Bartender
PATRICK JOHNSON @ MOTIV
Can cute people actually make better cocktails? Well, why not? Still, we’re not saying it’s PJ’s dashing looks that gave him the top vote this year—although it didn’t hurt, and there’s nothing wrong with that—we’re just saying that it must have something to do with how well the guy can balance his smarts for drinks with efficiency. Especially on those Friday and Saturday evenings when Motiv in Downtown Santa Cruz is packed. (Wait till he flashes that smile the next time he makes a drink for you.) FUN FACT: Motiv’s very telling staff gave us the dirt on Patrick. 1.Tattooed a bottle of poison on himself. 2. He’s endearingly clumsy. 3. Eats one item at a time on a plate. | CP
Runners-up Blaine at the Red Room, Lisa Moulton at El Palomar, Jeff Pappas at Clouds

Click Read More to see all the Best Professionals>

Art Gallery
FELIX KULPA
For more than a decade now, Felix Kulpa Gallery been a bastion for art and sculptures. Whenever you walk down Elm Street, just behind Streetlight Records in Downtown Santa Cruz, you can see its extraordinary sculpture garden, with the gallery sitting behind it. And, with gallery manager Robbie Schoen at the helm, FK is now an institution. Santa Cruzans love its funky exterior and sculpture garden, and the gallery contains rotating exhibits, which display the work of predominantly local artists. Upcoming exhibits include the work of painters, photographers, group shows, and a neon show toward the end of the year. “It’s the found art object world headquarters,” Schoen says. “And it’s a little bit dangerous.”  Hours are noon to 6 p.m., Thursdays through Sundays. FUN FACT: One of Manager Robbie Schoen’s favorite shows had to do with motorcycle art. | Christa Martin
Runners-up Artisans, MAH, Motiv

Click Read More to see all the Best of Best Arts, Entertainment & Nightlife>

Beach
SEABRIGHT
Smack in the middle of Santa Cruz, in the sunny belt of the Seabright neighborhood, Seabright Beach is (once again) your top pick for sunbathing and sand revelry. Around the bend from both the Santa Cruz Harbor and the Boardwalk, it’s got easy access to all your family’s needs. Fourth of July fireworks mayhem and lights show? Check. A Museum of Natural History for a little education across the street? Check. Ample bars and eateries along the Seabright strip for your post-beach volleyball indulgence? Check. When you want to wet yourself before you wreck yourself, you do it right—you do it at Seabright. TAKE NOTE: Because the old Scholl-Mar Castle used to sit at the entrance to the beach from 1928-1967, some local elders know it as “Castle Beach.” | Linda Koffman
Runners-up Cowell’s, Capitola, 16th

Click Read More for all the rest>

Best Sweaty Body:
KALIL MOUTAWAKKIL
It’s hard not to admire sweaty bodies when you’re a Bikram yoga enthusiast. And, God knows, if you’re going to take yoga, there’s nothing wrong with meditating on the beauty of all the beauty around you. Hey, what can I say? I think people should be thanked for being beautiful. Why, it was just the other year that I picked up the brand new habit of thanking people for their various attributes. “Thank you for having that great haircut,” I once told a young lady texting on the street. A nervous toss of her blond locks later, she shot me a concerned look and continued thumbing her iPhone. “Thank you for having nice biceps,” I recently told a young man on Pacific Avenue. He kept moving, his cocoa-puff brown eyes holding a horrible look of fear. (If he’s going to wear a tight white T-shirt that shows off his biceps, why is he so surprised about the attention he’s getting?) Anyway, it only seemed to further fuel what I now have dubbed “The Gratitude Experiment”—thanking people for things they wouldn’t normally be thanked for. “Thank you for your lovely mole—it’s surprisingly becoming.” “Thank you for your great neckline.” “Thank you for your minty fresh breath.” So, when it comes to smoldering Zen attractiveness—can Zen smolder?—Kalil Moutawakkil stands out, especially when he’s moist. As one of Village Yoga’s savvy, compassionate Bikram Yoga instructors, Kalil instructs with grace. And, when he’s taking class with you, the local simply inspires with his deep dedication to an age-old practice—and, of course, all that perspiration. So, thank you, Kalil … thank you for your sweaty body!  | Charlie Price

