut in December 2019.
Without a stage, greenroom or the ability to host large crowds, the unlikely music venue has become one of the areaโs most endeared.
โMusic made it more of a spot on the map for people who donโt live in Santa Cruz,โ Gyorkos says. โPeople all over the world know the Crepe Place as a music venue.โ
Several employees have played the room with Gyorkosโ different bands, from the six-piece soul revival outfit Harry and the Hitmen to the rootsy, country-folk group Bad Maps. The latter he plays with another beloved Santa Cruz musician and former employee, Dan Potthast, also known as Dan P.
โItโs the best; I love it!โ Potthast exclaims when asked about playing at the restaurant.
Along with Bad Maps and his 10-pieceโnow defunctโroots reggae and ska act, Dan P. & the Bricks, Potthast has performed solo multiple times while he was employed from 2007 until 2020.
A wooden show flier in the shape of a dachshund he hand-painted for his debut solo show still hangs above the doorway to the kitchen. Potthast returns to the restaurant on Feb. 22 with Beast! and Hod & the Helpers.
โI love that feeling of being on the floor, and the crowd is in your face,” Potthast says. “The shows go off!โ
GETTING BATTER ALL THE TIME
In 2017, Bergeron and Gifford were looking for a change. So, when they mentioned their plans to their CPAโVanessa Plattโshe saw a perfect opportunity.
โChuckโs always said he wanted a bar or restaurant where he could throw shows,โ she says. โIt appealed to us because itโs part of Santa Cruz history. People have been coming for years, and those are the stories we hear all the time.โ
Chuck adds, โMy main job is to keep the Crepe Place relevant with the times. And that goes for the menu, without taking away classics.โ
When the Platts took over, they kept many classics like the Turkey Club, Crepe Gatsby and the Whole Thing. Theyโve also added tasty treats to the familiar menu, such as tater tots and cauliflower wings. Chuck, whoโs had a plant-based diet since 1984, worked with Diaz to create vegetarian and vegan versions of every crepe on the menu.
Hungry patrons should also note the unique poutineโa Canadian delicacy of fries and cheese curds drowned in brown gravy (meat or vegetarian)โserved only on Canada Day (July 1) and their Thanksgiving Crepe throughout November. But thatโs not all.
โWe now have gluten-free crepes,โ Chuck proclaims. โWe did several recipes until we liked the taste. Theyโre great!โ
So, after 50 years, what exactly is the Crepe Placeโs legacy? Brining crepes to Santa Cruz? A local watering hole where youโre almost guaranteed to walk in and see a buddy or make a new friend? An intimate music venue with national headliners where local bands get on their feet? A relic of survival no matter what disaster is thrown at it?
The truth is, itโs all of these things and more. After all, what would Santa Cruz be without the Crepe Place?
โThe community in Santa Cruz is really special, and the Crepe Place is one of the top 100 reasons why,โ Bergeron says. โItโs part of Santa Cruz’s history.โ
The 50th Anniversary Brunch happens at the Crepe Place, 1134 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz on Sunday, Feb. 26, 10am-2pm; The โAll Vinyl DJ Partyโ is 3-8pm. Free. thecrepeplace.com
There was something surprisingly familiar about the way UCSC professor of astronomy and astrophysics Brant Robertson described galaxies in our recent interview. Iโd talked with him for two previous stories as the James Webb Space Telescope launched and started sending data back to Earth. But in this particular conversation, a few phrases he used summoned an unexpected nostalgia.
He listed some of the new questions that JWST allows astronomers to ask. โWhatโs the diversity in the population of galaxies at these times?โ and โwhat impact do they have on their surroundings?โ were among them.
I commented that those sounded more like the topics I used to explore as an ecology student than what I would expect to hear in astronomy. He nodded with a smile.
โItโs indeed often called galaxy ecology,โ he said. โGalaxiesโthey live and grow, and they die off, but they do so in the environment of other things.โ
To understand the lives of these faraway galaxiesโnot simply their distance from us or their age, but the details that define themโrequires incredible technical precision and power. Itโs one example of how JWST is changing science, and UCSC researchers are at the forefront.
