Quick Take:
Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah says Santa Cruz County parents are bullying teachers, upsetting staff and filing...
What’s up, everyone? Max Chun from Lookout Santa Cruz here, and it’s my honor on this beautiful day to introduce Student Lookout, a weekly student-centric roundup of affordable living, local fun and important news.
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?
You all are the real experts on student life in Santa Cruz, so please feel free to regularly send us your own recommendations for the chance to get a free Lookout T-shirt — or simply for the betterment of your fellow Slugs and Seahawks. Let’s get to it then.
Deals Download
Anyone hungry for some Downtown Santa Cruz Discounts?
- Healthy: Poke House, 10% off: Those looking for a healthy lunch should head over to Poke House, where they are offering students 10% off. All you have to do is bring your student ID to get delicious hand-crafted bowls, salads and hand rolls for a discount.
- Group: Woodstock’s Pizza, $6 off XL pizza, $9 pitchers after 9 p.m.: If you’re out with a group, Woodstock’s Pizza is offering students $6 off any XL pizza with one or more toppings. This share-size pizza is a great way to keep you and your friends from getting too hungry — plus they offer $9 pitchers of beer after 9 p.m.
- Sweets: Mission Hill Creamery, 10% off: If you have a craving for something sweet, take 10% off Mission Hill Creamery’s delectable fresh flavors for a memorable ice cream experience.
What’s the best student deal you’ve found? Shoot us an email to let us know at studentlookout@lookoutlocal.com.
Pacific Cookie Company: Now through Friday, March 18, get a FREE COOKIE at Pacific Cookie Company (located in downtown Santa Cruz). Just show you’re subscribed to Student Lookout text messages to redeem!
➤ Want to share these deals with your friends? Have them sign up for Student Lookout texts with this link.
Eats on a Budget
For those looking to eat on a budget this week, we recommend you pay a visit to Taqueria Los Pericos. This downtown favorite boasts some of the best Mexican homestyle cooking in town. Their delicious tacos and burritos are relatively cheap — especially for the quality — and are crafted with care and love!
If you want to use your hard-earned money on some local ingredients for a home-cooked meal this week, Lily Belli has some great recommendations for made-in-Santa Cruz products to add to your grocery list. From Masala Chai to Kitchen Witch Bone Broth, these local ingredients can be a bit expensive, but they’re sure to give a boost to your cooking. You can find Lily’s complete list of recommendations here.
Inside Santa Cruz: 5 Top Study Spots
Looking for places to study this week? Here are some great coffee shops to fit your needs, all of which are open seven days a week and have free WiFi. Recommendations made by local student and Lookout intern Aidan Warzecha-Watson.
- The Tabby Cat Cafe (7 a.m. – 3 p.m.): Located in the heart of downtown Santa Cruz, this laid-back coffee shop serves excellent coffee in a genial atmosphere. There’s free WiFi, but more important to those of us with poor battery power — they have a lot of outlets. This coffee shop is the ideal place to relax, dive into your work and stay charged. Explore this breezy little cafe here.
- 11th Hour Coffee (7 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.): This local coffee shop is well known among students, and for a good reason. This cafe has some of the most creative flavor combinations in their drinks and serves amazing snacks to keep you going throughout your study session. Their downtown Santa Cruz location has been popularized by students, as it’s open later than many other coffee shops. 11th Hour’s recently opened Westside location (closes at 5 p.m.) offers a new, lesser-known place for students to get their studying done. Explore all that 11th Hour has to offer here.
- Café Ivéta (8 a.m. – 3 p.m.): While many students are aware of the on-campus location (which is currently closed), few venture to Ivéta’s lower Westside location. This little café has a comfy outdoor patio, a quiet loft (with lots of outlets) and excellent food. For those looking to get a little early morning studying in, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better spot. Find out more about Café Ivéta here.
