Pacific Avenue once embodied Santa Cruz’s quirky, community-driven spirit, writes UC Santa Cruz student and aspiring writer Carly Pavlin. As chain retailers, including Anthropologie, replace longtime local institutions, she fears that identity is beginning to fade. Here, Pavlin reflects on the downtown she fell in love with four years ago — and asks what kind of city Santa Cruz is becoming. Is Pacific Avenue still Santa Cruz, or is it starting to look like everywhere else?
Carly Pavlin
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I turned 21 without the shots: Why I’m choosing sober over hungover
UC Santa Cruz student Carly Pavlin shares why she gave up alcohol just months before her 21st birthday. From avoiding “hangxiety” to discovering sober-friendly hangouts in Santa Cruz, she finds that skipping booze has opened up richer routines, deeper connections and a clearer sense of presence.