In part three of our JWST series, UCSC scientists talk about significant discoveries, changes in scientific culture and revelations to come.
TELESCOPEโS-EYE VIEW
After years of delays and uncertainty, the most powerful telescope was launched into space in December 2021. It flew to a predetermined point about a million miles from Earth and successfully unfolded its 21-foot-diameter mirror and tennis court-sized sunshield. In the year since, it spent several months calibrating four main instruments and began sending highly anticipated data back to Earth.
โAlready, Webb has touched on almost every aspect of astronomy,โ UCSC distinguished emeritus professor Garth Illingworth says. It changes how we see everything from the birth of ancient galaxies to planets in our own solar system.
โThe telescope performs better than all the requirements we had on it,โ Illingworth adds. And because of its excellent launch, it has enough fuel to operate for 20 years.
But it hasnโt all been smooth sailing. It took months of calibrating and discussions to tease out the exact sensitivity of each instrument onboard. On top of that, instrument shutdowns delayed observations and threw wrenches in schedules.
At one point in December, the entire telescope shut down, says Illingworth. Booting it back up took two days.
Sometimes the malfunctions come from cosmic rays that pass through the telescope and confuse the electronics. Other times software bugs cause the issues. Either way, the result is a scramble to make up for lost time in the tightly packed observation schedule.
Illingworth is the U.S. lead for the PRIMER program, which studies the formation of some of the earliest galaxies in the universe. Because of the instrument shutdowns, the team had a shorter window to make observations and now must wait until November to fill in the gaps.
โSo, we have a map of a region of the sky with holes in it, which is very frustrating,โ Illingworth says. โBut thatโs just the way it goes.โ
Hiccups aside, he says the excitement of discoveries and seeing the universe in a new way makes it โamazingly funโ to be a scientist.
Three days after the first data was released, Illingworth and colleagues wrote a paper about a puzzling discovery. They had expected to find small, dim galaxies from early in the universe. But โthereโs much more of these than expected, and theyโre much brighter than expected,โ says Illingworth.
Some scientists have suggested that this discovery could point to flaws in our understanding of cosmology and the early universe. Illingworth thinks itโs more likely that we just donโt understand the galaxies’ formation. Others suggest that the galaxies might not be as old or far away as proposed.
โWe shall see,โ Illingworth says.
AT THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE
Light from the earliest galaxies travels billions of light-years across an expanding universe before it reaches our solar system. When it touches our solar system, the wavelengths have stretched into the infrared in a phenomenon called redshift. Infrared light is outside the range we can see, but JWSTโs instruments are designed for it.
One of the instruments, called the near-infrared spectrograph (NIRSpec), works like a prism, spreading out light and allowing researchers to study the individual colors in light from stars and galaxies. This technique, called spectroscopy, helps scientists more accurately measure the distance of galaxies. In November, Robertson and an international team, JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey (JADES), used spectroscopy with four of the oldest-known galaxies. The paper is currently under consideration for peer review.
Two galaxies were known from Hubble Telescope data, and two were newly discovered using JWST.
โThose two turned out to be the two most distant galaxies that we know about,โ says Robertson. Other faraway galaxies have been found, but their distances have not yet been confirmed with spectroscopy.
The distance and timescale are impossible to grasp. The light has traveled for 13.5 billion years before reaching us, meaning these galaxies existed in the universe’s infancy, less than 400 million years after the Big Bang.
These early galaxies behave very differently than our Milky Way. Theyโre around a thousand times smaller in the area but only about a hundred times smaller in mass.
โThe densityโhow much stuff you fit into a small spaceโactually controls the timescale on which things happen,โ says Robertson. โSo, itโs like the clock is running faster in some ways in these galaxies.โ
For example, scientists believe that galaxies form stars about a hundred times quicker relative to their mass than the Milky Way.
To better understand these earliest galaxies, researchers need more examples. With hundreds of hours of assured telescope time in their future, the JADES team expects to have plenty more to study soon.
โWeโre just getting started,โ says Robertson.
