Santa Cruz and Monterey trip advice

I'm flying down to swim at the World Masters championship meet at Stanford this Thursday. I'll be competing every day except Saturday, so my wife and I are planning to drive down to Monterey that day. Our plan is to hit the aquarium for a few hours, maybe Cannery Row, then drive back and stop in Santa Cruz. Any advice on this day trip? Good places to eat, things to see, etc.?

I'll be staying in Santa Clara, so any advice on good places to eat around there or around Stanford would be appreciated, too.

You gosta do the ultimate tourist trap drive. 17 Mile Drive. Pretty neat.

In S/C if you're only going to be there a few hours, hit old down town and hit the pier to check out the seals.

The aquarium is cool. Cannery Row is a snooze.

If you like wine, do some tasting in the Santa Cruz Mountains -- Bonny Doon is a fun choice and reasonably convenient en route to/from Santa Cruz.

What kind of food are you looking for? And why the hell are you staying in Santa Clara?

rent a bike and ride 17 mile drive . . . much cooler, and free :D

although you might wanna limit exertion if you're tapered for worlds. what events are you swimming?

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Originally Posted by alpinedad

And why the hell are you staying in Santa Carla?

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vampires baby, vampires.

Restaurant in Pacific grove, Passionfish. Excellent.

And do the 17 mi. drive.

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Originally Posted by alpinedad

What kind of food are you looking for? And why the hell are you staying in Santa Clara?

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General recommendations for food. Nothing too fancy.

I don't know, what's wrong with Santa Clara? I realize it isn't right on top of Stanford, but the hotels near Stanford were a little spendy.

ninjabird: definitely no on the bike ride. Yes, I'm tapered and taking this meet very seriously. I'm swimming the 200 and 800 free, 200 and 400 IM, and 100 fly.

advice? leave early and return late. Everyone else does that drive, you'll find lovely traffic. You may just want to stick around Santa Cruz; it'll be less stressful/energy time consuming than the drive down and back. The Aquariums cool, cannery row is a packaged tourist shithole. I'm not a fan of 17 mile drive, or the peninsula in general. Point Lobos State Reserve (just south of carmel on 1) is a nice short walk and scenery without the trappings. Cooler is to drive south to big sur, and take old coast road (hang a left right before the bixby bridge). The tourist place to eat would be Nepenthe down there.

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Originally Posted by cj001f

advice? leave early and return late. Everyone else does that drive, you'll find lovely traffic.

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That bad, huh? My wife really wants to go to the aquarium, so I'm sure we'll go all the way to Monterey. Hopefully we can get on the road early.

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Originally Posted by The AD

General recommendations for food. Nothing too fancy.

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Yeah, but is there a kind of cuisine you particularly like or dislike?

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Originally Posted by The AD

I don't know, what's wrong with Santa Clara?

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Basically, it's an asspit. Particularly in the summer, when it's at least 10 degrees hotter than the area around Stanford. We go there to go to Great America with the kids, and because it's hard to get to the San Jose airport without it, but in a nutshell, its the terrestrial equivalent of flyover land.

But it's a big asspit. So where you're going to be staying is key. North/East of 101, there's a decent Mexican place called Pedro's, and supposedly, Parcel 104 at the Marriott is excellent contemporary American, helmed by Bradley Ogden.

So tell me where you're staying and what kind of food you like, already.

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Originally Posted by alpinedad

Basically, it's an asspit.

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No more than the rest of the bay area. It's all an asspit outside SF & berkeley, just depends how pretentious you want the people to be & what kind of cars you want the yuppies to be driving.

Yes AD, returning on highway 17 late in the day on a weekend = sucko traffic.

The hotel I'm staying at is the Plaza Suites. It appears to be just south of 101.

My wife's a vegetarian, so that's a factor. Mexican is good. Indian is good, Italian, probably "American" as long as it's not a steakhouse. With the swimming competition as the reason for this trip I'm probably going to want to steer clear of anything that might be too explosive!

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Originally Posted by The AD

With the swimming competition as the reason for this trip I'm probably going to want to steer clear of anything that might be too explosive!

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??why??

swimming pool = no wipe

Between SC and Monterey for fish go here: http://www.philsfishmarket.com/

In downtown Santa Cruz, go to Asian Rose if you want to try really good, cheap, fast vegan food. (I'm a big time omnivore and love this place still). Its near the north end of Pacific Garden Mall.

Farther down the mall, go to Taqueria Vallerta for good cheap burritos. Also good is super nachos carnitas. It will stuff you.

In Santa Clara, well thats a big place and really you should open up Sunnyvale and Mtn View also.

