Santa Cruz is famous for a slower pace of life and those laidback coastal vibes. Drawn by the allure of sandy beaches and surf culture, thousands of visitors arrive each weekend to unwind. Yet, as locals know, there’s no escape from the stress of reality; it rises and falls like coastal fog.
Stress has an upside. It keeps us safe from risky moves. It can be motivating, like the shot in the arm we need to stop procrastinating and get our taxes done.
Which is great when it’s working the way it’s supposed to; rising at the rustle in the hedgerow, falling when we recognize it’s only the neighbor’s cat. But the downside gets real when the anxious feelings linger long after the stressor has passed.
We’re all too familiar with feeling stressed, except when it shows up in ways we may not recognize. A little extra weight around the middle. Hair clinging to the brush. Skin acting up. That afternoon headache that seems to arrive like clockwork.
Often, they’re connected by what stress is doing to your body behind the scenes.
The unbudgeable belly
Under chronic stress (or during menopause), your body produces more cortisol, the hormone that, among other things, signals your system to store fat around the abdomen. It’s an ancient survival mechanism. The problem is, your body doesn’t know the difference between a looming deadline and a famine.
Dieting often backfires.
What tends to work better is counterintuitive: regulate stress first. Regular meals, strength training a few times a week, and calming the nervous system can shift what’s driving the weight gain.
A drain full of hair (2 months later)
Hair loss at any time can feel alarming, especially because it often shows up months after the stress has passed.
There’s a name for it: telogen effluvium. Stress pushes hair follicles into a resting phase, and the shedding comes later, disconnected from the original trigger.
The good news? It’s usually temporary.
Supporting your body with key nutrients such as Vitamin D, zinc, iron and biotin, can help things reset. It’s typically a 3-6 month process, so the hard part is trusting that your body is already on its way back to balance.
Rebel skin
Breakouts. Flare-ups. And skin that just looks… tired.
Stress has a direct line to your skin. It increases inflammation, disrupts the skin barrier, and even alters your gut microbiome, which shows up on your face faster than you’d expect.
You can layer on all the serums you want, but if stress is the driver, topical fixes only go so far.
What often makes a bigger difference? Supporting the gut (think fermented foods and fiber), prioritizing sleep, and even 5-count belly breathing (5 counts in, 5 counts out, moving the abdomen instead of the chest), to counteract a stressful moment.
The “let-down” headache
Here’s another sneaky one: headaches that don’t hit during stress, but after.
You power through a busy day… and then, once things slow down, the headache arrives. That’s because your body has been holding tension, especially in the neck and jaw, and when the stress hormone levels shift, the rebound can trigger pain.
Gentle practices like breathwork, magnesium, or even consciously relaxing your shoulders can interrupt the cycle before it locks in.
Tired, but wired
Feeling exhausted, but unable to truly relax? Chronic stress can flip your natural rhythm. Instead of cortisol being high in the morning (when you need energy) and low at night (when you need rest), it gets scrambled, leaving you wired at bedtime and drained by afternoon.
Fixing this starts in the morning.
Getting outside within 30 minutes of waking, even if it’s just 5-15 minutes, keeping a consistent wake time, and simply lying down without stimulation can help recalibrate your system in powerful ways.
The bigger picture
One of the reasons stress is so tricky is timing. Symptoms don’t always show up right away. Digestive issues can lag by weeks, so we treat the symptom in front of us without realizing the root cause has been building quietly.
And here’s the real takeaway: you can’t out-supplement or out-discipline a stressed nervous system. But when you support it, through simple, consistent rhythms like sleep, light, fiber-rich plant foods, movement, and breath, multiple symptoms often begin to shift at once.
Not overnight. But noticeably.
In a culture that’s always pushing for more, that might be the most radical idea of all:
Sometimes the fix isn’t doing more. It’s finally giving your body a chance to exhale.
Elizabeth Borelli is a local wellness coach, author and workshop teacher. To learn more about the stress relief strategies and her upcoming Thriving Through Menopause Ayurvedic Based Wellness Workshop, visit ElizabethBorelli.com
On Saturday, the marine layer will burn off just in time and Abbott Square in downtown Santa Cruz will be turned over to our youngest residents. Kids Day returns May 2, transforming Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street into a four-hour party of face paint, sidewalk games, garage bands, and with the kind of joy that doesn’t require a credit card. From noon to 4pm families can wander a corridor closed to traffic and open to imagination, where 42 booths offer free activities by design (Be Natural Music starts at 11:30 am.)
Shiri Gradek, Director of Marketing and Events for the Downtown Association of Santa Cruz, says, “We’re always trying to create activations that draw visitors downtown,” Gradek says. “But Kids Day really focuses on families, especially families with younger children, to remind them that downtown is a safe and welcoming place.”
Downtown Santa Cruz, like many downtowns, carries competing narratives: lively and local, but sometimes unpredictable. Kids Day leans hard into the counter-story of an afternoon where the loudest sounds are laughter and beautiful harmonies from teenage bands covering ’90s hits.
Abbott Square General Manager Joey Ward says, “We’ve done Kids Day for years and it keeps growing. The music they play is incredible. Be Natural Music is going to do a three-hour thing, and some of these kids are crazy talented, playing styles that might speak to an older person. This gives them a chance to build their confidence and their own sense of pride.”