THE SEARCH FOR HABITABLE PLANETS
While sensitive enough to see the galaxies at the edge of the visible universe, JWST is also โpowerful enough to see the tiniest molecules in the smallest planets very close to us,โ says UCSC professor of astronomy and astrophysics Natalie Batalha.
Batalha leads the Transiting Exoplanet Community Early Release Science Program. The group, made up of around 300 scientists from around the world, studies the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system.
Most scientists donโt expect JWST to be able to detect life, but learning about exoplanet atmospheres provides a starting point for studying their habitability.
UCSC is at the forefront of this research. The Astrobiology Initiative, directed by Batalha, is an interdisciplinary effort to study the origins and distribution of life in the universe. UCSC also draws visiting astronomers over the summer for the Other Worlds Laboratory (OWL).
When a planet passes in front of its star, some of the starlight filters through the atmosphere before reaching the telescope, Batalha explains. By observing a star before, during and after a planet crosses in front of it, scientists can measure changes in the light. Using spectroscopy, they can then identify molecules in the atmosphere of the planet that absorb light at specific wavelengths.
โWhen you’re trying to observe an exoplanet atmosphere, you’re trying to tease out a small number of photons from the star that have been affected by the atmosphere,โ Batalha says. โAnd for that, you need really, really high precision.โ
In August, the team published findings of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of WASP-39 b, a Saturn-mass planet that orbits a star about 700 light-years from Earth. Data from Hubble had hinted at the presence of CO2; this was the first confirmation of it in an exoplanet atmosphere.
In the same planetary spectrum, the researchers found sulfur dioxide, the same gas responsible for the smell of burnt matches.
โIt was pretty shocking,โ says fourth-year Ph.D. student Nicholas Scarsdale. Scarsdale models the atmospheres of exoplanets and then matches those models to the spectra.
The presence of sulfur dioxide excited scientists because it forms through photochemistryโchemical reactions influenced by light.
โThe ozone in the upper atmosphere that protects us from ultraviolet radiation is actually produced by photochemistry,โ Batalha says.
It means the atmosphere is not in equilibrium. Scarsdale says that so-called disequilibrium processes are widespread in the universe but not as common in models because of their complexity.
โLife is a disequilibrium process,โ he continues. โAt equilibrium, we are dust in the wind.โ
Scarsdale says that photochemistry is particularly interesting; all Earth life relies on it through photosynthesis.
WASP-39 b is a โhot Jupiterโ and not considered habitable, but it can still offer clues about how stars influence their planets’ atmospheres.
โA lot of the planets that we think of as being in the habitable zone have very different stars from our own,โ he says. โSo, understanding what that different light profile does to the chemistry in their atmospheres is really important for understanding whether they’re habitable at all.โ
A STARRY-EYED FUTURE
WASP-39 b is one of three exoplanets the early release science program is studying. The other two are WASP-18 and WASP-43. All three are bigger than the class of planets Batalha and Scarsdale are most excited to study: sub-Neptunes and super-Earths. These planets are ubiquitous in the Milky Way, but we donโt have one in our solar system.
โI want to know if any subset of those planets represents new real estate for the possibility of life,โ says Batalha. Sheโs working with her daughter, NASA astronomer Natasha Batalha, to study those planets and expects to get back the first observations in the next two weeks.
UCSC also led the process of imaging an exoplanet using JWST. Aarynn Carter, a postdoctoral scholar who works with UCSC professor of astronomy and astrobiology Andrew Skemer, spearheaded the data analysis for imaging exoplanet HIP-65426 b.
โIโve spent the last five years preparing for these observations, and seeing them not only succeed but exceed expectations is exhilarating,โ Carter said in a press release. โI think whatโs most exciting is that weโve only just begun.โ
With two decades of spectacular images and discoveries ahead of us, the stars are aligning for a new age of astronomy.
If the surfing world mirrors society, Santa Cruz has the privilege of holding up a beautiful, full-length mirror. The question then becomes: What do we want it to reflect? To care about diversity, representation, inclusion and justice, whether or not weโre surfers ourselves, means to factor in what our lineups look like.
