Happy hour. Two words that can put a smile on even the most dismal day. The expression is thought by mixological historians to have had its official debut in the Prohibition Era, but the phrase really caught on in the ’50s, when the cocktail rose to red-hot ubiquity and everything liquid seemed to have an umbrella stuck in it. We here in our snug little Pacific Coast paradise have come to know “happy hour” as a time just before the dinner hour, when drinks—and often finger food, too—are available at reduced prices. While in terms of the establishment's bottom line, this means that barstools and tables can be kept full even during “off” hours (between lunch and dinner), it also syncs nicely with the post-work hour when you just need to unwind with friends.
Hence “happy hour”—a time to sip something cool and forget the troubles, or brag about the successes of the work day.
You don’t have to look very far in Santa Cruz and its nearby neighborhoods to find a happy hour you can believe in. Like at Louie’s Cajun Kitchen & Bourbon Bar. Happy Hour at this popular 110 Church Street watering hole begins at 4pm and continues until 6:30pm Tuesday-Friday. Well drinks, beer and house wine can be had for a paltry $3.50, while sophisticated sips such as Cosmo, mojito, lemon drop and margarita run you $5, with spicy apps from garlic fries to chicken wings priced from $3-$5. Let those bon temps roll!
Another downtown favorite, Hula's, offers a daily HH—seven days a week!—from 2-6pm, during which time you can swill tiki drinks, wine by the glass and pupus for a mere $5. And on Tuesday, for reasons as yet unknown, Hula's happy hour runs all night long at 221 Cathcart St.
And then there's Margaritaville, a place that looks and feels like happy hour on permanent holiday. Besides, there's something about the Capitola Esplanade that makes everybody thirsty. And Margaritaville has got some serious answers. Like Monday through Friday, 3-6pm Happy Hour. And all night on Thursday, which means every beer is three bucks, and the house Margaritas runs only $4. We've all got our favorite happy hours—my current one is Pizzeria Avanti’s 5-7pm menu discount. Who doesn't love a great bargain on fine wine and food? Find your own favorite happy hour and quench that thirst on a regular basis.
OLD-FASHIONED FOURTH: Sometimes traditions make a lot of enjoyable sense, like the idea of taking your friends and family to the sprawling Victorian-era grounds of Wilder Ranch for an Independence Day of vintage proportions. Bring a picnic and step back into another era thanks to a live band, games, speeches, flags and a family parade at noon. You'll also be able to purchase food and drink at Wilder from 11am through 3pm. You know where Wilder Ranch is—just north of Santa Cruz off Coast Road… Or laugh until you cry watching the babies, bikes and capering canines at Aptos’ infamous World's Shortest Parade. Inhale a pancake breakfast at Aptos Village Park, and then sit back and enjoy the holiday silliness… Or bring a blanket, expeditionary amounts of food, etc., and stake out a prime spot on Seabright State Beach—at East Cliff Dr. & Seabright—and savor a glorious pyrotechnic salute to Independence Day. You know how it works. And have a Happy 4th of July. Hmm, happy hour, happy fourth—there are no coincidences!