Gradek’s job is to build that environment from the ground up. She creates the events, coordinates the moving pieces, and, on days like this, essentially orchestrates a temporary city within the city.
“This is about drawing local families downtown,” she says. “Showing them this is a safe, cool place to be. There are so many businesses that serve children and young families, and Kids Day highlights that.”
Every exhibitor, whether a dance academy, museum, youth program, or local business, is required to offer a free activity or game. That means a child can spend the entire afternoon bouncing from booth to booth without spending a dollar. There’s face painting, hands-on crafts, interactive demos, and plenty of opportunities to try something new without the friction of a price tag.
“If families want to spend money, they can, but it’s important to us that we create spaces like this for everyone, regardless of income.”
That said, businesses are leaning in with Kids Day specials; discounted meals, free treats, and in-store activities that extend the event beyond the street closures. But the heart of the day is on the street, and on the stage.
At Abbott Square, local music school Be Natural Music will take over the stage from 11:30am to 2:30pm, showcasing a lineup of teenage bands assembled and coached through the school’s “garage band” model.
“They curate bands out of students,” Gradek explains. “You’re a drummer, she’s a guitarist, he’s a bassist—and they teach them how to be in a band together.”
Be Natural Music will be followed by Jewel Box, another teen band with local roots. Gradek says their name is inspired by a neighborhood in Capitola, playing from 3 to 4 pm.
Elsewhere, Pacific Avenue becomes its own stage. Pop-up performances—dance, movement, spontaneous bursts of spectacle—appear in the street, closed to cars. If the goal is to remind people what downtown can be, Kids Day might do more than that. It might send families home with a sense that Santa Cruz, with all its contradictions, can still feel like it belongs to them. It does on May 2nd.
About 100 people gathered around the Santa Cruz County Courthouse on the evening of Wednesday, April 22 for the 15th annual Victims Solidarity candlelight vigil in honor of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week. The somber gathering paid tribute to Crime Victims of Santa Cruz County. It comes a week after the California Assembly Public Safety Committee voted unanimously on Assembly Bill 1902 authored by Assemblywoman Gail Pellerin and inspired by the 2015 murder of Madyson Middleton, 8, a case that sent shockwaves through the Santa Cruz community.
“Your presence reflects a shared commitment to this community to victims and survivors,” District Attorney Jeff Rosell said. “We’re here to honor victims of crime, including those who are no longer with us. We are here to make sure their voices are heard and that they are not forgotten.”
Victims include Christopher Carr, who was stabbed to death at a house party in 2001. His sister, Reba Thomas–a 49ers cheerleader and dance graduate from UC Los Angeles–showed a video of her college senior capstone project in which she choreographed a dance dedicated to her brother.
“In many ways I have grown up alongside this community,” said Thomas, 24, who was four years old at the time of her brother’s murder and started attending the Victims Solidarity gatherings at 6 years old.
“This community has shown me love and comfort in the moments when the rest of the world felt extremely scary and unfair,” she continued.
Following Thomas’ speech, 136 names of victims of violent crimes were read, and placards with their photos were handed to loved ones. If nobody was present to receive one, someone from the crowd would do the honor.
Names like Madyson Middleton, who was brutally raped and murdered in 2015 by convicted killer Adrian Jerry “A.J.” Gonzalez, who was 15 at the time.
Middleton’s mother, Laura Jordan, who was present at the vigil with two close friends, is currently campaigning for the California State Senate to pass AB 1902, which would change several key loopholes and gaps in the current law when it comes to juvenile offenders.
The bill is sponsored by Rosell and backed by multiple Santa Cruz County and City authorities, such as Supervisor Kim De Serpa, Santa Cruz Police Chief Bernie Escalante and Watsonville Mayor Kristal Salcido, along with organizations such as the Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center, the Chief Probation Officers of California and the California District Attorneys Association,
When Gonzalez was arrested, he was on a path to be tried in court as an adult due to the heinous nature of the crime. However, in 2018, Senate Bill 1391 was signed into law by then-Governor Jerry Brown. The Bill required that anyone under the age of 16 at the time of the crime should be tried as a juvenile.
Under the law, anyone in the juvenile system is aged out at 25, allowing them to possibly be released. Before his 25th birthday in 2014, the Santa Cruz District Attorney’s Office challenged Gonzalez’s release, leading to a lengthy trial through the early part of 2025, when a jury ruled he was still a threat to the general public and should remain in custody.
Gonzalez is being held in a secure youth treatment facility in Sonoma County Juvenile Hall with other offenders ages 14-24, despite being 26 years old and the nature of his crime against a minor.
Currently, state law holds that in cases like Gonzalez, extension hearings are to be held every two years. This means Gonzalez might be back in court for another possible release next year.
“Each time it’s brought up and I have to go [to court] it’s retraumatizing for my family, my friends and my community,” Jordan told GT at the vigil. “It also traumatized the jury, and I feel for them because I’ve been living with this for 11 years and knew the horrible details, but they did not.”
If signed into law, AB 1902 would change the extension period from two to four years and would clarify custodial jurisdictions. It would also allow hearsay to be admissible at probable cause hearings. The bill also aims to expand rehabilitation centers for incarcerated individuals to state hospitals. Jordan also noted a longer extension period would also mean more time for rehabilitation.
“Jurors came to us and the victim’s relatives came to us to express the horror of having to repeat this process every two years,” Rosell told the Victims Solidarity crowd of AB 1902. “This Assembly Bill is designed to put victims forward to help them so they don’t have to go through the same trauma every two years.”