At Troubled Waters, a presentation, Q&A and community discussion about diversity and racism in surfing, surfer/activist/Black Surf Santa Cruz founder Esabella Bonner, Black.Surfers founder Kayiita Johnson, surfer/historian/anthropologist Paul Richardson and artist/activist/Decolonize The Surf creator David Crellin will discuss and examine the history of representation in surfing. The panelists will lead a conversation on ways to help make contemporary surf culture more inclusive and welcoming.
โSurfing offers this perfect lens and opportunity to see certain โisms,โโ Bonner says. โWhether sexism, racism, classism or able-ismโsurfing is a lens into greater systemic issues. Calling out the history, calling out that weโre living in troubled waters, thatโs how we actually dismantle these things and reimagine how things should be.โ
The topic inspired what became the heart of Crellinโs Digital Arts and New Media MFA thesis project at UCSC, which developed into a gallery exhibit and later evolved into Decolonize The Surf. The interactive project reaches broad audiences using a QR-coded stickerโsurfers have been putting them up around breaks statewideโleading to a website thatโs become a movement based on learning about and working to eradicate racism in surfing.
Troubled Waters came about as an extension of conversations that began when Crellin reached out to Bonner, Johnson and Richardson while researching the original Decolonize The Surf project.
โThe work they, and so many others, are doing is urgent and necessary,โ Crellin says. โThey were incredibly generous with their time, knowledge and friendship. As a white artist and activist making a commitment to creating anti-racist work, their insights, inspiration, support and guidance were, and are, invaluable to me.โ
Bonner emphasizes how much the panelistsโ missions are aligned. She founded the organization to โpromote physical, spiritual and communal healing through surfing, recreation, education and advocacy,โ which is aligned with Decolonize The Surf, Black.Surfers and, of course, the event itself.
All originally stem from โtruth-telling and acknowledging that we are living in troubled waters.โ Bonner adds that segregation and separation in the water can be repaired through events and storytelling that recognizes โthe true history and root of the problem and gives us an opportunity to heal together. This comes from being able to acknowledge that we have a problem in the first place.โ
Crellin says that contemporary barriers to ocean access for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) include โshowing up at a community thatโs exclusively white,โ the challenges of getting to the water, put into play by โthe systemsโ and created systemic racism.
For instance, while researching Decolonize The Surf, Crellin learned that a 10-minute bike ride from where he grew up was Bruceโs Beach. This Manhattan Beach resort welcomed Black beachgoers in the early 1900s. In the 1920s, the local government took the resort and finally returned it to the Bruce family in 2022. Crellin offers a quote from artist, activist and academic Lilla Watson to help describe his passion for this work: โIf you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.โ
For Troubled Waters, the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History is offering a collaboration. Director of Exhibitions and Programs, Marla Novo, met with Crellin to discuss ways the permanent surfing exhibition in the History Gallery could be more inclusive.
โCollecting, preserving and sharing storiesโ is the heart of the museumโs mission. They decided to โstart the discussion.โ โThe MAH is honored to host talks like Troubled Waters,โ Novo says. โWe do this by creating spaces for our community to connect, create and share.โ
The MAH has also worked with Bonner and Black Surf Santa Cruz. Crellin hopes the event opens up โa conversation about issues of representation and race in the surfing community, and stimulates an honest, if at times, uncomfortable look at how surfing can be more accountable, on a personal level and in the sport as a whole.โ
He hopes attendees think about the issues and what comes up for them. Crellin suggests attendees ponder questions like, โWhat is it that they don’t know or understand? Where do they feel awkward, challenged or unsure? What do they think surfing needs to do to be more diverse and inclusive? And what might they be prepared to do to help change surfing for the better?โ
Bonner encourages the opportunity to view โthis workโsuch as antiracismโas a verb, something to actually do.โ She hopes the audience arrives โwith an open mind, a curiosity to learn more and intention to act upon the information and do something differently. I hope thatโs the mindset.โ
Crellin also advises researching the organizations working on representation and diversity in surf culture. Black Surf Santa Cruz, Black.Surfers, Brown Girl Surf and Native Like Water, are just a few examples.
โThe information is out there if you look, and itโs a great way to start to learn about it and what you can do to make a difference,โ Crellin says.
