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Dilated Pupil

Santa Cruz - Dilated Pupil

Dilated Pupil Student Guide

Thursday, 04 October 2012 00:00 GT_Staff
Dilated Pupil Student Guide

It’s that time of year again—school is back in session, and you’re either a little fish in a big pond or the big man/woman on campus. Whether you’re a freshman at UC Santa Cruz or finishing at Cabrillo College, there’s plenty to discover on campus and around town.

To help you navigate both UCSC and Cabrillo’s campus—including the best places to study, chow down, hang out and more—and get the most out of your college experience, we’ve dedicated the first portion of this year’s Dilated Pupil to just that. Want to know where to work out? We’ve got you covered. Looking for the best place to buy dorm room decor? Look no further.

Then, when you’re all ready to brave the unknown and explore around town, check out the second half of Dilated Pupil, in which we give you the lowdown on the best places to see live music, scarf pizza, spark romance, get that long-awaited piercing, surf, and more.

Let Good Times be your guide. —Jenna Brogan, Editor
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Dilated Pupil Santa Cruz Student Guide to on and off campus living (PDF)

Also see: Best places on and off campus to study in Santa Cruz
Tutors, Bookstores, List of Free wifi locations in Santa Cruz >

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Santa Cruz - Dilated Pupil

Study Guide

Monday, 01 October 2012 00:00 GT_Staff
Study Guide

Best places on and off campus to study in Santa Cruz
UCSC & Cabrillo College
Tutors
Bookstores
List of Free wifi locations in Santa Cruz >
Complete Santa Cruz Student Guide click here >

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Santa Cruz - Dilated Pupil

Indie Shops & Great Bargains

Monday, 10 October 2011 11:30 GTWebmaster
Indie Shops & Great Bargains

Shop till you drop and have some cash left over for some tasty food or a night on the town.
GOOD TIMES guide to Indie shops, thrift stores and bargain hunting in Santa Cruz.

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Santa Cruz - Dilated Pupil

Do It Yourself

Monday, 18 October 2010 16:28 GTWebmaster

Our quick guide to several local creative portals that encourage you to use your brain, learn stuff and get things done.

Santa Cruz Rehearsal Studios
An affordable and beautiful space, SCRS is the place where you can be loud and amplified, practice with your band and jam hard without the fear of being evicted. Outfitted with four streamlined rooms, each complete with a PA and mics, SCRS is a musicians dream. 118 Coral St., Santa Cruz, (831) 425-7277, santacruzrehearsalstudios.com.

The Bike Church
This nonprofit tool co-op is a gold-mine of information and support for those who desire to "DO IT YOURSLEF." The bike church offers affordable classes, parts and service and it’s also a safe place. Whether you're a veteran bike rider or still have training wheels, The Bike Church is all about supporting and sustaining the bike community. It's also a great place to volunteer. 703 Pacific Avenue, Santa Cruz, (831) 425-2453, bikechurch.santacruzhub.org.

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Santa Cruz - Dilated Pupil

Thrift Stores, Shops and Bargain Hunting

Monday, 18 October 2010 16:24 GTWebmaster
Thrift Stores, Shops and Bargain Hunting

Indie stores with great spirit boast stellar deals and more.

Bargain Barn
Appreciate a good rummage? Don't mind getting your hands a little dirty? The Barn is a score and a half. This hot spot is open daily from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 292 Pioneer Street,  Santa Cruz, (831) 423-8611.

Bill’s Wheels
Voted Best Skateboard Shop in GT Readers’ Poll, you can’t really go wrong here. 1240 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, 469-0904

Crossroads
For last-minute outfits Crossroads is hard to compete with, whether you're looking for basics or fancy dress wear, they are bound to have it. This is also a great place to sell old clothes. 811 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, (831) 458-0555.