Shawna Spaulding, who attended Gonzalez’s 2024-2025 trial in support of Jordan, was also at the Victims’ Solidarity vigil. She was holding a sign with a QR Code–along with web addresses JusticeForMaddy.com and SupportAB1902.com– that would take people immediately to an online letter signing campaign so constituents could let their representatives know they support the bill.
Last week Jordan and Spaulding joined Rosell and Pellerin at the state Capitol in Sacramento for the first round of hearings on AB 1902. It was passed unanimously by the committee with one absentee vote.
“[Jordan’s] life was upended, especially in the first five years with setback after setback with 1391,” Spaulding told GT.
“It was the first time in 11 years that I felt my pain and suffering surrounding the legal process–and lack of justice that has happened in this case–was acknowledged of what I’ve been through,” Jordan agreed. “It’s been like a rollercoaster. Every time we move one step forward, we get pulled back, and every change in the law has benefited the defendant, making justice one step further away from us.”
AB 1902 still has five more steps to go before it can reach Governor Newsom. Pending any setbacks, Newsom would have until September 30 to sign it into law.
“The more letter writers the better,” said Spaulding. “Because we need pressure from throughout the whole state.”
Those backing the bill hope it will be one more step in protecting the family and friends of victims like those gathered at the candlelight vigil.
As Rosell told the composed crowd outside the courthouse, “It is an example of victims getting better access to a legal system that, for far too long, they have not been heavily represented in.”
Lou Reed once sang about having kids being the beginning of a great adventure, and as a fairly new parent, I fear I’ve gotten into too many boring patterns.
School, camp, after school, day after day…where’s the great adventure?
I get threatening letters from the school district when I pull him out of class to have mini-educational adventures. I do my best to ignore them, but I feel like I’m somehow failing by not sticking to the routine.
Then, of course, there’s the obligation to earn a living, which is what I’m doing sitting here writing this…But along comes writer Steve Kettmann and his wife, Sarah, and their giant adventure, taking two school-age daughters to Asia for some real education.
His account is a kick in the pants and an inspiration to try something new, a diversion from too much traditional parenting.
My best education was from traveling, and it still is. Why not start sharing that with my kid? Kettmann’s article showed it can be done affordably, despite challenges that might seem monumental sitting here.
Have you traveled with the young ones and what have they learned…and what have you learned?
Other stops to make in this issue:
Traveling with kids might sound like it would be incredibly stressful. So is daily life Wellness columnist Elizabeth Borelli has some warning signs to look for as stress creeps up on you and you probably don’t even realize it. This is a valuable column that will help you immensely.
If you’ve lived over the hill, I’m sorry for you, but one of the things they have over there that we were lacking is great Vietnamese food. Now, we’ve got some, as you’ll read in our Foodie File.
On the news front, Santa Cruzans turned out to support stronger laws for crime victims. Mat Weir covered the gathering in what is an important movement.
This Saturday is one of the best days of the year in Downtown Santa Cruz: Kids Day. There are booths, exhibits, entertainment and some of the most talented kids you’ll see anywhere strutting their stuff on closed-off streets around Abbott Square and Pacific Avenue. If you ever thought Downtown wasn’t kid-friendly enough, this day will change your mind with splendor and amazement (No, AI didn’t write this sentence, but it sounds like something it might have done. All human here, fallible and fun.).
Thanks for reading and have a great week.
Brad Kava | Editor
PHOTO CONTEST
BIG BROTHER Leon the coonhound watches too. Photograph by Eric Stangarone
GOOD IDEA
Bike Santa Cruz County is seeking input on its second annual cycling survey. The survey, available until June 30, invites riders to share their experiences, concerns, and ideas. Participation is encouraged from cyclists who ride every day, hop on an e-bike now and then, bike with their kids, commute to work, or those who simply wish it felt safer to ride more often.
The data will provide insights into what riders are experiencing on the county’s roads; which streets feel unsafe, where are better connections needed, how do people feel about e-bikes, and the coastal rail trail.
As a thank-you, 10 randomly selected survey participants will receive prizes. Find it at bikesantacruzcounty.org/.
GOOD WORK
Capitola’s Bay Bar and Grill did a big benefit for a musician struggling with health issues, Ted Welty. The 4/22 fundraiser garnered $15,000, and more money is still needed. There is a GoFundMe and Venmo for him. Bay Bar’s booker Indy Kim Lynn organized the benefit. Bands included Ryan Price, Otis Coen, John Michael Trio, George T. Zaferes and Richard Wankoff from The Ten O’Clock Lunch Band with Glenn McPherson, Dan Frechette and Laurel Thomsen, Pink Lizards, Pet Roxx Band, Spun (without Ted), and Strange Cafe with John Michael.
Search GOFUNDME/Ted Welty to donate.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The best lack all conviction while the worst are filled with passionate intensity” — WB Yeats
What do you get when you combine one of Santa Cruz’s best-kept culinary secrets with an international award-winning pizzamaker? And you throw in arcade games, pinball machines, live music, milkshakes, beer, wine, and a bonus restaurant?
You get one of the more interesting epicurean concepts in a long time in The Cruz Room (1520 Mission St., Santa Cruz), which soft-opened April 24 in the former Burger.
