The Electric Car Arrives in Santa Cruz
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Last week, the Courant Times drove over to The Green Station, Santa Cruz’s only bio diesel station, to trade in our gas-drinking Saab for a test drive in the all-electric Zenn car. The Green Station’s latest addition is an all-electric neighborhood car with a top speed of 25 mph. Owner Bill Lebon likes to call it a “speed bump on wheels.”
He sees the car as one of many solutions that consumers can take advantage of to combat human-induced climate change.
“There is no silver bullet,” said Lebon, who graduated with an environmental studies degree at the University of California at Berkeley in the eighties. “The solution to climate change involves a variety of things – walking, biking, bio diesel and electric cars.”
If you had asked Lebon how humans could fight climate change five years ago, his answer would’ve been remarkably different.
“I was a bike activist for 15 years,” he said. He thought bikes and walking were the only options to combat the planet’s heating. But he now concedes, “bikes aren’t for everyone.”
So, six months ago, he opened The Green Station to offer a variety of alternative transportation options. The stations sells bio diesel, electric scooters and bikes and now, four 2009 Zenn electric cars.
Although he hasn’t had any deposits placed on the cars yet, he said he’s received a lot of interest. In the end, he hopes by providing new options that work with a number of different lifestyles, more and more consumers will work to reduce global warming.
“With a little bit of time and creativity, you can have a zero-emission lifestyle,” he said.
Labyrinth at Seabright beach
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The other day, someone made a labyrinth at Seabright Beach… I felt inclined to share this with everyone.
Labyrinth in Santa Cruz from Santa Cruz on Vimeo.
Santa Cruz Sunset
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Surfers in the Sunset
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Best Burrito in Town Kicked Out of Boardwalk Location
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It’s a heart-wrenching scene of irony outside of La Hacienda Taqueria, the little Mexican place across the street from the Boardwalk’s volleyball nets. Twenty hungry visitors are piling through the doors for lunch as the owner is standing outside in the rain and cold, telling me how they’re closing up shop.
Recently Jose Aparcio, who owns La Hacienda Taqueria with wife Lucia and two sons, found out that they could not renew their lease for 2009. Their Taqueria has been on Beach street for 9 years under the same name, and 12 years if you include the time that it was run by the same family under a different name. But all the many years they’ve run their buisiness apparently don’t count for much to Andrew Bruno, the owner of the commercial property who is a resident of Marco Island, Florida.
Bruno’s unwillingness to renew the Hacienda’s lease has forced the family to seek out a new location. It would be nearly impossible to get a location as great as the Boardwalk, and I can’t help but feel that further salt is rubbed in the wound with their lease of 354 Washington street (on the corner of Laurel), a small property that has just two tables and is tucked away a few blocks behind Pacific. Gone are the days serving the thousands of beach goers who swarm the Boardwalk in the warmer months, and in their place are the days ahead, fighting to attract the one or two stragglers wandering down Laurel street who’ve gotten lost on their way to or from Pacific.
Jose doesn’t know what’s going to move in to the property on Beach Street once his Taqueria has vacated by December 28th. He has heard rumors of a bar and grill as well as a coffee shop. As he talks, a warm smile glows on his face despite such a catastrophic turn of events for his family and his business. You would never guess from his friendly demeanor that his livlihood just got the equivalent of a death sentence, or worse yet, life in prison.
Yet for all the tragic weight of moving from the best location in town to one of the worst, Jose is wonderfully optimistic. They’re renovating the new location to make it as pleasing as possible. They’re making some colorful and attractive signs and they’re getting the word out about their new digs.
In my opinion, the Hacienda serves the best burrito in town. I don’t say that lightly, having eaten many times at Pinios, Pericos, Planet Fresh, Vallarta and all the others. Something is different about the burritos at the Hacienda, something intimately more delicious. Maybe it is the home made hot sauce that they give you, loaded with cilantro, or the fact that they lightly toast the flour tortilla. Whatever it is, I have no doubt in my mind that I’ll continue to trek down Laurel street to the Hacienda for a burrito when I’m hungry, in part because they’re so delicious, and in part because the Aparcio family has been wronged by a renegade real estate holder living in Florida and this is the least I can do to help them fight.
Hugging Santa Sighting
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I spotted the Hugging Santa in an Aptos shopping center, right in time during the stressful last minute shopping craze. Every year nearing the holiday season, Barry Vissell MD and his family gives away free hugs dressed up like Santa and his elves to “spread the love” when ever he can. Him and his wife wife Joyce with a RN and MS practices counseling. They both have fancy degrees, but seem to be in touch with healing and helping others on all levels. Much like Santa they both found an interest in giving back by writing books, teaching and spreading cheer to people all over the world.
According to his web site www.sharedheart.org, “as a result of the worldwide interest in their books, they travel internationally teaching about personal growth, relationship, parenting and healing.” As if teaching all over the world wasn’t enough they founded “the Shared Heart Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing love and consciousness to all relationships.” To me a simple act like hugging others reduces stress levels and is a free way to spread the holiday cheer one smile at a time.
For more information log on to http://www.sharedheart.org
Fine Dining: Acai Bowl from Cafe Brasil
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If you’ve never been to Cafe Brasil on Mission Street for an Acai (pronounced Ah-sigh-ee) Bowl, you’re missing out on something great Santa Cruz has to offer. Ringing in at $5.95, the Acai Bowl may seem slightly expensive, but after eating one you’ll no doubt decide it was worth every penny.
The Acai is a small, round, black and purple fruit native to South America. Many people compare it to a cherry, and it contains high levels of antioxidants. To make an Acai Bowl, Cafe Brasil begins by blending the Acai with ice to make a fruit-smoothie base.They top this with a layer of fresh banana and strawberry pieces and then a final layer of granola on top.
When eating an Acai Bowl, I always mix all of the contents together first. This is so I get even bites of granola, acai, banana and strawberry. I think you’ll find that when you eat it like this,the different tastes and textures combine to give you a taste experience that is truly one of a kind (and incredibly delicious).
Not visible are the dolphins
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Monterey Bay at Sunset
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Winter solstice lights
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I love winter solstice lights
christmas lights in santa cruz
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