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Santa Cruz - Dilated Pupil

Top 10 Tips for Surviving College

Monday, 18 October 2010 16:13 Leslie Patrick
Top 10 Tips for Surviving College1. Organization is key. You don’t want to be rushing around at 8:05 in a futile attempt to find the textbook you need for your 8 a.m. class. Set some simple guidelines for yourself such as keeping to-do lists to help you stay organized.

2. In this day and age, we are all very familiar with social networking. But when it comes to college, it may behoove you to do some old fashioned face-to-face networking too. Not only can you find that invaluable classmate who will share their notes should you miss a class, but you may also find connections that will help and support you well into the future. Consider Santa Cruz Next (xxxxx.org)

3.  Be cool. Many college students find themselves unduly stressed out what with the pressure of grades, money or new relationships. Take the time to breathe, stretch, walk on the beach or take that well-deserved nap—as the saying goes, “this too shall pass.”

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Santa Cruz - Dilated Pupil

In the Wash, area laundromats

Monday, 05 October 2009 11:44 GTWebmaster

ALL THIS CLEAN FUN FOR A BUNDLE OF QUARTERS. WHO KNEW? TAKE NOTE: FOUR WASHERS = BEST SPINS.

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Santa Cruz - Dilated Pupil

Ten Tips To Wrap Your Head Around

Tuesday, 29 September 2009 13:06 Nick Veronin
Ten Tips To Wrap Your Head AroundRECESSION-PROOF YOURSELF
Web is the Word:
Take it from a journalism major whose industry was hurting before the economic meltdown—this bit of advice may be easier said than done. Fortunately, some of the things you are already doing may turn out to strengthen your résumé. Know much about Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking platforms? Have a blog? Say so! There are many employers looking for web-savvy individuals to help take their business into the 21st century. If there is still time to learn more about HTML, Flash and all things Web 2.0—do it! It can only help your chances of finding that first big job.
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    The Maya-Ixil Move Forward

    Local nonprofit works to educate and create opportunity for indigenous communities in Guatemala In an isolated region of the Guatemala mountains called Ixil, the indigenous Maya population was devastated by a civil war between the government and leftist guerrilla factions that spanned 1960 to 1996. During that 36-year war, the Guatemalan military eradicated entire Mayan communities. In what amounted to genocide, soldiers burned Mayan farmlands and homes, raped and tortured the people, and scattered families. By the end of the war, 200,000 Mayans had been killed, 7,000 of whom were Maya-Ixil.

     

    Public Thinking

    Watsonville teens host TEDx event Santa Cruz County is no stranger to the TED brand. TED—which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design—talks have come to the area through independently organized events 10 times since 2011. This month, the gathering returns to the county with a new twist, thanks to the Watsonville Youth City Council. TEDxYouth@Watsonville, which will take place Sunday, May 19 at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville, will feature only speakers younger than 19 years old and will traverse topics from racial stereotypes and renewable energy to traditional Mexican dance.

     

    Transoceana

    Danny Moriarty’s musical influences have been known to impact his life beyond his local rock band, Transoceana. “I went through two periods,” confesses the singer, guitarist and songwriter. “I borrowed Bono’s mullet look from the ’80s for a while, and then I dressed like I was from the ’70s and had big hair like Jimmy Page.” Bono and Page are also symbolic of Transoceana’s evolution as a band during their three years together.

     

    Cruzin’ for Inspiration

    Former resident pays homage to Santa Cruz with locally shot thesis film When he left Santa Cruz for the University of Southern California’s graduate film program in 2010, Christopher Guerrero had completed the film major at UC Santa Cruz in 2008 and worked on campus in the film and digital media department. It wasn’t until he headed south, that Guerrero began to reminisce about the coastal town. “It was really really hard when I moved to L.A., to acclimate and find friends,” he says, adding that—counter to the philosophical, conversational culture of Santa Cruz—he found nowhere in his new town where he could simply sit and talk about life with someone. “I didn’t really realize why I love [Santa Cruz] so much until it was gone.”

