Student Lookout: Take a hike, eat some pizza and check out the Santa Cruz History Fair

Hey y’all,

Hope the week treated everyone well and that you have something nice planned for the weekend. I, for one, do not have anything exciting lined up, but I can only hope that you can’t say the same.

I’d like to thank the three of you who sent vacation recommendations over the past week. No matter where I end up going, your effort will be forever remembered.

As for the rest of you, helping me out was just too much to ask for, huh?

Also, in case you missed it, the GABRIELA Santa Cruz and Anakbayan Santa Cruz organizations held an on-campus vigil at UCSC for democracy in the Philippines after the presidential election there.⬇️

To learn more, follow @gabrielasc.slugs on Instagram and @anakbayansc on Instagram and Twitter for ways to get connected and involved.

If you are a student and haven’t signed up for your FREE Lookout Membership yet, enter your phone number below to register. Not only will you get unlimited access to all of Lookout, but you’ll also receive Student Lookout text alerts every Friday with exclusive deals, local recommendations, puzzles and more. So what are you waiting for?

And with that, let’s begin …

Deals Download

Check out some Santa Cruz student discounts:

• Buy some groceries — Safeway: 5% off.
• Get a haircut — Kinship Hair Co. and Thrifty Cuts Barber Shop: 10% off.
• Have a drink (21 and over) — Kianti’s Pizza and Pasta Bar: BOGO cocktail with purchase of any entree.
  

Don’t forget to have your student ID to get the discount.
Note: Many places — especially downtown — offer student discounts, just try asking at any store and you just might get 10% off!

What’s the best student deal you’ve found? Shoot us an email to let us know at studentlookout@lookoutlocal.com.

Pizzeria La Bufala: Stop by Abbott Square through Thursday, May 19, for 20% OFF at Pizzeria La Bufala, serving up wood-fired favorites plus pasta, gnocchi and lasagna. Show you are subscribed to Student Lookout to redeem your deal.

➤ Want to share these deals with your friends? Have them sign up for Student Lookout texts with this link.

Eats on a budget

If you’re in Santa Cruz and, more specifically, are enjoying a beer at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, you have probably seen the striking magenta hues of Tacos El Chuy parked just a few feet away. If not, keep an eye out, and get some food there the next time you come across it. Featuring everything from tortas to street tacos to quesabirria, Tacos El Chuy will satisfy your Mexican street food needs.
If you love eating, cooking, and reading about food, be sure to check out the work from our local food expert, Lily Belli. Recently, she attempted to unravel the mystery of which Ferrell’s Donuts was the true first location. The story is more complicated than you might think.

Inside Santa Cruz: Best hiking spots in the county ... and beyond

Recommended by local student and Lookout intern Riley Engel

Santa Cruz is located in a unique ecosystem — surrounded by redwood forests, perched at the top of Monterey Bay and bordered by coastal bluffs inhabited by plenty of wildlife. When you want to get out of town but stay close enough to enjoy the natural beauty of the area, here are a few places you have to check out!

1. Glenwood Open Space Preserve, 8 miles from downtown Santa Cruz: This hilly hiking area hosts colorful spring blossoms including poppies and lupines. Nestled behind Scotts Valley High School, the trails give a wonderful view of the neighborhoods and town of Scotts Valley.
2. Garrapata State Park, 54 miles from downtown Santa Cruz: This park features rivers and a little waterfall that plunges from the mountains out to the ocean. One of the park’s creeks runs through what’s called “Calla Lily Valley” because of the many calla lilies’ white cones that grace its banks. Make sure to check out the mountain and canyon trails that take you through the woods and up above the clouds and circling vultures, where fields of lupines grow in spring.
3. Muir Woods National Monument, 89 miles from downtown Santa Cruz: Muir Woods consists of many walking trails through an old growth stand of coastal redwoods. Walking among these ancient skyscrapers will make you feel very small, in a good way. This spot is a great stop in between San Francisco and Point Reyes.
4. Mount Tamalpais State Park, 93 miles from downtown Santa Cruz: Famous for the beautiful cloud inversions that blanket its rolling hills, this park features plenty of hiking trails and scenery. If you are wanting an easiest hike, try out the East Peak loop along the Verna Dunshee trail. This is one of the most spectacular paved, mellow hikes with parking and offers 360-degree views of the Bay Area.
5. Point Reyes National Seashore, 118 miles from downtown Santa Cruz: This national seashore has amazing hikes and scenery including one of the two coastal waterfalls in California. The lighthouse is a great place to spot whales, and by the beach there are typically seals and a magnificent variety of wildflowers in spring.

What’s your favorite hiking spot close to Santa Cruz? Shoot me a text and let me know.

Puzzle Center

Are you an animal lover? See how fast you can complete this Santa Cruz Animals word search. This puzzle was created by Giovanni Moujaes, Lookout staff.