- Coffeetopia (6 a.m. – 3 p.m.): For those early birds out there, you can’t ask for a better study spot than Coffeetopia. They offer free WiFi and boast an impressive drink collection of Italian espressos and teas. If you need a break from studying, the Portola location is a mere stroll away from the great views of Opal Cliffs. Discover more locations and all Coffeetopia has to offer here.
- Coffeeville (6 a.m. – 4 p.m.): Formerly known as Goble Coffee Roasting, this Watsonville shop strives to provide its customers with natural and organic options. They have a delicious menu of snacks to accompany their caffeinated drinks, and are open until 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, allowing students to get an extra hour of studying in on the weekend. Find out more about what Coffeeville has to offer here.
Did we miss your favorite coffee spot? Shoot me a text and let me know.
Puzzle Center
Try out this week’s word search, Santa Cruz County Beaches.
This puzzle was created by Ashley Holmes, director of sales & marketing.
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:
- West Cliff Outdoor Market, Saturday, 10 a.m.: Check out the all-day market on West Cliff Drive overlooking Steamer Lane — this time with a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Popular among both locals and tourists, the market features hand-crafted gifts and a variety of food trucks, all with a front-row seat to the beautiful ocean and surfers taking advantage of the waves.
- 10th Annual Watsonville Film Festival in-person celebration, Saturday, 6 p.m.: For its 10th anniversary, the Watsonville Film Festival will honor the coming-of-age film “Real Women Have Curves.” Considered an important piece of 21st-century independent filmmaking, the movie follows a Mexican American family and the mother-daughter conflict that unfolds as the daughter dreams of going to college. Noted for its nuanced portrayal of the immigrant experience in America as well as the layered view of Los Angeles, the film still resonates. And it’s free (though donations are appreciated). It’s a bit of a haul to Watsonville but it’s worth the trip. “Lady Bird” owes its life to this film.
- The Room with Tommy Wiseau, Friday and Saturday, 11:55 p.m.: Yes, that’s right. The poster child and possibly the most famous iteration of “so bad it’s good” cinema, “The Room” will be screening at the Del Mar Theatre downtown for two nights this weekend, complete with a pre-screening Q&A with the man himself, Tommy Wiseau. Even if you’ve seen this film on the big screen before, it truly is the gift that keeps on giving.
➤ Want more? If you’re still looking for more great events to participate in, you can find a link to this week’s Best Bets roundup here.
- Jewel Theatre, Theater Parking Attendant
- CineLux Theatre, Guest Service Host
- Santa Cruz Community Credit Union, Community Outreach Representative
➤ More local jobs: Browse more open positions on the Lookout Job Board.
Game Time – College Athletics
UC Santa Cruz: There are no home games slated for this weekend, but teams will be getting after it away from Santa Cruz. The men’s volleyball team will be playing a few matches in Thousand Oaks this weekend, including one against Baldwin-Wallace on Friday at noon and one against St. John Fisher on Saturday at 9 a.m., with livestreams available here. Click on the day, and then on the livestream option.
Additionally, Abby McPhillips of women’s track and field will be competing in the high jump at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field Championships in North Carolina. She was also named the West Region’s overall Indoor Field Athlete of the Year. Congratulations and good luck to Abby!
Cabrillo College: Cabrillo athletics has a slew of home games this weekend, kicking off Friday with the men’s tennis team meeting Mission College at 2 p.m. While the baseball team is away this weekend, the softball team will host Porterville for a doubleheader beginning at noon Saturday. And at 10 a.m. Saturday, the women’s beach volleyball team looks to keep its undefeated start going against visiting Feather River. Check out the full schedule here.
One last thing …
Did you know? Santa Cruz was the town that popularized surfing here on the U.S. mainland. In 1885, three Hawaiian princes brought the tradition with them from the islands. Fashioning boards from redwood trees, the princes introduced the locals to the fun of cruising on a wave.
Well, that’s all she wrote for edition 1. Thanks for reading, and we’ll meet again soon.
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 student@lookoutlocal.com.
— Max
