Capitola for 50th Anniversary

Friday 9/26/25
Frank and I rose leisurely and, with me driving, we left Livermore about 11:30 am for a roughly 1½ hour drive south to the beach town of Capitola. We were celebrating a weekend away for Frank's and my 50th wedding anniversary.  The weather was gorgeous and the drive went smoothly with only one tense portion.  An AI overview informs 

The Santa Cruz Mountains lie between San Jose and Capitola. A drive from San Jose to Capitola on Highway 17 goes directly through this mountain range. The range is home to dense redwood forests and features winding roads.

"Winding roads" puts it mildly. There was a roughly 23 mile white-knuckle, steering-wheel-gripping portion down Route 17 through the mountains to get to the shore. We were in no hurry. I took my time and diligently followed the speed limit and road curve signs guidance. The dappled road coloration due to the sunlight filtering through the trees added a bit of a challenge, but it was beautiful. The large screen display in my Toyota Avalon was fantastic for helping me anticipate when those tight and recurring curves were upcoming. Traffic was well behaved and no one pushed or rushed me. Even so, Frank and I were happy when we arrived at the Inn at Depot Hill and so could relax. The B&B was in a restored train depot. The staff was friendly and allowed us to check in early.  We stayed in the Cote d'Azur room. Per the Inn's website:

Book a stay in our Cote d’Azur guest room to soak up the ambiance of sun-drenched St. Tropez. The room features soft cool colors of the French Riviera: seafoam green and white-washed terracotta. Sleep well on a handmade iron bed with a queen-sized feather mattress and fabric and verdigris metal vines. Romanesque columns are hand-painted with bay leaf vines and separate the carpeted bed area from the cozy sitting area. A bathroom is equipped with a walk in shower, complimentary toiletries, and fresh towels. This room’s patio looks out onto our beautiful main garden area.

The Cote d'Azur room did not disappoint. It was spacious and opened up onto an adjacent patio with a pretty water feature.

We relaxed in our room a bit and then, shortly after 3:10 pm or so, we started a short 0.3 mile stroll up to Gayle's, a bakery that many had emphatically told us we could not miss. We'd planned to get a pastry type snack and then go out later for dinner.

Frank and I passed some interesting sites along the short walk. There was tile work along the wall from a student project. Later at the beach we would see more of this art. 

There was a blunt, interesting statement mailbox en route. I particularly could relate to the label "Make Politics Boring Again". 

We passed a park with a huge tree and a sign stating Noble Gulch Park. The title struck me as funny. When I think of the word gulch my mind pictures the dry dusty terrain of shoot-em-up western movies. Nobel is not the adjective that immediately comes to mind. Perhaps noble refers to the tree and not the gulch.

When we arrived at Gayle's we learned its full name is Gayle's Bakery and Roticceria. A rosticceria is a type of Italian shop, similar to a fast-food establishment or deli, that specializes in ready-to-eat, hot, prepared foods, particularly roasted and grilled meats. Gayle's was much more than a bakery. I had a chicken parmigiana breast that was super tender and juicy along with a side of steamed pleasantly crisp vegetables. Frank had a grilled Reuben and side of fruit. We decided that these selections would be our early dinner and we would stay in for the evening. We got our pastries to go: a chocolate eclair for me and a slice of pumpkin pie for Frank. Also to go, I bought two raisin oatmeal cookies (thick, plump, and moist) and two brookies (chocolate chip cookies laced with brownie chunks - unique and good, but they could not compete with those scrumptious oatmeal cookies). On our first day here we had dinner for lunch and dessert for dinner. Life is short... eat dessert first, right?

At Gayle's there were four massive displays cases of pastries and other yummy selections along one side. Around the bend of the L-shaped cafe were other hot and more main meal type food items. When you entered you took a number and waited until it was called. The cafe was very, very busy but the wait was only a few minutes. Seats were readily available to eat there, which we did.

Before leaving Gayle's I took note of the decor. The place had a broken dishes type theme. There were plates along the soffit area; the fabric print of the curtains also had a variety of dish themes and the valence style assumed the circular shape of half plates. A mosaic mural along one wall had dishes inset among the smaller tiles.

After our walk back from Gayle's we took a few photos by the front of the Inn. It really was very close to the railroad tracks as seen by the aerial view and the railway signal near Frank (@ yellow star). No trains are presently operational along that line, though. The lack of trains is either a relief or a bummer depending on your point of view.

Once back in our room I did some unpacking. Frank claims I was doing my typical nesting. Then we relaxed on the patio, enjoying the weather and the water feature, while digesting our delicious meal. Once back indoors we watched a bit of TV and called it a day.