Cruz Room creator Matisse Selman also directs Extra Kitchen, aka the semi-secret shared prep spaces that make it possible for dozens of local purveyors like Kitchen Witch Bone Brother, Sushi Now Miso Soups and Pure Heart Chocolates to craft their goods for the people. (And whose goodies could start appearing at TCR.)
Selman wanted to conjure something fun and different, borrowing inspiration from his favorite hangout as a Surf City youngster, the now departed Caffe Pergolesi, and found a first-class foundational piece in Sleight of Hand Pizza.
Sleight of Hand, the work of pizzaiolo Justin Wadstein and Liza Corona-Wadstein, has long repped Santa Cruz pizza on the grandest stages, collecting 14 world pizza championships and generally wowing special events and pop-up audiences like those at Humble Sea’s Swift Street location every Monday.
But until now, SOH didn’t have its own place to call home, so that would be a breakthrough on its own. Better yet, it comes complemented by a strong calendar of live performances on the in-room stage, local art, trivia nights and a bank of free arcade and pinball options curated by Selman, who’s also on the hunt for a second restaurant.
“Who’s next?” he asks on Instagram. “Which chef or local food company is going to join us in the Cruz Room? Still looking for a strong company to take over the main kitchen, and another great concept for coffee, ice cream, or desserts up front. Spread the word!”
My colleague and all-around flavor hound Grace St. Clair (@bigbitesc on IG) stopped by this weekend and reports the thin-crust pizza remains some of the best in the game, from the spicy sweet Bees Knees to the Truffle Formaggi to the That’s My Jam with salted watermelon jam, stracciatella, sliced serranos, mozzarella, fresh mint and cotija.
“And just like that, another pizza spot is born!” she says. “Energy is high!”
Hours are 5-11pm daily except Tuesdays. More via @cruzroom831 on IG.
Downtown upgrade
Gran Gelato Caffè (525 Cedar St., Santa Cruz) now offers a dozen flavors of house-made Italian gelato honoring its name—including mouthwatering creations like black cherry panna cotta, Nutella and orange marzipan. Flavor ambassadors Sandro and Luciana Costanza also direct Pizzeria La Bufala in Abbott Square Market, so there’s proven experience in place. On top of sweeter treats, they also do pizza by the slice or pie, panini, salads, pastries, espresso and Italian coffee drinks. St. Clair—the supermom and her taste buds are on the move—reports the prices are fair and the experience tops ice cream. “How lucky are we to have a great gelato spot,” she says. “The texture is so velvety and the flavors really come through.” More @gran_gelato_caffe on Instagram.
Snack packs
I love this: Cowboy Bar & Grill in the Felton Guild (5447 Highway 9) hosts a Baked Bean Social & Secondhand Market featuring household goods and accessories, clothing, books, jewelry, and garden stuff, plus barbecue chicken ‘n’ beans for $8 a plate Saturday, May 2, 11am–5pm for the sale, noon–3pm on the food, feltoncowboy.com…The Chardonnay continues its thematic sailing adventures May 3 with an early Cinco de Mayo float featuring taquitos, street corn, fresh guacamole, salsas, chips and two included drink tickets for $100/adult, $60/kid, chardonnay.com…The best named cafe in the land, Ugly Mug Coffee House (4640 Soquel Drive, Soquel), hosts singer-songwriters Rags Rosenberg and Ginny Mitchell 7-9pm Thursday, May 9, cafeugly.com…Speaking of the ongoing pizza boom—with a side dish of music—Fawn Pizza & Vinyl Bar (783 Rio Del Mar Blvd., Aptos) is now open 4-8pm Wednesday-Sunday, spinning dough and records, fawnpizza.com…Yogi Berra, swing for the fences: “You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”
Daniel Noh has worked at Super Noodle in Capitola since it opened in July 2025. He was passing by and saw a help wanted sign, called, and then clicked with owner/chef Kakvey Torng. Born in Watsonville, Noh is also a videographer for special events and has found a passion for restaurant work, too, finding purpose in providing good food and making people happy.
He describes Super Noodle’s design as clean, open and simple, with elements of minimalism set against mirrored walls. And when it comes to the food, he says he truly enjoys serving and eating it, defining the menu as mostly Vietnamese but with other Asian food favorites as well.
The best-selling signature pho is the traditional beef with usual accompaniments and the white meat chicken pho is also a crowd favorite. The not-too-thick orange curry is another go-to, and they also have pad Thai, chow mein and teriyaki proteins. Appetizers include fresh spring rolls with peanut dipping sauce, potstickers and chicken egg rolls. Beer, wine and boba teas like honeydew and coconut highlight the beverage offerings.
What do you enjoy about being a server?
DANIEL NOH: I like it here because the boss is very kind and supportive and is always positively encouraging me to do a better job every day. And the customers are great too, we get many returning guests and often get really good feedback on our food and service. My favorite thing is probably that that all the food is always eaten, I’ve never had one send-back and the plates are always clean when I take them away. It’s very gratifying because I know we are serving really good food.
Tell me more about your pho.
I never had pho before working here, but the first time I tried it, I fell in love. I eat it pretty much every shift, and I know sometimes restaurant workers get tired of the food they serve, but that hasn’t happened yet for me. I still love pho just as much as the first day I tried it. The guests mostly rave about the broth, they really enjoy it and say it’s the best in town. And the broth really is the foundation, so this is important. Our owner/chef is constantly tasting it to make sure it is perfect.