Around Town - Events

Did you know that we have an events calendar? BOLO, which stands for Be On the Lookout, is our hub for the best events in the county. See all the listings here.

Here are this week’s events we think students need to know about:

Friday and Saturday, 11:55 p.m. - 1:30 a.m.
Del Mar Theatre Midnight Movie: A Nightmare on Elm Street”
If you and some friends are in the mood for some classic slasher-horror cheese, then look no further than the midnight screening of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” at the Del Mar this weekend. While not particularly scary, Wes Craven’s (in)famous ‘80s flick is still beloved by many and is responsible for introducing the world to one of horror’s most memorable villains.

Friday and Saturday, 9 p.m.
Queer Fashion Show
If you’re planning to be on campus at UCSC on Friday and/or Saturday, stop by the Porter College dining hall to check out the summer camp-themed “Queer Fashion Show” — which is far more than just a fashion show. Enjoy an evening of drag, dance, art and performances from poets, actors and other special guests. Tickets are $5, which is a perfectly modest price to support your fellow Slugs. Email queerfashion@gmail.com for more information. Thanks to newsroom intern and UCSC student Nik Altenberg for the tip!

Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, 2 p.m.
Rainbow Theater
Looking for some student-led productions? Rainbow Theater has you covered. Every day this weekend, UCSC’s Stevenson Event Center will host two productions featuring multicultural stories written by students of color. This year’s shows are “Poet’s Corner” by Yazlin Juarez and “Immediate Family” by Paul Oakley Stovall. UCSC undergraduates attend for free and the event is open to anyone for $13 ($8 for youth and seniors). Attendees must bring a negative COVID rest result and/or vaccination card.

Saturday, noon - 4 p.m.
Santa Cruz County History Fair
Checking out what the downtown Museum of Art & History has to offer is never a bad idea, especially when it’s free! Head downtown and take some time to stroll through a collection of artifacts, photos, writings and hands-on activities connected to the history of Santa Cruz County. You can also take the opportunity to meet folks from historical organizations and groups from throughout the county.

Saturday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
West Cliff Outdoor Market
Visit this very Santa Cruz-y market on West Cliff Drive this weekend to get geared up for summer. Like a makers market but with a bit more spectacle, a robust collection of food trucks will be there for a bite to eat while you peruse the local artists, artisans, and craft makers’ work available for purchase. Every hour, free tokens will be awarded to random shoppers and can be used at any vendor at the market.

➤ Want more? If you’re still looking for more great things to do, check out Wallace Baine’s Weekender newsletter here.

• Rider Operator at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
• Accounting Specialist at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
• Weekend Event Coordinator at JuneBug’s Gym
• Sales Associate at Yoso the Annex

➤ More local jobs: Browse more open positions on the Lookout Job Board.

Game Time - College Athletics

UC Santa Cruz: Both the men’s and women’s track and field team made the long haul to Virginia last weekend for the Coast-To-Coast Conference outdoor track and field championships, with the women’s team taking second and the men’s placing fourth.

Sean Riedel won the men’s 10,000-meter race and set a new personal best. Ethan Bizzack won the 400 meter conference title with a school-record time of 49.95 seconds. First-year Amaya Cummins dazzled for the women’s team, taking female athlete of the meet honors after winning the 100-meter and 200-meter titles.

Meanwhile, the women’s water polo team won the club national championship after sweeping through the tournament last week. Goalie Shelby Dinh won tournament MVP and made the all-tournament first team along with teammates Emma Laszlo and Selma Malkic.

Cabrillo College: The women’s beach volleyball team is playing in the state championship tournament this weekend in Irvine. The Seahawks not only advanced as a team, but also have four pairs competing in the state pairs tournament.

One last thing …

Did you know? In the early hours of Aug. 18, 1961, thousands of seabirds collided with street signs, houses and all manner of seaside structures in Capitola and Aptos. According to a report from the Santa Cruz Sentinel, thousands of stunned and dead birds littered the streets by the first light of morning. At the time, the prevailing theory was that the birds were confused by a thick layer of offshore fog and flew toward the lights of the city, but later research suggests they might have been poisoned by a phytoplankton-produced toxin. Alfred Hitchcock, the well-known film director who lived in Scotts Valley and was working on his horror flick “The Birds,” used the incident as inspiration for the movie.

… That’s all I got for this week. Now that we’ve been at this for about two months, feel free to shoot me a text and let me know if you’d like to see anything added into this weekly roundup. Your input is much appreciated since this is a resource for you, after all.

Until next week, take care.

— Max

If you have recommendations on places we should feature next week, send them over and we’ll send you a free Lookout T-shirt. Email your ideas to studentlookout@lookoutlocal.com.