Student Lookout: Storm updates, Walnut Avenue Cafe & Downtown Fridays

Hey there, pals —

Hope you’ve all managed to stay dry during this stormy start to the semester. Gotta say, the rain would be great if it could have spared us the chaos and destruction. Good for the drought, bad for everything else, I suppose.

Anyways, I hope you found the storm information helpful and that you stayed safe through it all. Keep those resources where you can find them, though. You’ll never know when they’ll come in handy.

If you are a student and haven’t signed up for your FREE Lookout membership yet, click the link. If you want text updates for this newsletter, enter your phone number below. 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?

All right, let’s kick off the new year …

Deals Download

• Students (and teachers) get 10% off at Well Within on Thursdays.
• HoM Korean Kitchen offers 15% off for students.
• Seymour Marine Discovery Center offers free admission to UC Santa Cruz students and 25% off for all student tickets.

Best Deal of the Month: CineLux $5 Ticket Tuesdays

Good Eats

Walnut Avenue Cafe ($$)

Breakfast is clearly on my mind lately, and Walnut Avenue Cafe is a local staple in that category. You can find pretty much any breakfast dish you want here, from waffles and pancakes to classic scrambles and omelets. Its signature side of home fries, crispy and well-seasoned, go great with anything you might choose. Check it out if you and some of your friends want a weekend breakfast downtown.

If you love food, be sure to check out the work from our local food expert, Lily Belli. This week, she has great news for mushroom lovers. January is Mushroom Month here in Santa Cruz, so you can find loads of mushroom-themed art and products at a number of downtown businesses. Check out the full list of participating businesses here.

Inside Santa Cruz: Storms continue, preparedness, resources

(Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz)

Written by Isabel Swafford

Rain, rain isn’t going away. Storms from recent bomb cyclones have continued to wreak havoc on Santa Cruz County. Low-lying areas across Watsonville, Soquel, Capitola and Aptos experienced major flooding and evacuations, and high tides pummeled beaches.

UC Santa Cruz called for classes to switch to online instruction on Monday and Tuesday, adding to a hectic start for the winter quarter. However, some students and faculty faced power outages, internet issues and difficulties getting to campus. On Wednesday, power was restored and classes resumed in person.

As for my classes, we returned in person Thursday to a building with power, but without heat. Our program advisor wrote to us in an email to dress warmly, and that they will bring in as many space heaters as they can find for our classroom. Our little building in Kresge is in a likely very long list of other issues in the campus repair queue.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Santa Cruz County on Tuesday and toured areas of Capitola Village and Seacliff State Beach. Newsom told local media that the Biden administration has committed federal emergency funds to California in the wake of the many storms of the past two weeks.

“We’re not out of the woods,” Newsom said. “This place is soaked. ... These conditions are serious, and they’re deadly.”

The storm continues: After a somewhat peaceful Thursday, the storm is supposed to hit again and continue into the weekend, bringing with it the potential for thunderstorms, hail, gusty winds and more high surf.

To prepare for a possible evacuation: Gather a go-bag of medications, important documents, a first-aid kit and a cellphone charger as suggested by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

Get updates on the storm: Lookout has a dedicated storm page, with correspondents and editors reporting throughout the county and monitoring the county’s emergency operations center and other outlets to bring you the latest on developments.

A guide to storm lingo: As storms continue to rage through Santa Cruz County, there’s a hurricane of technical terms and official statements whirling across the region. In this quick guide, Lookout defines some essential words and phrases about the recent extreme weather.

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Around Town - Events

Here are upcoming events we think students need to know about:

Downtown Fridays, Friday, 5 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
You’ve heard of Midtown Fridays, but the city has taken that idea a step further and created Downtown Fridays. Every Friday, you can find live bands at two or more downtown spots, along with events, activities and specials at a bunch of restaurants. This is the first one, but they’ll be ongoing through April 14. You have plenty of time to check it out.

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So Fresh and So Clean - A 2000s Party, Friday, 9 p.m.
I don’t know how much you folks remember the 2000s, I myself only remember bits and pieces of the cultural zeitgeist. Nevertheless, you can head to the Catalyst and pretend like you do! I can only imagine that there will be tons of 2000s hits played on the dance floor, which I’m sure you do remember. We all do. Shout out to Kelly Clarkson.

MLK Day of Service at Homeless Garden Project Farm, Monday, 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
When I was in college, I always used to participate in an MLK Day of Service event, and I encourage you to do the same! Here, you can help the Homeless Garden Project team prepare for spring planting at its farm on the Westside. Take this opportunity to give back to the community, and maybe meet some new people, too.

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

Puzzle Center

Lookout Job Board

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

By the time you’re reading this, I’ll be relishing my last day of a weeklong vacation. Like I said to you last time, this break just felt too short. Back to real life now, I guess.

Talk to you all next week!

— Max

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