Troubled Waters: The Ocean as Contested Space in Surf Culture happens Friday, Feb. 17, 6-7:30pm at the MAH Garden Room, 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. Free (with museum admission). santacruzmah.org
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Aries director Francis Ford Coppola was asked to name the year’s worst movie. The question didn’t interest him, he said. He listed his favorite films, then declared, “Movies are hard to make, so I’d say, all the other ones were fine!” Coppola’s comments remind me of author Dave Eggers’: “Do not dismiss a book until you have written one, and do not dismiss a movie until you have made one and do not dismiss a person until you have met them.” In accordance with astrological omens, Aries, your assignment is to explore and embody these perspectives. Refrain from judging efforts about which you have no personal knowledge. Be as open-minded and generous as you can. Doing so will give you fuller access to half-dormant aspects of your own potentials.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Artist Andy Warhol said, only half in jest, “Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art, and working is art and good business is the best art.” More than any other sign, Tauruses embody this attitude with flare. When you are at your best, you’re not a greedy materialist who places a higher value on money than everything else. Instead, you approach the gathering of necessary resources, including money, as a fun art project that you perform with love and creativity. I invite you to ascend to an even higher octave of this talent.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): You are gliding into the Season of Maximum Volition, Autonomy and Liberty. Now is a favorable time to explore and expand the pleasures of personal sovereignty. You will be at the peak of your power to declare your independence from influences that hinder and limit you. To prepare, try two experiments. 1. Act as if free will is an illusion. It doesnโt exist. There’s no such thing. Then visualize what your destiny would be like. 2. Act as if free will is real. Imagine that in the coming months you can have more of it at your disposal than ever before. What will your destiny be like?
CANCER (June 21-July 22): The ethereal, dreamy side of your nature must continually find ways to express itself beautifully and playfully. And I do mean “continually.” If you’re not always allowing your imagination to roam and romp around in Wonderland, your imagination may lapse into spinning out crabby delusions. Luckily, I don’t think you will have any problems attending to this necessary luxury in the coming weeks. From what I can tell, you will be highly motivated to generate fluidic fun by rambling through fantasy realms. Bonus! I suspect this will generate practical benefits.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Don’t treat your allies or yourself with neglect and insensitivity. For the sake of your mental and physical health, you need to do the exact opposite. Iโm not exaggerating! To enhance your well-being, be almost ridiculously positive. Be vigorously nice and rigorously kind. Bestow blessings and dole out compliments, both to others and yourself. See the best and expect the best in both others and yourself.ย
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Is there a bug in the sanctuary of love? A parasite or saboteur? If so, banish it. Is there a cranky monster grumbling in the basement or attic or closet? Feed that creature chunks of raw cookie dough imbued with a crushed-up valium pill. Do you have a stuffed animal or holy statue to whom you can spill your deep, dark, delicious secrets? If not, get one. Have you been spending quality time rumbling around in your fantasy world in quest of spectacular healings? If not, get busy. Those healings are ready for you to pluck them.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): There’s a weird magic operating in your vicinity these daysโa curious, uncanny kind of luck. So while my counsel here might sound counter-intuitive, I think itโs true. Here are four affirmations to chant regularly: 1. “I will attract and acquire what I want by acting as if I donโt care if I get what I want.” 2. “I will become grounded and relaxed with the help of beautiful messes and rowdy fun.” 3. “My worries and fears will subside as I make fun of them and joke about them.” 4. “I will activate my deeper ambition by giving myself permission to be lazy.”
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): How many people would fight for their country? Below I list the countries where my horoscopes are published and the percentage of their populations ready and willing to take up arms against their nations’ enemies: 11 percent in Japan; Netherlands, 15 percent; Italy, 20 percent; France, 29 percent; Canada, 30 percent; US, 44 percent. So I surmise that Japanese readers are most likely to welcome my advice here, which is threefold: 1. The coming months will be a good time to cultivate your love for your country’s land, people and culture, but not for your country’s government and armed forces. 2. Minimize your aggressiveness unless you invoke it to improve your personal lifeโin which case, pump it up and harness them. 3. Don’t get riled up about vague abstractions and fear-based fantasies. But do wield your constructive militancy in behalf of intimate, practical improvements.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): By the time she was 33, Sagittarian actor Jane Fonda was famous and popular. She had already won many awards, including an Oscar. Then she became an outspoken opponent of America’s war in Vietnam. Some of her less-liberal fans were outraged. For a few years, her success in films waned. Offers didnโt come easily to her. She later explained that while the industry had not completely “blacklisted” her, she had been “greylisted.” Despite the setback, she kept workingโand never diluted her political activism. By the time she was in her forties, her career and reputation had fully recovered. Today, at age 84, she is busy with creative projects. In accordance with astrological rhythms, I propose we make her your role model in the coming months. May she inspire you to be true to your principles even if some people disapprove. Be loyal to what you know is right.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Charles V (1500โ1558) had more than 20 titles, including Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria and Lord of the Netherlands. He was also a patron of the arts and architecture. Once, while visiting the renowned Italian painter Titian to have his portrait done, he did something no monarch had ever done. When Titian dropped his paintbrush on the floor, Charles humbly picked it up and gave it to him. I foresee a different but equally interesting switcheroo in your vicinity during the coming weeks. Maybe you will be aided by a big shot or get a blessing from someone you consider out of your league. Perhaps you will earn a status boost or will benefit from a shift in a hierarchy.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Some people I respect regard the Bible as a great work of literature. I don’t share that view. Like psychologist Valerie Tarico, I believe the so-called good book is filled with “repetition, awkward constructions, inconsistent voice, weak character development, boring tangents and passages where nobody can tell what the writer meant to convey.” I bring this to your attention, Aquarius, because I believe now is a good time to rebel against conventional wisdom, escape from experts’ opinions and formulate your own unique perspectives about pretty much everything. Be like Valerie Tarico and me.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): I suspect that arrivederci and au revoir and sayลnara will overlap with birth cries and welcomes and initiations in the coming days. Are you beginning or ending? Leaving or arriving? Letting go or hanging on? Here’s what I think: You will be beginning and ending; leaving and arriving; letting go and hanging on. That could be confusing, but it could also be fun. The mix of emotions will be rich and soulful.ย
Buzzo Wood Fired Pizza in Soquel, next to popular craft beer destination Beer Thirty Bottle Shop & Pour House, opens as soon as Saturday, Feb. 18, pending final arrangements.ย
One way to know itโs so breathlessly anticipated: When I walked into Beer Thirty to see what rotating taps they are featuring at the moment, two separate staffers almost jumped over the counter when they saw me holding a Buzzo menu.
โIs it open!?โ one beertender shrieked before I realized what she was talking about. โWeโve been waiting sooo long.โ
Buzzo itself looks ready to open any minute, with a welcoming atrium-like dining area, long marble bar, freshly stacked firewood and an imported Italian Mugnaini oven.
The menu is simple but seductive. Eight โappsโ ($5-$22) include house meatballs, crispy green beans, marinated olives and a big antipasto plate. The six pizzas star offerings like pancetta with white sauce, leeks and red onion; potato with bacon, chives and egg yolk; and house sausage with caramelized onions.
The wine list balances between Italy and California, buttressed by a few local craft draft beers.
Manager Miguel Bibriesca is most excited to open the doors once and for all.