Saturday 9/27/25 — 50 YEAR ANNIVERSARY TODAY!
We opted for a 9:00 am breakfast. It was Eggs Benedict which I have never had. It was good but I ate only half of it because it was a bit too heavy for my taste. Our Eggs Benedict had no bacon but it did have sliced avocado. It did remind me of a scene from the 1999 movie Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts, where Richard Gere challenges her to learn what her favorite way to eat eggs is. I Googled the history behind Eggs Benedict. One story per Wikipedia is that

Lemuel Benedict, a retired Wall Street stock broker, said that he had wandered into the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 and, hoping to find a cure for his morning hangover, ordered "buttered toast, poached eggs, crisp bacon, and a hooker of hollandaise". The chef named the dish after him.

At breakfast, in a conversation with another hotel guest, we learned that this weekend was the Capitola Beach Festival. Had we known that, we probably would have avoided coming at that time to bypass any crowds. There were road closures and parking was limited due to activities, but we certainly were not impacted by any overbearing crowds. We Uber'd or walked anywhere we went, so parking was a non-issue for us.

After breakfast, our Uber dropped us at the edge of Capitola Village that was near Capitola Beach. I had been unable to find any online merchant map for Capitola Village and our inn had no such maps in the communal area. Everything was for the neighboring Santa Cruz. Frank and I had no set plans, so we just wandered the general area. This lack of a plan was a struggle for my generally anal nature, but we made it work. We came across a seal sculpture. Per the Santa Cruz Sentintal 

A pair of bronze sea lions snuggling brightens the scene at Esplanade Park at the end of the Capitola Esplanade. According to the City of Capitola website, the sculpture created by Oregon-based Kim Chavez Bronze Works is “intended not only to be viewed, but to be touched and climbed upon.” The work was installed in October 2018. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)

The artist intended for her sculpture to be "touched and climbed upon", but did she realize kissing would also be involved? Frank claims the seal slipped him the tongue. Huh. A likely story. And to think... this act of indiscretion was on our 50th wedding anniversary! See https://kimchavez.com/ for other creations of Kim Chavez; her sculptures have a beautiful patina on their surface.

The seating benches along the beach had more of the school children tile artwork, which really brightened up the area. We enjoyed looking at those cheery tiles while watching the cornhole tournament. I have watched corn hole competitions on TV and it is rare for someone to miss getting a bag in a hole. In fact most competitors are adept at knocking an opponent's bag away from its hole should it not go in all the way. Here, with the version on the beach, Frank applauded any time anyone got a bag in a hole, it was so rare. We play a modified version of this game with our son Alex, but of course we never play with the 30 ft regulation distance between the boards. It is harder than it looks.

We then set off to explore the stores of Capitola Village. Hard as I looked, I found no online source for a map of the famous area of Capitola nor were there any printed ones in the communal area of the inn. Most flyers were for Santa Cruz and we were not heading there. A Welcome to Capitola Village By-the Sea brochure listed stores by name categorized as apparel/accessories, jewelry, recreation, gifts/specialty, wine/beer tasting, salon/spa, gallery, dining, deli/ice cream/coffee/ snacks, lodging, real estate, and professional services all intermingled throughout the area. The most useful map I found was a Capitola Village Parking Map which enabled us to figure out the best streets to browse. We were out of the season for the shuttle but since we did not have a designated point A or point B between which to travel, we went on foot with Frank using his rollator and resting as needed. We probably spent about four hours roaming among the streets and the esplanade along the beach.

The Esplanade and surrounding streets: This area is the heart of Capitola Village and is home to most of the shops, restaurants, and cafés. You can explore the merchants listed below by walking along the Esplanade, Capitola Avenue, and San Jose Avenue.

Many of the shops had signs on their windows showing support for immigrants and their families. The shops were welcoming and their signs showed warmth and a sense of humor. Here are a few of my favorite signs we saw in our travels, both outside and in.

I recently finished the book West with Giraffes and reviewed it in my post for 9/26/25 so perhaps giraffes were fresh on my mind. I saw this giraffe lamp in a window in one store and was drawn to it. I showed it to Frank and he too thought it was unique. We both agreed, however, that I am trying to reduce clutter and we definitely did not need another lamp. I took a photo anyway and we moved on.

Curious enough, only a few doors down and around a corner we saw this perky critter peeking out one of the openings. Was it a sign? Or was it merely the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or frequency illusion? 

