If you ever find yourself in the South-Eastern hemisphere of the Bay Area on a warm summer’s day wondering what to do with yourself, highway 17 will take you on a winding, scenic drive through the mountains and into Santa Cruz, an eccentric and always entertaining beach town in Northern California. Santa Cruz is a favorite hot spot because of its famous boardwalk, but this tourist trap crap stretch is definitely a place to be avoided, except for people watching and trying to sneak on rides (don’t do it, it doesn’t work). The rides are mediocre to shitty depending on who you ask, and highly overpriced (as is everything in this town). There is a big arcade at one end of the walk, which has laser tag and DDR, and I swear to god there is always some sweaty kid going crazy on that thing, EVERY time i'm there. The beach itself is pretty average, but gets VERY crowded on weekends. If you want a good spot, I suggest you go early lest you be constantly pummeled by obnoxious children playing volleyball all day long. Don't get tricked into thinking you want a spot right by the water, its freezing cold anyway. Stake out your own spot in the mid-section of the beach where you can have a little more privacy and room to spread out. The great thing about this beach is that it has a ton of beach wood, and you can make awesome things such as this: