Cowell's Beach is one of the best places in the world to learn how to surf. All the energy pulsing around Lighthouse Point mellows out by the time it gets to Cowell's, and the result is a long, gentle, easy wave that breaks for a very long time. Cowell's is one of the most crowded surf spots in Santa Cruz, but as most of the surfers are beginners, there is little animosity. Most of the people at Cowell's are there to learn and have fun and have a good time.

With the resurgence of modern longboarding, Cowell's has become more popular than ever. Mixed in with all the learners and Banana Slugs and other flotsam and jetsam is a cadre of red-hot longboarders who are getting major tip time from the staircase all the way to the beach.

Endless possibilities. Because Santa Cruz is a university town and because so many well-traveled, worldly people have chosen to live there, Santa Cruz offers an amazing smorgasbord of good places to eat. You name it, from the strictest vegan to the most ravenous carnivore, Santa Cruz has it.

Limiting the choices to places that have a view of the ocean, the Ideal Fish Restaurant (831-423-5271) at the base of the Santa Cruz Pier has a good fish menu, the waitresses are hotties and there's a $10 lobster special during the winter.

For a view of Steamer Lane and Cowell's while you eat a fish dinner, check out Stagnaro's (831-423-2180), The Riva Fish Restaurant (831-429-1223) or the other seafood places on the Municipal Pier.

But don't take it from us. Take it from Flea:

Flea's Westside Watering Holes
There are hundreds of places to eat in Santa Cruz, most of them very good. We asked one of Santa Cruz's most outstanding citizens, Darryl "Flea" Virostko, to recommend his favorite places to chow down after six hard hours of surfing in Town. If you go to any of these places, tell them Flea sent you.

"For breakfast, I like the Harbor Cafe on Seventh Avenue, Zachary's on the mall or the Walnut Street Cafe on, you guessed it, Walnut Street. For lunch, there's Taqueria Santa Cruz on Mission Street, by Farrel's Doughnuts. Try the shrimp burrito and super size it. For dinner, I like The Riva on the Wharf. They have really good seafood. Try the oysters guacamole. And for a rawer seafood experience, there's Shogun Sushi on the Pacific Garden Mall. It's all good."

If Ruffo won't let you crash at his pad, Santa Cruz offers dozens of hotels, bed and breakfasts, youth hostels and railroad trestles to accommodate every pocketbook. You can find links to most of them at www.santacruzca.org

There are lots of choices, ranging from cheap flea bags to up-scale places like the West Coast Santa Cruz Hotel, formerly The Dream Inn. This is Santa Cruz's only high-rise hotel, located on the beach at Cowell's, constructed over the bones of Jack O'Neill's first Santa Cruz surf shop. The West Coast Santa Cruz Hotel has a beautiful view of Cowell's Beach, the Santa Cruz Pier and the sweep of Monterey Bay. The hotel is walking distance from Steamer Lane, the booming surf makes for pleasing acoustics, and there's a nice hot tub down at the pool for apres surf. Rooms range from $119 to $209 for a single or a double. Check it out www.westcoastsantacruz.com

The Pacific Garden Mall was rebuilt after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, and it is thriving. There are movie theaters, coffee shops, pubs, bars, book stores, record stores, a surf shop, a Gap and so many eccentric, transient, pan-handling weirdos, they should charge admission. The Catalyst is a good place to go for a drink and check out a band. The Mall is always good for a stroll.

If the surf is bad but you still want to commune with nature, there is good hiking in Big Basin Redwoods State Park or the Forest of Nisene Marks. Just aim for the mountains and you'll end up in the trees. In the winter, there's good fishing in the San Lorenzo River. If you have kids, they might enjoy the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad in Felton. In the summer there are trains that come all the way into Santa Cruz, make a big loop into the mountains and then return.

Santa Cruz is also a great movie town. There are a couple dozen screens in Santa Cruz, most of them playing mainstream movies but a few, like the Nickelodeon and the Sash Mill play hard-to-find independent and foreign movies.

Just getting into the game? Santa Cruz has plenty of camps to school you. Try Club Ed Surf School and Camps (831-459-9283 or www.club-ed.com), Santa Cruz Surf School (831-426-7072 or www.santacruzsurfschool.com or Richard Schmidt Surf Camp (831-423-0928 or www.RichardSchmidt.com).

Do your research at the Santa Cruz Surf Museum in the Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse, located on West Cliff Drive at the Lane. Call it at 831- 420-6289 or log on to www.cruzio.com/arts/scva/surf.html. It's open Thursday through Monday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., in the winter, and Wednesday through Monday, 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., in the summer.

The last time we looked there were nearly two dozen surf shops in Santa Cruz, which is a little silly but also useful if you need some wax or a new leash. Some of them, like the Haut Shop on the West Side and Freeline Design on the East Side, have been in business since the '60s and early '70s. Many others are Johnny-come-latelies.

The following is what we came up with:



Arrow Surf and Sport (West Side), 2322 Mission St., Santa Cruz, 831-423-8286

Arrow Surf and Sport (East Side), 312 Capitola Ave., Capitola, 831-475-8960

Cowell's Beach N Bikini Surf Shop, 30 Front St., Santa Cruz, 831-427-2355

Davenport Surfsail Repair and Equipment, 10 Marine View Ave., Davenport, 831-429-6051

Freeline Design Surfboards, 821 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-476-2950

Haut Surf and Sailboards, 345 Swift St., Santa Cruz, 831-426-7874

La Selva Beach Surf Shop, 308 Playa Blvd., Watsonville, 831-684-0774

Nolands Sun and Surf, Municipal Wharf, Santa Cruz, 831-4235500

O'Neill Surf Shop, 1149 41st Ave., Capitola, 831-475-4151

O'Neill at the Boardwalk, 400 Beach St., Santa Cruz, 831-459-9230

O'Neill Beach at the Yacht Harbor, 2222 East Cliff Dr., Santa Cruz, 831-4765200

Pacific Wave, 1502 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-458-9283

Paradise Surf Shop, 3961 Portola Dr,, Santa Cruz, 831-462-3880 or www.paradisesurf.com

Patagonia Santa Cruz, 415 River St. #C, Santa Cruz, 831-469-1945

Santa Cruz Surf Shop, 753 41st Ave., Santa Cruz, 831-464-3233 or www.santacruzsurf.com