โIโm just eager to be open for the community so they can enjoy great pizza, wine and appetizers,โ he says. โThatโs our driving force.โ
ALD REALITY
Iโm grateful for the Good Times reader response to last weekโs Alderwood Pacific story. (Jump over to GTSCโs Facebook for greater detail.) It went like this: How can you celebrate a place after helping expose a racist eventโand mismanagement of it thereafterโat its sister spot? I covered that incident in depth, and remain frustrated by the lack of information furnished by the Santa Cruz Police. (I called SCPD to see if there were any updates and havenโt heard back.) The good news is the former Alderwood employee who took the brunt of the attack, Paul Suniga, is doing good things; check out @masarapthehomie on Instagram for more on his Pare pop-up and his thoughts on the fight. Alderwood chef-partner Jeffrey Wall, meanwhile, is ready to focus on positives. โI donโt think [the incident] is relevant [to Alderwood Pacific],โ Wall says. โItโs time to move on.โ
FUSION FABULOUS
Thereโs more happening at Beer Thirty than craft beer and backyard corn hole. On our visit, Hapa Bros. Food Truck was parked out front to serve its intuitive blend of Southern and Asian foodโthink bulgogi egg rolls, bacon-fried rice and buttermilk fried chicken sandwich on brioche with spicy garlic aioli, soy caramel and kimchi slaw. Though based in San Juan Bautista, Hapa’s Aaron and Jason Ricketts are making more and more adventures in the Santa Cruz area; more via @hapa.bros on Instagram. Meanwhile, Beer Thirty continues to welcome food trucks whenever its food partner Carpoโs is closed (see Beer Thirtyโs Facebook and Instagram for updates).
FLOUR POWER
While San Francisco Beer Week runs through Sunday, Feb. 19, at Santa Cruz area spots like New Bohemia Brewing Co., Lupulo Craft Beer House, Sante Adairius and Humble Sea Brewing Co., another S.F. export beckons. Flour + Water, one of my favorite pizza and pasta houses in San Francisco, has debuted a line of dried pasta, Flour + Water Foods, now available in Whole Foods Market. Itโs certified organic and done with North American Semolina grains, with part of its proceeds directed to implement regenerative agriculture practices.
Smith & Hook Winery has created a classic Bordeaux blend of primarily Merlot, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Winemaker Megan Conatser explains that the Proprietary Red Wine is crafted with fruit from โthree prestigious appellations of the Central Coastโ: Arroyo Seco, San Antonio Valley and Paso Robles.
This โexpressive blendโ has a smooth palate; its intense aromas of red and black berries, plums and dark cherries are underscored by notes of lavender. It is rich with flavors of โdark fruit, bramble berries and a touch of dried eucalyptus, and warm spice on a lingering finish.โ With its balanced structure and deep flavors, this 2020 Proprietary Red Wine Blend drinks like a bottle that costs much more than $25.
Smith & Hook was founded by the Hahn family four decades ago. There are two tasting rooms for you to visit and try their wines: their estate in Soledad and the delightful Carmel Plaza.
Corralitos winery El Vaquero earned two Double Golds in the 2023 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competitionโone for the 2019 Carignane and one for the 2018 Cabernet Franc. Kudos to winemaker Alex Prikazsky.ย
El Vaquero Winery,2901 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville. 831-607-8118; elvaquerowinery.com
Zolina Zerevica was hired as a hostess at Tortilla Flats 27 years ago. Sheโs now the owner and managerโZolina purchased the Soquel restaurant with her mom and stepdad nearly two years ago. She says locals love the place for the same reasons she does; family vibes and the culinary fusion of influencesโthe recipes come from the original owner. Favorites include the Rio Grande carne asada, Baja fish taco and the enchiladas. But Zolina says the sauces set them apartโthere are as many as eight choices, ranging from red pepper to green to mole to yellow aji chili. The chocolate peanut butter pie is the crown jewel of the dessert menu. Customers also rave about the margaritas. Open every day, 11:30am-9pm (Fridays and Saturdays till 9:30pm)โclosed Mondays. GT asked Zolina more about the menu and her path to ownership.
How would you describe the blend of cuisines?
ZOLINA ZEREVICA: All the recipes are from the original owner, and she studied in Mexico, New Mexico and the French Quarter. Some of these recipes include enchilada sauces like our Santa Fe red and green that come from her time down there using Hatch chilis. The Durango sauce exemplifies her French Quarter influence because itโs a light buttery cream sauce traditional to that style of cuisine. You wonโt get these tastes or flavors anywhere else; they are unique to us.
How did you become the owner?
The original owner and I had discussed the possibility for years. When she passed away, her partner took over, and he and I started negotiating my taking over. Then he died suddenly, and we purchased it from his daughter.
Going from server to owner was a complete change in role and responsibility, but Tortilla Flats is my happy place.