Good BBQ at Armidillo Willys, House of Soul Food, and Cal's (in SVale).

Good Chinese in any number of resturants in downtown Mtn View.
Also check out the 99 Ranch market center on Wolf Rd in Cupertino. And Sam Kee nearby for Dim Sum.

If you want beer. Real german beer (Hef, bock, etc.) and big warm pretzels on a dowell tree and german sausage with spicy mustard go to Hardy's Bavaria in downtown sunnyvale at 111 West Evelyn Avenue.

Excellent info, Lego. Thanks!

lemon boy: yeah, you're prolly right. Plus I could use the extra propulsion.

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Originally Posted by The AD

Excellent info, Lego. Thanks!

lemon boy: yeah, you're prolly right. Plus I could use the extra propulsion.

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I'd make sure to do it right at the end then. Wouldn't wanna swim back through the cloud.

Shit! Just found this: http://www.bayareaveg.org/ug/display.htm?id=168
It seems Asian Rose is closed till fall?

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Originally Posted by The AD

The hotel I'm staying at is the Plaza Suites. It appears to be just south of 101.

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That would be "parallel and adjacent to 101." Fight like hell for a room that faces the other direction.

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Originally Posted by The AD

My wife's a vegetarian, so that's a factor. Mexican is good. Indian is good, Italian, probably "American" as long as it's not a steakhouse. With the swimming competition as the reason for this trip I'm probably going to want to steer clear of anything that might be too explosive!

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Indian: Darbar, on Lytton Av in downtown Palo Alto, has a kick-ass lunch buffet, pretty close to Stanford. I used to eat there with vegetarians frequently.

Vegetarian-friendly relatively-inexpensive American cuisine can be found at Hobee's, a small local chain. The nearest one to Stanford is in the Town & Country shopping center, "Northwest" corner (i.e., due North) of Embarcadero and El Camino. Jamba Juice is next door.

St. Michael's Alley on Emerson St. in downtown Palo Alto would make a good celebratory dinner that won't break the bank. Assuming your wife likes mushrooms, make her order the mushroom cakes appetizers. www.stmikes.com. Or Zibbibo, very good Mediterranean cuisine, sister restaurant to LuLu in SF -- but stick to the appetizers, the main courses are weak by comparison. I recommend the Israeli cigars -- phyllo wrapped around mashed potatoes, fried. Yumm.

Andale Tacqueria on University Av in Palo Alto for burritos etc.

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Originally Posted by ninjabirdman

rent a bike and ride 17 mile drive . . . much cooler, and free :D

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I second this. I have an issue with paying to drive a road to look at this stuff. Ride a bike. Also for free you can drive the coast just north of 17 mile/pebble beach for free and walk the tide pools. If you absolutley have to see pebble beach go to Carmel and walk the beach North and you can get right up there.

As for the aquarium, your wife is right to want to go there, even though it is a tourist mob scene, it is spectacular. Be ready for a long day if you are trying to fit this all in a day drive from Santa Clara.

Hey, someone forgot the most important part - drive from SFO over to the coast and take Hiway 1 down to Santa Cruz. (It's open, right?)

Cause Hiway 17 (or 880, or whatever it is) BLOWS.

Would that really be a good way to go, Splat? It's seems like I'd have to go way out of my way to the north to take Hwy 1.

The aquarium is great. Totally worth doing.

Depending on the need for rest, etc., consider a bay tour with Monterey Bay Kayaks - http://www.montereybaykayaks.com/ (either location). Way better than time spent in the car...

You can do worse than picnic & hang on the beach at Lover's point.

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Originally Posted by The AD

Would that really be a good way to go, Splat? It's seems like I'd have to go way out of my way to the north to take Hwy 1.

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Damn straight! It's a hop skip and a jump from Stanford to Hiway1.

Beautiful drive.

Stop in Davenport for whale watching. Check out Bonny Doon beach.
You'll roll right into Santa Cruz from the good side.
Do it. You won't regret it and the wife will love you for it.

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Originally Posted by The AD

Would that really be a good way to go, Splat? It's seems like I'd have to go way out of my way to the north to take Hwy 1.

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It's worth it.

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Originally Posted by splat

Damn straight! It's a hop skip and a jump from Stanford to Hiway1.

Beautiful drive.

Stop in Davenport for whale watching. Check out Bonny Doon beach.
You'll roll right into Santa Cruz from the good side.
Do it. You won't regret it and the wife will love you for it.

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That's a looonnnngg day if she wants to see the aquarium. Santa Clara - SC via 17 is ~45 minutes. ~2 hrs via 1 (and not worth it unless you go via La Honda or one of the cool roads)