I јυѕt spent thе last 3 years іn Arcata finishing up mу degree. I miss іt dearly now thаt I’ve mονеԁ back tο Portland…I miss thе hippies аnԁ freaks, thе out-thеrе radical politics, thе nature, ocean, hiking…etc. etc. BUT…I hаtеԁ living SO far frοm аnу bіɡ cities. I’m sure thаt isolation gives Arcata a lot οf іtѕ charm…bυt, someone suggested I visit Santa Cruz bесаυѕе thеу thіnk іt hаѕ a similar “vibe” tο Arcata, wіth thе bіɡ exception thаt іt іѕ fаіrƖу close tο San Fran. WουƖԁ уου agree? Whу/whу nοt?
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It is similar in terms of the natural environment and beauty. And it is certainly liberal. However, Santa Cruz is also three times larger than Arcata. There are encroaching signs of gentrification (including a Trader Joe and Macys). And then, of course, there’s the Boardwalk theme park, It brings in weekenders from the San Francisco Bay Area during the summer. You’ll learn to either love or hate it.
Though one of the big advantages of Santa Cruz is the location. It is close enough to San Francisco that you can get there by public transportation. But it is far enough away that most trips to the city – and vice versa – are overnight affairs. That means it isn’t directly tied into the city’s life draining, capitalistic orbit. And thus, the town can exist as more than just another bedroom suburb.
Santa Cruz Transit 17 runs to San Jose’s Amtrak station are fairly frequent. From there, Caltrain departs for San Francisco roughly every hour. http://www.scmtd.com/schedule/pdf/Hwy17_…http://www.caltrain.com/
It is one hour from Santa Cruz to San Jose. It is another hour from San Jose to San Francisco on an Express train (commute hours only). Local trains take an additional 30 minutes. Factor in waiting time and you’re looking at 2 to 3 hours each way.
The way you describe Arcata it could be Santa Cruz which also has play land