Lighthouse / The Circles, Santa Cruz, CA

Lighthouse / The Circles is the part of the Santa Cruz Westside that meets the ocean, and its identity comes from the bluff more than the blocks. West Cliff Drive and its shared path run along the edge, out to Lighthouse Point, where the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse holds the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum right above the Steamer Lane break. Houses inland are a mix of cottages, Craftsman bungalows and mid-century homes, many on narrow lots, with apartment buildings stepping in near the bluff. Some streets catch bay views, while others lean on old street trees. The look is relaxed and a little weathered by salt air. The outdoors is the main event and it's free. Behind the lighthouse, Lighthouse Field is open ground with walking paths, picnic spots, restrooms and rinse-off showers, and migrating monarchs winter in the trees. Farther west, Natural Bridges State Beach has its own monarch grove, a rock arch in the surf and low-tide pools worth a look. Garfield Park, on Almar Avenue, is the neighborhood playground with a ball court and picnic tables. Coffee drives the daily routine here. Cat & Cloud roasts on Swift Street, in the same building as the only kitchen in their group, and Shrine Coffee, a nonprofit cafe on West Cliff Drive, faces the surfers across from Steamer Lane. Verve's Fair Avenue cafe is the third regular stop for coffee and pastries. Errands run along Fair Avenue and Mission Street. The New Leaf at 1101 Fair Avenue is the closest full grocery, the Metro bus line runs to downtown and the university, and the cliff path makes a good bike route into town. Highway 1 sits just inland. Summer weekends bring crowds to the cliffs, and parking along West Cliff can disappear by late morning. Fog and wind off the water also keep many days cooler than inland Santa Cruz. An afternoon walk through Lighthouse / The Circles finishes with the same view of the bay, with the Wharf and the Boardwalk coaster a long way down the shoreline.