Banana Belt, Santa Cruz, CA

Banana Belt is a residential stretch of eastern Santa Cruz that earned its name from the weather. It sits above the fog line, so mornings that start gray at the beach are often sunny here, and that shapes how the neighborhood looks and gets used. Streets are lined with bungalows, cottages, Craftsman houses and ranch homes, with a scattering of Mediterranean-style places in stucco and red tile. The mix of decades gives each block some variety. The parks are the everyday outdoor rooms. Grant Park, on Grant Street, has a basketball court, bocce, a pump track and a fenced dog area, and John Franks Park is close by for picnics and a playground. For longer outings, DeLaveaga Park, up Branciforte Drive, has trails, a golf course, archery and disc golf, the beaches are about two miles south, and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park lies to the north for bigger redwood walks. Water Street and Soquel Avenue frame the neighborhood on two sides and hold most of the food. Tacos Moreno, at 1053 Water Street, is the dependable taqueria. Seabright Avenue, a bike ride away, adds Linda's Seabreeze Cafe and Verve Coffee Roasters for the coffee-and-breakfast crowd. Groceries are easy. Safeway, Whole Foods and the independent Staff of Life on Soquel Avenue are all within a few minutes by car, and Santa Cruz Metro buses serve the main streets. Highway 1 is nearby, with the Highway 17 climb a short drive beyond it, so a commute over the hill is doable. Most errands here happen by car, since the shopping streets are on the edges instead of within the residential blocks. Walking works for the parks and a taco, not for a full grocery run. Sunshine is the thing people mention first in Banana Belt, and on the days the fog sits on the coast, they are right.