     

    Beck to the Future

    In celebration of Beck’s solo acoustic show at The Rio, GT explores Song Reader, the alternative rock icon’s most ambitious interactive art piece yet. Here’s an odd little paradox of the digital revolution: The more sophisticated our technology gets, the more our musical milieu begins to resemble that of a bygone era, when song ideas were passed around from musician to musician, perpetually taking on new twists. Dozens of different YouTube users might try their hand at setting somebody’s rant about cats or double rainbows to music, or you might hear the Belgian musician Gotye turning the many and varied covers of his song “Somebody That I Used to Know” into a virtual orchestra (see below).

     

    Growing Berries Without Bromide

    Researchers test a new alternative to a controversial chemical The scarecrows perched in Santa Cruz strawberry fields do little to scare away the birds, much less the insects and fungi harbored in the soil. Everything likes to eat strawberries, which makes growing them a risky business. This predicament led UC Santa Cruz professor Carol Shennan to take an unconventional approach to pest management. Nine years ago, the fatal plant disease Verticillium wilt was wiping out strawberry plants at the university farm. Chemicals hardly phase the pathogen, and Shennan saw little improvement with crop rotation, which is typically used to treat infested fields. A visiting plant pathologist from the Netherlands recommended a little-known organic technique called anaerobic soil disinfestation, and, with so few other options, Shennan decided to give it a try. 

     

    Uniting All That Has Been Separated

     

    Legal Battles Drag On

    More than a year after the 75 River St. occupation, four defendants remain embroiled in ongoing case  More than a year and a half since a group occupied the former Wells Fargo building on River Street in an act of protest, felony charges linger on for four of the original defendants and a trial may be imminent. Gabriella Ripley-Phipps, Brent Adams, Cameron Laurendeau and Franklin Alcantara were scheduled to begin trial May 13 in connection with the late 2011 protest. That trial now has been pushed back to September due to scheduling conflicts. The four face a felony charge of vandalism and a misdemeanor for trespassing.

     

    Bringing the Message Home

    Former mayor and UCSC student recap their experiences at the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women While traveling to New York for the 57th United Nations (UN) Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), seasoned local activist Jane Weed-Pomerantz had a notion of what to expect. But, with the vast scope of worldwide women’s rights violations presented at the commission, she knew she would still be taken aback at times. “I was worried because I had a feeling I would be finding out what I did find out about women and girls in the world,” says Weed-Pomerantz. “I was trying to brace myself for the knowledge of the reality, because we are really very protected in this country.”

     

    The Tilt

    Although Jesse Malley, lead singer of the outlaw country, blues and rock ’n’ roll band The Tilt, no longer lives in Santa Cruz, she was born and raised here and this is where her love of music and performance began. “My dad worked at The Catalyst for 27 years, so I got to see a lot of music acts come through town,” she says. “Music always seemed to me to be such an incredible way to express yourself that I just stumbled upon my voice and jumped into it.” That jump eventually led to Malley heading down to San Diego to pursue a music career, and her band The Tilt has just released their full-length debut, Howlin’.
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    May Day in the Alps

    When my daughter returns to Santa Cruz from her new home in Los Angeles, she comments on how quiet it is here. It was even more so during a trip to Ben Lomond, when we set out for a sample of her second favorite macaroni and cheese. Sitting at the front of the Tyrolean Inn restaurant, the green tarp with plastic windows kept out the chill as well as the noise of an occasional passing car. A new draft beer celebrating the German spring, Maibok ($6) was refreshing, served in a hefty glass stein, but specialty cocktails are unique as well.

     

    The Power of Conversation

    Local author Cecile Andrews emphasizes importance of community engagement in newest book Cecile Andrews, author of the new book “Living Room Revolution: A Handbook for Conversation, Community and the Common Good,” probably wouldn’t get along too well with Larry David’s character from HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, known for hiding his face and avoiding communication with anyone he runs into on the street. Andrews is a longstanding part-time Santa Cruz (part-time Seattle) resident who says something that’s struck her about this town over the years is people's willingness to participate in a practice she’s dubbed the “Stop and Chat”—which is exactly what it sounds like.