It was only our second day in Japan, just the second day of our three-month family adventure in Asia late last year, and we were trying to find our way to a subway stop in the Asakusa neighborhood of Tokyo. My wife Sarah hurried on ahead, happy to guess at a route, but our daughters Coco and Anaïs —11 and 9 —waited with me as I asked a nice-looking Japanese woman in her forties to point us in the right direction. Her English was not good, but her heart was.
The woman and I exchanged words, she understood me enough to get that we were looking for the nearest subway stop, and she smiled and pointed and smiled some more and spoke in Japanese. I thought that was all, and thanked her, and started walking away. But with Coco and Anaïs and me in the middle of a wide crosswalk, the nice Japanese woman came running after me and gestured and smiled and urgently tried to convey something to me that I, alas, could not understand. Once again, we parted ways. That had to be the end of it.
Then, half a block later, I heard the sound of a bicycle bearing down hard on me from behind. More out of curiosity than alarm, I turned to take a look and saw this very same nice Japanese woman bearing down on us on her bicycle, briefly bringing to mind scenes from The Wizard of Oz. But she was not there to menace us. She was there to smile and try to help. She had thought about it, after I’d left, and decided she wanted to try one more time to help us on our way. She and Sarah stood together talking for several minutes, all of it mostly pointless, except that the woman was giving of herself in a way that felt wondrous and beautiful and inspiring. We were all smiling, broad smiles.
This was the pattern that repeated itself. People were not just nice; they went far out of their way to help us. My wife Sarah and I did not have a single sweeping reason to take this trip, pulling our daughters out of Live Oak Elementary, enrolling them instead at Ocean Alternative, so that we as a family could take a three-month trip through Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
It was partly about fun, about joy in living, about staying alive to the moment, but Sarah and I also knew that for both of us, travel has been an indispensable ingredient of life, sometimes a catalyst, sometimes a portal, sometimes just a change of pace. We wanted to keep doing what we ourselves loved, and we wanted our daughters to see in travel the same beautiful sense of possibility that we felt.
We were on a mission to eat as much street food as we could, and we did, and also tried things we never even knew people ate—like bee larvae. Overall, this was budget travel, less expensive living than if we stayed home in Santa Cruz, but we did have the occasional splurge meal.
One evening we had dinner at a restaurant called Friendly in the beautiful mountain city of Nikko, Japan, and asked the proprietor when the next bus was going back to our onsen (hot springs) hotel higher up in the mountains. We thanked him and left and walked outside and stood on the wrong side of the street, forgetting that in Japan forward traffic takes the left lane.
The proprietor of Friendly came rushing out the door to smile and tell us we needed to catch a bus on the other side of the street or we’d go the wrong way. Once we were in place at the correct bus stop, he refused to go inside, standing there keeping a gentle, protective eye on us. Only when Sarah and the girls and I had boarded and our bus surged past him, all of us exchanging waves and smiles, did this man head back inside to his restaurant and customers.
Six months later, I look back on moments like those from Japan and the other countries we visited on the trip and am a little shocked at how emotionally vivid they remain for me, as if the experiences had such a quality of being singular and unforgettable that I was freer at the time to live them fully and freer now to pull back the memories and have them envelop me.
RIDING FAR AWAY WAVES The snorkeling on the Cambodian island of Koh Rong Sanloem was good rather than great, but the price was right and the setting magical. Author with his daughter Coco. PHOTO: Contributed
We took our days as they came, giving ourselves room to be spontaneous, and soaked up some of my favorite family time ever, but we also hoped that when the trip came to an end and we were back home, the girls might find themselves fortified by skills and perspectives they did not have when we left.
Our message to our two daughters really boiled down to one imperative: Go live. Go out into the world and explore. Go places where you meet people who open themselves up to you, gentle of heart, gentle of smile, and leave you with a more joyous sense of humanity. We were rewarded a thousandfold.
We bought one-way tickets from SFO to Tokyo Narita and figured we’d wing it from there. If we wanted more time in Tokyo in early October, we’d take more time in Tokyo. If we wanted to take a bullet train and check out a hot-spring place in the mountains, where monkeys came up to the windows in back to stare at us, then we’d do that. If we found food we liked and wanted to eat it again and again, like the black pork on Jeju Island in South Korea, then that was what we would do. This open-ended spirit of the trip helped infuse individual days with a similar extra feeling of flexibility and possibility in the moment. This feeling stayed with us even after we were back home in California. Every day still felt a little more singular, a little more special, a little more memorable.
LEARNING BY DOING Daughter Anais getting a one-on-one lesson on a hand-powered pottery wheel, a wild ferry ride across the Mekong River from Luang Prabang, Laos, where she’d been volunteering, providing day care to Laotian children. PHOTO: Steve Kettmann
I would urge all of you out there, parent or not, to consider trying to shake off a certain lethargy or maybe it’s exhaustion that seems to plague just about all of us in these strange years, grappling with a world hurtling in unpredictable directions, and just go for it in some way. Create memorable, singular experiences, whether it’s a drive down the coast to Big Sur, maybe a meal up the slope at Nepenthe, or a spontaneous trip to L.A. or Portland, or maybe a ride in a train across British Columbia.