SANTA CRUZ โ West Cliff Drive is not a typical neighborhood thoroughfare.
High above the glittering blue waters of Monterey Bay, where surfers and seals bob in the waves, the small two-lane road hugs the surprisingly close edge of the cliffs. On a recent morning, a couple rode a two-seater bicycle along the roadway, soaking in the expansive views of the Pacific Ocean. A group wearing puffer jackets teetered on an impressive outcropping 40 feet above the water to snap a photo.
This 2.7-mile promenade attracts thousands of joggers, sightseers, cyclists and surfers each day. For many who live in Santa Cruz, the corridor feels like an essential part of the
identity of the funky beach city, about 75 miles south of San Francisco and home to 62,000 people.
โItโs so much more than a road,โ said Hilary Bryant, a former mayor of Santa Cruz. โTourists come here and they go to West Cliff Drive โ itโs like our front yard.โ
But the recent high-profile winter storms in California hit the region particularly hard, splitting the Capitola Wharf in half and prompting mudslides that shut down two freeways. Along West Cliff Drive, 20-foot-tall waves dragged chunks of the roadway into the sea, closing parts of the road for at least another six months.
The extensive destruction has forced the city to think about how to adapt to an increasingly eroding coastline as sea levels rise and storms become more violent โ something many Santa Cruz residents had seen as hypothetical or as an issue to be dealt with in the distant future.
โThis was sort of a wake-up call,โ said Gary Griggs, a professor of earth sciences who has taught at the University of California, Santa Cruz, since the 1960s. โIโve never seen this much damage this quickly in my 55 years here. So itโs time to step back and say, โThis is whatโs coming.โโ
A majority of the stateโs coast is lined by cliffs โ and most of them are eroding. According to a study published in September, an average of two inches of Californiaโs coast dribbles into the sea every year, though in some spots, like Eureka, it can be 10 times that amount.
This trend will only increase as oceans rise and storms become more powerful this century. That means many eyes are on Santa Cruz, as it decides how to tackle the problem of West Cliff Drive.
There arenโt any easy solutions. Among the possibilities: further bolster the cliffside with seawalls or boulders to preserve the two-lane road; narrow it to one lane to make room for the retreating coastline; or close it to cars altogether.
No decisions, or even proposals, have been made yet, but the future of West Cliff has dominated chitchat around Santa Cruz lately, said Fran Grayson, who owns Steamer Lane Supply, a cafe on West Cliff Drive overlooking the water.
โPeople are talking about it and stressing about it,โ Grayson told me. Thatโs especially true among the surfers who treasure the breaks off West Cliff that helped make Santa Cruz a worldwide surfing destination.
The damage from the recent storms to West Cliff Drive will cost $13 million to repair, the city manager, Matt Huffaker, said, and without additional steps, the Santa Cruz coastline could sustain as much as $1 billion in erosion and other climate-related damage by the end of the century. โWe canโt simply build back in the same way,โ he said.
As I walked along West Cliff Drive recently, savoring the salty air, pedestrians peered over plastic barriers to get a better look at a spot where the asphalt had crumbled into the sea.
Gretchen Bach, who lives on a stretch of West Cliff that was among the hardest hit by the storms, said the impacts had not been all bad. True, closing one lane of the road has meant fewer parking options for her and her neighbors, but also less car traffic and more breathing room for people on foot.
โPeople stop and talk to each other, thereโs just more space โ itโs like our community meeting place,โ Bach, who works as a real estate agent, told me. โIโd trade that for parking any day.โ
Debates similar to the one around West Cliff Drive are likely to play out across California in the coming decades as the effects of climate change take their toll. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, some 200,000 Californians and almost $17 billion in residential and commercial buildings are at risk from coastal flooding alone. Without intervention, many highways, airports and recreational beaches will be damaged or destroyed.
In Santa Cruz, the reality of coastal erosion and climate change seemed to have sunk in among residents who treasure West Cliff Drive.
โIf we do nothing, at some point, there will be nothing to protect and save,โ Bryant said.
Soumya Karlamangla is a reporter with California Today, The New York Times. Copyright, 2023, The New York TImes
