Saturday, October 25, 2025
Breakfast: I had Tanglad leftovers. Our rental car became available a little later than expected, so the owner dropped it off at our place instead of us picking it up. Patrick and I drove to Santa Cruz in the rain for a very short trip—too short to make plans to visit friends in the area. We took highway 1. Along the way we saw some areas that seemed burnt by fires some time ago. We arrived at West Cliff Inn ahead of check-in time and dropped our luggage with Shauntay. Patrick and I drove to lunch at The Midway. Coffee with cream for both. We shared $16 sour cream pancakes (with blackberries, poached pears, and candied almonds) and $19 aged cheddar grilled cheese (with house-made sourdough, braised greens, ricotta, roasted onion) and side salad and pickles. Service by Sydney was great. We returned to the hotel and parked then walked to the Dream Inn and briefly looked in at the bar called Jack O'Neill's. We walked along the beach with umbrellas in light rain and saw a volleyball competition in progress. We walked along part of the boardwalk, encountering a chili competition. We walked to Pacific Garden Mall and stopped in at Om Gallery but didn't buy anything. We stopped at Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting Company to share a cardamom latte and use the bathroom. We bought cards at Paper Vision, then walked back to West Cliff Inn. Carlos checked us in. We received room 5, which includes a surprisingly large balcony with a hot tub, and the bathroom sink stunningly receives very hot water in about two seconds. Rested. Drove to dinner at Shadowbrook (aka Shadow-Brook), which oddly seems like it's in the middle of a residential district. We rode the funicular down. There was a small wait—perhaps 10 or 15 minutes—despite having a reservation. Our server was Ethan. Drinks: glass of Luli pinot noir for Patrick, ginger manhattan for me. We shared the four-piece bacon-wrapped shrimp. Artichoke soup for Patrick. Wedge salad for me. The salad was huge, big enough for four people to share, and had I finished it I would not have been confident I could also eat my forthcoming main dish. Top sirloin 10-ounce for Patrick. (He could not finish it.) Lobster tail for me. Mud pie to share. Espresso for Patrick. We both very much enjoyed the meal and experience. All food and drink and service were perfect. Walked the stairs up, which is also charming. Drove back to the hotel. If we return another time, we should go during the day.