It’s a great way to wake up from the half-sleep that tries to claim all of us from feeling fully alive. It’s a great way to check yourself. Sometimes, late at night, when I’m out on I-5 after meetings in LA, trying to drive home, I slap myself in the face, hard, to wake up. Maybe we all need more slaps in the face to wake ourselves up. I’m here to report the reset, which can be achieved through bold experiences of travel, including with kids, matters more than ever in helping overcome the mind-rot of our times.
For three months, from the day the four of us lugged our new backpacks onto a flight to Tokyo, until the girls and I flew home from Ho Chi Minh City, every single day had a quality of fresh discovery, like taking a picture with a Polaroid camera and watching, in slow motion, as it develops in front of your eyes. There were times when we fell into a kind of routine, as if this was our new life, from the weeks in northern Laos volunteering in a day-care center for low-income young Laotian children to our blissful interlude on a small Cambodian island with a very chill beach vibe going on, but even then, our recall was vivid and sharp because so much was happening all the time.
I understand that in our typical day-to-day lives, here in Santa Cruz or wherever, it’s natural to fall into a routine of having limited room for flexibility or spontaneity. Even when people socialize, it seems a loud ticking clock is always metaphorically present. It’s hard simply to insist on pushing down into the moment in a way that brings freedom, freedom to keep a moment going, freedom to change it up.
Many of my favorite moments on the Asia trip with my family had in common the element of unexpected detours. One afternoon in Luang Prabang in northern Laos, we rented bicycles and rode north of town, following the Mekong River, and at about the same time, we all decided we were thirsty. Sarah, riding first, decided that a house up ahead deserved to be explored. So we stopped and went inside and it turned out to be a restaurant, a wonderful restaurant, with very nice people, where we later took a family cooking course. The feeling of peace and calm inside the place was striking.
TRY IT ALL The great travel photographer Kraig Lieb hosted us for an unforgettable restaurant meal in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, featuring, among other things, cooked bee larvae. PHOTO: Contributed
This was something I used to do often in my earlier years as a traveling reporter. I’d visit a new city or town and walk around to explore and just trust my instincts and try a place out. Now the temptation to read Yelp reviews first is always strong.
We did have our hectic moments on the trip. On the day we were leaving South Korea, bound for Bangkok, Sarah and I had agreed we would leave early for the airport, giving ourselves almost three hours. We rode the subway, and as we got closer to the airport, I had a sinking feeling that something wasn’t right. We left the subway station at Gimpo and slogged along toward the International Departures terminal, but when I consulted a departures screen, I couldn’t see our flight listed.
I was wearing a backpack and carrying three smaller bags. The more I walked, the hotter I got. My glasses started slipping down my nose, and my growing exasperation only heightened the effect. Everything seemed off. Finally, I asked someone for guidance.
“Wrong airport!” we were told.
There was another airport in Seoul?
“To the taxis!” I said. “We’ll make it.”
It seemed impossible, but we all knew only a positive attitude would pull us through. The good news was we were loaded up in a taxi in no time and on our way to the other airport, and this driver, unlike on our earlier ride to Jeju International Airport, was your standard-issue pedal-to-the-metal cabby. The bad news was that his taxi stank. We all opened our windows while we could, but then on the highway, our driver closed them and we couldn’t say anything. Coco, blessed or cursed with an astonishingly acute sense of smell, hid under her jacket and tried not to breathe. She said it smelled like “cigars and some kind of alcohol, like whisky.” Anaïs said it smelled like “two-hundred-year-old rum.” From my spot up front, I kept looking at my window, wishing I could open it up.
“When I got out, it was so nice!” Anaïs said later.
We made it to the airport just over an hour before departure and checked in. Then, as the attendant handed over our tickets, she handed me a card that said it would take us “50” minutes to get through security and take a shuttle across the airport and that our gate would close at 11am sharp. In other words: We had to run. We had to haul ass.
Sarah sprinted ahead, Coco trailing behind her, and I was left as the trailer, there to encourage Anaïs. “I can’t do it,” she would say, but kept on keeping on, never flagging. I shuffled along in the kind of graceless loping run one expects of a 63-year-old man wearing a backpack and carrying another 20 or 30 pounds in three different tote bags. I was sweating up a storm like some latter-day Neal Cassady, crying out “Yass!” and grinning at the sheer wild energetic rush of it all. It still seemed, at that point, about a 50-50 chance we’d make it.
IN FLIGHT The journey began with one-way tickets to Asia and an open-ended plan. Photo: Contributed
We somehow got to our gate with fifteen minutes to spare. I had time to go splash water on my face a few times, patting dry with a small forest of paper towels, then repeating the whole operation two more times, to restore myself enough that I would not necessarily flag any airport protocols about being on the lookout for wild-eyed, heavily sweating individuals clearly up to no good and stashing them away somewhere in a small windowless room. We all sunk into our seats on the plane once we boarded, blood pumping, eyes wild, on our way somewhere new, never wanting the trip to end.
DINING DEAD In seventh grade, Emma Belmont and Sammy Skidmore connected over their love of electric guitar and forged a bond that would draw them back together years later to write songs in Emma’s home and build into a full-blown band. In rock lyric fashion, their songs range from poetic cohesion to nonsensical chaos. Their newest record, Is This A House?, speaks to their orchestral sensibilities, with the aptly named “Overture” introducing the sophomore album. Mixing in ethereal vocals, fuzzy guitar, and a strong backbeat with symphonic violin, the Dining Dead serves a sonic feast.