Click Read More to see all the Critics Picks>

Our biggest issue—ever—unfolds on the following pages. Thousands of words occupy the literary real estate your eyes are about to explore. Welcome to the Best of Santa Cruz 2009. For more than 25 years, GT’s annual readers’ poll has saluted the best the county has to offer—from its arts and entertainment to its restaurants and shops, and beyond. This year is no different—the kudos are doled out—but there are some new nuances. For starters, nearly 3,000 readers voted this year, the biggest voter turnout to date. As always, there are also some surprise winners, some curious ties and some wildly eye-popping missed-it-by-a-hair losses. You’ll notice this year, too, we’ve included listings for Runner-up. PLUS: Venture online to see a more extensive breakdown of the top five winners in each category.  The Best Of journey begins on page 14 but take note of page 66, where our Critics’ Picks reveal another round of winners—and losers—not found in the typical voting categories. What else? Well, at 152 pages, there’s plenty,

Results from the 2009 Good Times Reader Poll >

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 >

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

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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
Click to open
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 >

Exclusive '89 earthquake footage shot by filmmaker Peter McGettigan.

The 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake may have shaken Santa Cruz to the core, but it did one thing and one thing very well—it brought the community together. Here, GT probes the minds of several well-known Cruzans to get a better perspective of how things unravelled back then and … what may lie ahead. (Pictured: Mark Primack on a piece of the old Cooper House.)

What do you remember most? With my family safe and our home secure, I walked the length of Pacific Avenue a half hour after the earthquake. As an architect and Zoning Board Chair, I felt compelled to attempt my own assessment of damages. I didn’t have a camera, so I tried hard to take indelible mental notes on the apparent condition of each building I passed. Those first impressions informed later efforts at housing displaced businesses and saving older buildings. It is those white-knuckled images of cracked and battered buildings that come most clearly to mind when I remember the ’89 quake.

Twenty years after the fact, a geologist and a historian say we must not forget

“Loma Prieta was a humbling experience for most of us. a reminder of our diminutive stature in the grand scheme of things. I think that remembering events like that is a perfect antidote for our collective hubris; it keeps us honest.” —Sandy Lydon, ‘History Dude’

It was a true crosswalk of Santa Cruz. The location was absolutely perfect, right at the corner of Pacific Avenue and Cooper Street. Notice how even the space in front of O’Neill’s where the Cooperhouse stood, attracts people. If you came here after 1990 or you are under 20 “The Cooperhouse” is only a bunch of old photos and wild stories. Now it’s just a part of Santa Cruz history. It was once our County Courthouse and from June 1972 to 1990 it was the happiest, busiest, gathering, shopping-drinking place (or as we now say, “small locally owned business incubator”) in all of Santa Cruz. For a little while longer, while we older long time residents last, the Cooperhouse will be a bit more important than the Santa Cruz Mission or the vanished bridge at Natural Bridges because it was a real part of our lives.

UCSC class captures earthquake survivors’ recollections in new audio archive

“Twenty minutes before the earthquake, the dog suddenly stopped and just went down, spread-eagle, on the ground, and would not budge … like, holding the earth.”
So spoke one longtime local to the students of “20 Years after Loma Prieta,” a five-week UCSC class that examined the infamous 1989 earthquake’s repercussions on the City of Santa Cruz. Sarah Yahm, a graduate student in the university’s social documentation program, created this class with the goal of creating an audio walking tour of downtown Santa Cruz that would reflect the experiences of locals during and after the quake. The results can be heard at santacruzafterthequake.wordpress.com.

We were inundated with essays for The Loma Prieta Earthquake writing contest. This one stood out.

It was 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 1989.   I had one hour left before 30 people would show up at my front door for a meeting on Child Abuse Prevention. Our guest speaker was Diane Siri, the new Superintendent of Schools for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education.  As Board President of the Santa Cruz County Child Abuse Prevention Council, it had taken me months to pull together this gathering of department directors and social service providers. But it was worth it. This was going to be a golden opportunity to integrate the sometimes contentious elements that impacted the life of every foster child in Santa Cruz County.  Ms. Siri would be the spark that ignited this important effort. I could sense the possibility of change. I wanted everything to be perfect.

Twenty years ago, Chip Scheuer was a photographer for the Pajaronian. He happened to be on the scene after the quake pummeled downtown Santa Cruz. The following is his story—in words and pictures.

THE GROUND WAS STILL SHAKING AS I ran toward a mushroom cloud of black smoke billowing from a home engulfed in flames on Myrtle Street across from the Santa Cruz High School pool. One of the residents was fleeing the inferno and I photographed him as firefighters battled the intense flames.  Approaching Pacific Avenue, I couldn’t believe the devastation. Santa Cruz looked like a bad Japanese science fiction movie—as if a drunken Godzilla had stumbled through the center of town.