I went down to Santa Cruz with a friend for a very long, but fun day. I hadn’t been to Santa Cruz in many years and it was great to get back.
First, we hit Natural Bridges State Beach. Gorgeous!!
I saw this bird walking around the tide pools
I thought this stone (sandstone?) was pretty 
Then we headed down West Cliff Drive 
At the end was Lighthouse Field State Beach, with a charming lighthouse, of course
The lighthouse now holds the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum
After lunch, we relaxed at the Tea House Spa. It was lovely to just sit in a hot tub for an hour, although I admit it was way hotter than I expected it to be! The room looked out over a little backyard area.
After all of this relaxation, we needed some caffeine! Luckily, there was a great cafe across the street. 
Then we shopped around downtown, including the fantastic Bookshop Santa Cruz. I couldn’t resist picking up a couple of books. After, we had dinner at 515 Kitchen & Cocktails, which was really cute. It felt like being in someone’s house because there were couches and cozy chairs everywhere.
It was such a beautiful and restful day. I hope I get the chance to visit there again soon because there was so much more I wanted to see!
I'm at the Library 