EVERYONE ASKED ABOUT YOU The initial run of this twee pop group from Little Rock, Arkansas, happened in the mid-to-late ’90s. The group released a trio of EPs. Those records were well-regarded by the few who heard them, but the group failed to gain notice beyond a local following. They disbanded in 2000. But when Numero Group reissued the band’s 2023 record Paper Airplanes, Paper Hearts, Everyone Asked About You earned belated attention. In the wake of renewed interest, they reunited and began work on new music. The Never Leave EP was released in 2024. First Day Back opens. BILL KOPP
INFO: 8pm, Catalyst, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $29-$31. 713-5492.
FRIDAY 5/1
POP-UP EXHIBIT
HONORING MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS Started in 2010, Red Dress Day, or Red Dress Campaign, is meant to remember and honor indigenous women and girls who are missing or have been murdered. It is part of a larger, global Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement. They advocate for the end of violence against native women, and they bring attention to the high rates of kidnappings and murders against native women and girls. This pop-up exhibit continues to uplift the voices of native women and girls to raise awareness. It was curated by Tahnee Henningsen, Concow, Maidu, and Rebecca Hernandez, PhD, Mescalero & Warm Springs Apache. Goes until 5/17. ISABELLA MARIE SANGALINE
INFO: 12pm, The MAH, 705 Front St, Santa Cruz. Free. 429-1964.
THEATRE
STRANGER WITH THE TRUTH Mental Health takes center stage at Satori Arts, in a play about a missing son living in the shadows of schizophrenia. Timelines dissolve as the narrative traces the son’s life, disappearance, and the secrecy that rocked a family. This is a kinetic performance combining theatre, movement, singing and original music. In a world where people have trouble connecting in the best of conditions, those who live with or suffer from psychosis and schizophrenia are often voiceless. A post-show panel conversation aims to humanize individuals and families who try to integrate wildly converging perspectives, with community members sharing their stories of living with or caring for those with mental illness. DNA
INFO: 7pm, Satori Arts, 815 Almar Avenue Unit 9, Santa Cruz. $35.98. (314) 503-8441.
SATURDAY 5/2
PUNK
CRUZAPALOOZA Those who were there last year can attest that Cruzapalooza is a wild time. After all, where else in Santa Cruz can one get punk and metal bands accompanied by underground wrestling? This year they’ve booked some legendary names in the punk scene to blast the ears with Fear, Flipper, rADOLESCENTS (featuring Adolescents original members Rikk Agnew and Casey Royers) Ch3 and Grim, along with a bunch of newcomers like Midnight Dumpster Fire, and Rabbit Ruck. Hitting the ring (yes, they built an actual wrestling ring inside the Catalyst main room) are some Bay Area heavies like Dave Reckoning, the Stoner Bros, and Mighty Mayra. MAT WEIR
INFO: 12pm, Catalyst, 1011 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. $77-82. 713-5492.
ROCK
PEACH PIT Since their 2016 debut, Peach Pit has earned a steady following with their uniquely sonic sound. Maybe it’s because they’re Canadian, or maybe they are just the right people for the right time. What is known is they call their music “chewed bubblegum pop,” which is equally hilarious and also insightful, as it’s definitely a little crunchier than the normal bubblegum pop music. Pairing them with the Quarry Amphitheater is a brilliant idea, as the lights, trees and rock formations mixed with the music almost guarantee a magical night. MW
INFO: 8pm, Quarry Amphitheater, 1156 High St., Santa Cruz. $61-$91. 459-4184.
SINGER-SONGWRITER
KARLA BONOFF Karla Bonoff entered the singer-songwriter pantheon somewhat late in that genre’s timeline. But her 1977 self-titled debut displayed her talents as a songwriter, vocalist and instrumentalist of high quality. Bonoff’s impeccable taste (and her choice of musical associates) has long been a hallmark of her output. Never the most prolific of recording artists, she has released a mere seven solo albums of original material over the past 45 years. Three Bonoff songs: “Home,” “Tell Me Why” and “Isn’t it Always Love” are best known for their cover versions by (respectively) Bonnie Raitt, Wynonna Judd and Lynn Anderson. Bonoff’s live performances are consistently engaging. BK
EMBRACING LA DOLCE VITA Instructor Elizabeth Borelli invites eager students to gaze upon the shades of color and depth of flavor the Mediterranean lifestyle can bring about. Armed with practical tips and simple recipes, anyone can enrich their gut health, eat more mindfully, and celebrate every meal. This course is designed to showcase the abundance that eating plant-based, vegan meals can offer. It also offers guidance into meal planning that can reduce stress. Elizabeth will dispel myths that eating food this nutritious is too expensive, too much work, or too bland, and will offer a fresh perspective that will awaken the senses. SN
LUCIA The Kuumbwa continues to bring world-class jazz to downtown Santa Cruz and this time it’s a chance to see Lucia, the 24-year-old sensation from Veracruz. Winning the 2022 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition afforded Lucia the opportunities to collaborate with Natalia Lafourcade, Aloe Blacc, La Santa Cecilia, Quetzal, Son de Madera, Alex Mercado, and the National Jazz Orchestra of Mexico. Lucia just released her first full-length album, with her interpretations of jazz classics, mixed with modern pop songs. DNA
INFO: 7pm, Kuumbwa Jazz Center, 320-2 Cedar Street, Santa Cruz. $35. 427-2227.
