First - I wanted to update the cool way Santa Cruz came up with to help out the homeless and others…read morein need of community services. The RED " Parking Meters " along the sidewalks in the downtown shopping district. Just to CLARIFY they are not for paying your parking. They are on the walking part of the sidewalk. I thought this is so great! Not sure if these are in other parts of town. It's a terrific way to donate some of your spare change without wondering what the street person will do with the money! Second - Someone else's comment mentioned this shopping area now known as the Pacific Garden Mall was in place well before the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. So I researched the now defunct Santa Cruz Sentinel that wrote an article celebrating the Pacific Garden Mall's 40 year anniversary back in 2009. YIKES~ being a kid that grew up in Santa Cruz I didn't even know it existed until after I returned from the Air Force in the 70's ...but it is certainly a local and tourist magnet these days, guess it has been for quite some time. Go check it out. great shopping and restaurants only a short distance from the beach and boardwalk!

I've lived here all my life, the Pacific Garden Mall has never been good. From overpriced shops,…read morebuildings that have been abandoned and the homeless wandering around screaming. It's just not a good place. I can't even count the amount of times I've been in a position where I could easily get hit. Don't bother coming here after dark, or really don't bother coming down here at all. Nothing good comes out of the Pacific Garden Mall.

Cool happening food hall in downtown Santa Cruz!…read more I love visiting my alma mater city and seeing the new scene- variety of cuisines inhabited the area: handcrafted pizzas, burgers, Puerto Rican, vegan options, Indian food, etc. There's a lot of seating indoor and outdoor, a stage which had a live band performing and a ton of people were dancing and enjoying themselves. It was packed on the 4th of July holiday Friday but we were able to pull together a table with ad hoc chairs for our party of 8.. Fam got pizza, which came out relatively quickly and was pretty good. I went for Belly Goats burgers, which took close to an hour! Wait was pretty long but at least there was entertainment. Cowboy burger with bacon jam and smoked cheddar and garlic fries were tasty and I inhaled them. Good addition for the area but it definitely gets busy - make sure to ask for the wait time at Belly Burgers!

I love Abbott Square market because of its location near downtown and everyone can leave getting a…read morebite. They are excited about. We arrived with friends and were able to sample the different menus from each location. I really like the burger and the fish tacos were seasonal, but a hit!

There are a lot of Stores in this center, Movies, Hardware, Ice cream, Pets, Art Supplies, Grocery,…read more Drug Store, Pizza, Auto-parts, Parking and a lot more

Unbelievable that a major shopping center such as this does not have public restrooms! If they do…read morehave restrooms open to the public, I sure as heck couldn't find them. And I looked everywhere, up and down the stairs, in and out of CVS and the Deluxe market. I did find one restroom on the upper level, but it required a key code to enter. When I asked at a nearby business if they would be so kind as to give a desperate old lady the code, I was rather rudely told that it was "tenants only." C'mon, Deer Park! Give us a break here, okay?

Brian B has a legit gripe...maybe they will add some bike racks after reading his review?…read more Anyhow, I love this shopping center. I don't even live in Aptos anymore and I am still here weekly. My only complaint is the parking, it always feels like it's packed with tourists (even in the off season.) Or maybe no one knows how to drive? Included in the center besides the previously mentioned... Bittersweet Bistro, JBella Nails, Red Apple Cafe, Optomotrist, Hair Salon, and great Chinese food!

Stopped by the West Cliff Holiday Outdoor Market on black friday, and enjoyed browsing the handful…read moreof shops at Lighthouse Point, a beautiful setting with lovely views overlooking the water. The selection was small compared to similar outdoor markets, as was the event as a whole, with vendors selling jewelry, clothing, baskets, animal themed merchandise, and even Groot planters (at the Sassy Succulent Designs tent). Nothing too unique, but it was a carefree and positive atmosphere that beats your typical black friday shopping. Not much of a crowd, not much parking available (tiny lots were packed), not much music, and not much food on site (I only saw one food truck and one kettle corn stand)... Though a couple of the vendor tents were selling tasty desserts and treats to take home, and that alone made up for what seemed to be missing here. I got a cute baby size loaf of banana chocolate chip bread from the sweetest ladies at Lisa's Sweet Treats, and it was super delicious, I regret not getting more. That was the highlight of my visit!

Great outdoors facing the sea kind of farmers market. Super pleasant to walk around and it is…read moremostly composed of vendors selling jewelry, candles, clothes and other items. Super cute and with a boho-chic vibe. During my last visit to Santa Cruz my friends and I enjoyed stopping by and getting some gifts for ourselves while walking around. I particularly like the candles stand the most, very nice smells. Great vibes overall.

Most of us do not associate the word asylum with anything particularly positive. But this asylum is…read moreindeed sweet and lovely. You will find items here for gifts or for home decor and use. The store is elegantly appointed and well-organized. Parking is on the street or in a near-by lot.

I absolutely love this store! I'm a local and whenever I visit I always find something I love…read more We've been shopping there since my daughter was in a stroller and now she's 15. She's always called it the mermaid store. The store has an amazing vibe. The owner is always warm and welcoming. Everything is made very well and good quality. The price point is normal, like what you would find at Nordstroms. And she has great things for gifts. I highly recommend stopping in and feeling the good vibes and look at beautiful things!

I love Noland's because they have some of the best Santa Cruz gear sold here. They keep up with…read moretrends and have the coolest designs. I have 4-5 of their sweatshirts and a couple of their long sleeves that ive been wearing for years! They have good quality bathing suits, shorts, hoodies, sunglasses, back packs, basically everything you'd need for a good beach day and some afternoon fun in the sun. The people that work here are super welcoming and nice giving this place a local beach town feel. I love it! This place is rad! The owners are really good people!! You can tell that they really love their community.

There are usually a group of items on a sale rack outside with some pretty good discounts…read more Sometimes you see the same items on the rack if you return after a few weeks. The store is convenient to go to when you are at the beach, and they have a nice selection of different brands of clothing, with many different choices--shirts,hoodies and more--that say Santa Cruz on them ( the city, not the company). A lot of the designs are really attractive. The sales staff is considerate enough to remind you that sale items are final sale. Overall a pleasant place to shop.

Cute little store that has a Hawaiian theme, but lots of beach-like stuff as well. Cute bikinis and…read moreclothing geared towards the younger crowd, and and awesome selection of both island and trendy jewelry (good prices, too!). They also carry Hawaiian paintings and pictures and trinkets- not to mention some authentic Hawaiian lotions and perfumes. Beautiful stuff. If you want something unique this is the place to go...

after walking up and down pacific for 4 years, i never seemed inclined to wander in to kaleponi…read more.. i thought it was just another touristy place. a friend of mine started working here recently, which was enticing enough for me to venture in (read: 40% friends and family discount) and i was pleasantly surprised! it's hawaiian themed, but have a lot of local santa cruz gear as well. i spent a good amount of time poking around at the home decor and candles and such. i was able to find a summer dress, a SC t-shirt (pictured - it's really cute), and some jewelry. i actually learned that this store is owned by the same people as a bunch of similar stores on the wharf. i feel like this is a store i could come in with my mom and dad and we could all find something we liked. and that's saying a lot if you knew my mom and dad.