The all-new, urban gigantic oasis of coffee, pastries and abundant seating opened at the top of Pacific Mall in downtown Santa Cruz last week. Three separate barista stations form a service peninsula that juts out into the wraparound seating/schmoozing/studying areas. Windows allow vistas out onto both Front Street and Pacific Avenue. Repurposed antique wood siding lines the walls, sharing space with huge splashy oil paintings and little retail islands.
Reasons to Love Small Business Saturday
Smack in between “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday,” “Small Business Saturday,” on Nov. 26, promotes the locavore’s alternative to America’s holiday shopping spree. American Express created the national event in hopes of shifting consumer spending toward small businesses—you know, the ones President Obama called “the backbone of our nation’s economy” in 2008.
The Heavy Metal Perfection of Mammatus
The members of Santa Cruz experimental metal band Mammatus have a time-tested method to ensure that all their music reaches a high standard. They look for what they call the Yes Factor—that moment during practice when a song comes together and everyone knows it. “That’s what we’re always looking for, the part of the song that gives you goosebumps. It’s all about finding that magical moment,” says guitarist Nicky Emmert. He adds, “It takes us a really long time to write a song.”
Scott Kennedy: A Peaceful Warrior
Right up to the sudden end, Scott Kennedy was a fount of energy and ideas about how to make a better world. Last Friday, Nov. 18—just hours before his death early Saturday, most likely of a heart attack—he spent a long lunch talking with Mark Primack, his old ally on the Santa Cruz City Council.
‘A Year With Frog and Toad,’ a Creature Feature for All Ages
When it comes down to it, Frog shouldn’t really even need Toad. The congenial amphibian could just as easily pal around with the mice and birds that hang around the swamps if he wanted. But he doesn’t. He prefers his slower-moving, socially inept foil. This year’s winter Shakespeare Santa Cruz play, A Year With Frog and Toad—the group’s first holiday production in two years—is an all-ages tale of friendship based on the children’s books by Arnold Lobel.
‘Tis The Season To Be Busy
Santa Cruz is a awash in holiday cheer with the Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre’s Nutcracker, the Lighted Boat Parade, Jingle Shells at the Seymour Marine Discovery Center and much more.
Gift Guide: The 12 Crazes of Christmas
The fad gift phenomenon may seem like little more than a horrifying distillation of American consumer culture. There are the high prices, the long lines and those family members who went to bed early on Thanksgiving night only to wake up early and strangle the other toy-grabbing moms the next morning in a show of how much they love their kids. But the fad trend is bigger than that.
Gift Guide: The Next Small Thing
Are we over big yet? Have we had enough of supersizing? This could be the year to buck the trend with gifts that are small in size but big on style.
Gift Guide: Service Robots
Siri, the iPhone 4S “personal assistant,” makes a great Christmas gift, and not just because she’s helpful. If you’re a tech-savvy asshole (or just curious), you probably already know how the sassy robot voice responds to questions like “What are you wearing?” or “When do you menstruate?” Of course, poor Siri isn’t the first bionic being to suffer indignity in the name of progress. Here’s a list of some other ’bots that have served us doggedly over the years—no matter what we subject them to—for that person in your life who just needs something to abuse.
Gift Guide: Soleful Gifts
I smelled it first, the stench of rotting meat mixed with stale ocean air. Turning the corner into the courtyard I found my housemate Liam standing in his underwear happily draping pieces of white rubber-like strands over the fence. I posed the obvious question.
