A great little city poses an interesting problem: with so many excellent restaurants, shops and cultural venues to choose from, how does anyone decide what to do? As avowed enemies of boredom and confusion, we at Santa Cruz Weekly have discovered a way out of this mess. Every year we ask our readers to tell us what they love best about Santa Cruz, and every year they oblige us. Best calamari, best margaritas, best date night restaurant, even best skate shop, acupuncturist and tattoo artist—the readers pontificate while we scribble and tally. The results are all right here in our Gold Awards Guide. Think of it as a little book of tips from insiders, with our compliments.