     

    What are you a total sucker for?

    A cold beer after a long bike ride, gossip, and fighting over politics. Kyle McKinley Santa Cruz | Lecturer

     

    Best of Santa Cruz County

    The 2013 Santa Cruz County Readers' Poll and Critics’ Picks It’s our biggest issue of the year, and in it, your votes—more than 6,500 of them—determined the winners of The Best of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll. New to the long list of local restaurants, shops and other notables that captured your interest: Best Beer Selection, Best Locally Owned Business, Best Customer Service and Best Marijuana Dispensary. In the meantime, many readers were ever so chatty online about potential new categories. Some of the suggestions that stood out: Best Teen Program and Best Web Design/Designer. But what about: Dog Park, Church, Hotel, Local Farm, Therapist (I second that!) or Sports Bar—not to be confused with Bra. Our favorite suggestion: Best Act of Kindness—one reader noted Café Gratitude and the free meals it offered to the Santa Cruz Police Department in the aftermath of recent crimes. Perhaps some of these can be woven into next year’s ballot, so stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy the following pages and take note of our Critics’ Picks, too, beginning on page 91. A big thanks for voting—and for reading—and an even bigger congratulations to all of the winners. Enjoy.  -Greg Archer, EditorBest of Santa Cruz County Readers’ Poll INDEX | Shops | Food & Drink | Arts & Entertainment | Health & Fitness | Professionals | The Rest |

     

    Vine & Dine: Pine Ridge Vineyards

    Chenin Blanc + Viognier 2012 On a recent trip to Palm Springs, I came across Pine Ridge Vineyards’ Chenin Blanc + Viognier at a new downtown restaurant called Lulu. Superbly decorated in Hollywood-esque style and with a very hip vibe, this California bistro is one of the hottest new dining spots—and the Chenin Blanc was just the right wine to pair with some of Lulu’s Happy Hour tapas-style food. And eating outdoors in the desert’s warm night air makes a chilled white wine taste even better.

     

    The Gypsy

    French-born jazz vocalist Cyrille Aimée lives for musical freedom and improvisation Cyrille Aimée is a musical gypsy. Her sound incorporates elements of Latin American, American, Brazilian and other styles of jazz, she has recorded albums as a duet with Diego Figueiredo, she currently performs with the Surreal (same pronunciation as her first name) Band, and she is working on a new album with yet another band. As it happens, Aimée can actually blame gypsies for her love of jazz. “I grew up in Samois-sur-Seine, which is a little town in France where Django Reinhardt used to live,” she says. “Every year they have the Django Festival in his honor, and so gypsies from all parts of Europe come and honor him and play guitar. I started hanging out with the gypsies and became obsessed with their music, their way of living, their freedom. What drew me to jazz music was the freedom of it, all the improvisation, and the fact that it’s a style of music that is constantly changing.”

     

    Step on up to the Bar

    Here in Santa Cruz County, we are privileged to have farm-fresh greens year-round. Making a nightly salad at home is a snap since the emergence of pre-washed greens, and vinaigrette dressing is made easily with your favorite vinegar and small spoon of Dijon mustard whisked with a bit of olive oil.

     

    Exposed

    David Cay Johnston’s new book explains how big companies rob us blind In his late teens David Cay Johnston started to ask questions. “Why do we have these guys in uniforms with guns driving around in cars all day?” “Why is the Santa Cruz County Courthouse being built in such an unusual shape?” He wrote an article, while still living in his hometown of Santa Cruz, proving that the off-kilter courthouse building, which officials had promised would save money, actually cost more than a conventional building.

     

    Do you unplug often enough? Or do you need help?

    Santa Cruz | Caregiver