First were record albums from my dad, like Jimi Hendrix and The Clash. I bought Tears for Fears’ Songs from the Big Chair on vinyl 20 years ago at Hyde Park Records in Chicago. My current favorite collectable is a psychedelic album by Charlie Tweddle, a Santa Cruz character who used to make custom hats for famous rock stars.
Dylan Davis, 38, Owner, Offshore Records on Locust St
TYLER
Like many, I remember my parents’ records in boxes in the garage—classic rock, Joni Mitchell, Cream, that stuff. There’s still some of those mixed in with my collection. The first music that I ever bought was a cassette tape of Boyz II Men. I remember that vividly.
Tyler Davin-Moore, 41, Co-owner, Redwood Records on Cedar St
RUDY
I started with tapes of Pearl Jam, Violent Femmes, The Cure, The Smiths and Social Distortion that fit in my little pouch with my Walkman. I collected over 10,000 CDs, but I sold them all when MP3s were available and started collecting vinyl—at first from the dollar bins—at about 30 years old. Elliott Smith XO was the first of many.
Rudy Kuhn, 49, Co-owner, Redwood Records on Cedar St
GORDON
My first memory is walking to the Circuit City at the mall with my brother and buying the Boston CD. I don’t like it any more, but I did when we were kids.
Gordon Kay, 33, Streetlight Records on Pacific
SOFIA
The first record I remember buying was in High School, the Childish Gambino album, and I started my collection after that. My parents have always collected vinyl, so I used to listen to their Beatles records a lot—Abbey Road, the Greatest Hits albums and a few others.
Sofia Ana, 22, Fashion Design
FARRIS
My mom listened to a lot of Pearl Jam and grunge music on CDs. I’ve always had CDs because I stole my mom’s. I remember going to Streetlight Records for the first time, for the Dead Milkmen CD. The person who helped me was super annoyed with me, and it’s funny because we’re really close now.
The beautiful, colorful cover photo for our story about the Ripple Effect arts festival was shot by rr Jones.
WHO OWNS THE COAST?
Nice article! Thanks so much for helping us all celebrate Earth Day as well as the Coastal Commission’s 50th Anniversary. The coast certainly does belong to Everyone.
Linda Locklin | California Coastal Commission
MORE ON THE COAST COVER
Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed Richard Stockton’s article about the Coast Trail in the Good Times. Your clever writing style reminds me of Steinbeck and I love hearing about the Pillars. I really think there’s a novel/travelogue waiting to be written there. That line about the wind parting someone’s hair down the middle really made me chuckle. Thanks for your work in publicizing this very important cause and for featuring the people who are boots on the ground. I’m so grateful for all of you.
Mara Alverson | Santa Cruz
PUMP TRACK GONE
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) will begin construction on the Capitola Bluff Fencing Project along Park Avenue in Capitola in late April or early May.
The project will install a split rail fence along the coastal side of the Santa Cruz Branch Rail Line (SCBRL) adjacent to Park Avenue in the City of Capitola. The fencing is being constructed to improve public safety in an area where the coastal bluff has become increasingly unstable due to erosion.
“Over the past several years, sections of the bluff have eroded and fallen into the ocean, resulting in the loss of several feet of coastal bluff in multiple locations,” said RTC Executive Director Sarah Christensen. “The fencing is being installed to help preserve the bluff and reduce the likelihood of people entering areas that may present hazards.”
As part of the project, an informal dirt bike pump track that was constructed within the rail right-of-way will be removed due to requirements for the fence alignment. The RTC understands this area may have been used for recreational purposes in the past, but the informal pump track cannot safely remain in place.
Preparatory work in advance of fence construction is expected to begin the week of April 27, with fence installation beginning mid-May and lasting approximately a month and a half.
RTC Press Release | Santa Cruz
ONLINE COMMENTS
STUDENT STRESS
Don’t worry, school is just to show employers you can be an obedient employee who can learn to do tasks like homework. Learning comes later on the job, over and over. If you are lucky, the employer will give what is know as an “at-a-boy” or two, really lucky a raise now and then. Take solace, it won’t matter that much how hard you work or do, the employer will be very satisfied for you to do whatever job forever until you are no longer needed.
It would help to have some of the rules around adoption revised, or done on a case by case situation! I lost my dog at 20 years old, went to adopt, and was turned down! I loved my little guy; he even had laundry! But I wasn’t suitable? Never did figure it out! I have a cat now! He’s 7 years old! Not one health problem.
How about having a day or two each year for the public to donate time to repair/clean/etc like there is for some parks. Do any of the local colleges have vet programs where students could get credits for helping? Can Humane Society Silicon Valley help or at least provide some ideas? Is there a website for adoptions/fostering/donations?
Judith Tucker | Goodtimes.sc
LOCALS BUILD ART FOR THE SPHERE
What an incredible read! The Sphere in Las Vegas is a game-changer for the art scene. I love how it merges technology and creativity so innovatively! What are your thoughts on how these immersive experiences might evolve in the future?
Is parenting stuck in routine? Brad Kava explores the power of travel as real education for kids—plus a look at Kids Day, local food, wellness, and community news.
Singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff brings her warm, melodic songwriting and timeless folk-pop sound to Felton Music Hall, performing beloved songs that have resonated across generations. Saturday 8pm
From coastal access and Earth Day reflections to local development and community concerns, Santa Cruz readers weigh in with letters and online comments.