We stopped for lunch at the Sandcastle Cafe for two reasons — well, maybe three. 1) The name was so cute. 2) The picture of croissants on the front window was so large and enticing. 3) We were hungry. We each had a ham and melted cheese sandwich on a croissant that was warm, soft, and utterly delicious.  We sat a bit and people watched.

One of the nearby views we enjoyed was this building on 107 Stockton Avenue that looked like it had a lighthouse on its roof. I googled its history but found nothing significant, only its curious architecture and an estimated Zillow price of $1,595,700 for 455 square feet.  From the upper level, there was an oblique view of those vibrantly colored houses along Capitola Beach called the Venetian Court.

Frank and I did intend to walk closer to that colorful neighborhood along the Capitola Lagoon. We found that if we  explored down a few narrow alleys between restaurants we could get some pretty decent vantage points. A friendly passerby offered to take a picture of the two of us with those houses in the background. I think he took pity on me trying to contort and position the two of us to a take a selfie.

Per a Santa Cruz County press release for those colorful homes

Capitola Village’s signature landmark, the colorful Venetian Court is celebrating 100 years in 2024. Constructed in 1924, the plans included a three-tiered, five-structure complex with 46 individually owned bungalows designed in the popular Spanish Colonial Revival/ Mediterranean style, featuring textured stucco siding, decorative relief work, and a flat red tile roof with a parapet and small pyramidal caps. The original plan also included eight small gardens, with a central garden at the front of the complex. Situated along Capitola Lagoon, the development was originally named “Venetian Villa.” Today, the Venetian Court boasts 24 townhouses and a 17-unit hotel. Some research suggests that the Venetian Court Motel may be the oldest continuously operating motel of its kind in California.

As we walked closer I was a little bummed that my potentially pretty picture was sullied by a commercially posted For Sale sign. Once back home and writing this blog post I did a little online research and learned per Lookout, a Santa Cruz newsletter

One of the brightly colored beachside homes in Capitola’s Venetian Court is officially on the market, as the complex celebrates its 100th year as one of Santa Cruz County’s most recognizable landmarks as well as “California’s first vacation home complex.” The two-level, 1,926-square-foot property, currently divided into two units, is listed as a single-family home and asking $5.45 million.[...] Listed as a single-family house, it is 1,926 square feet in total, and operates as two units — one on top of the other. The top unit has two bedrooms and one bathroom, and the bottom unit has three bedrooms and one bathroom. Each has its own kitchen. With that square footage, the asking price amounts to about $2,830 per foot.

Gee. If we had known while we were there, maybe we would have put in an offer ...? Yeah. Right.

By then Frank and I had been roaming the area for a little over four hours. We'd seen a few shops, soaked in some beach ambiance, had some good food, and decided were were tired enough to go back to the inn. "What do you remember most about this stroll?" Frank asked me. I thought for a bit and said, "Believe it or not, that giraffe lamp." Frank said, "Me, too. Should we go back and look at it again?". I replied, "I'd love to, but I do not remember which store it was or where the shop was located." "Bummer," Frank echoed. Then I said, "But I took a picture. We can look at it again that way". And in that picture, taken from within the store looking out through the window, was a crossroads sign designating where the store was... corner of San Jose Ave and Capitola Ave. But where were we now? Aha! As kismet would have it, we were right across the street. So back we went to Clementine & Co., for a second look. 

Can you guess where this is leading? Yes, we did buy the lamp as a souvenir of our 50th. The clerk was very nice and remembered us. I had told her the story within the book I'd just read. She said she got the lamp for the store on an impulse, thinking it would take just the right person to to be drawn to it and appreciate it. She seemed happy for the sale, not just for her business but that this giraffe would be going to a good home where it would be loved. Frank played the anniversary and senior citizen cards, (much to my chagrin), but she willingly gave us 10% off, even when I suspect she knew we were going to buy it anyway. When she found out we had Uber'd to the Village from our stay at the Inn on Depot Hill, she offered to bring the  lamp there for us when she got off work in about 45 minutes. We gratefully agreed. The purchase was a satisfying conclusion to our outing and we called an Uber to head back. The following diagram gives a rough idea of where all we'd been, though our journey did extend up to Capitola Avenue. Our tour was more of a random meandering and not a straight shot like the dotted path, which does not include meandering and lingering along the esplanade by the beach.

After afternoon naps at the inn, we rode an Uber out to a dinner at the Olive Garden, 1.6 miles away, not far from the Capitola/Santa Cruz border. We were not up for some unknown fancy restaurant within Capitola Village. Plus I have always liked the endless salad bowl and bread sticks at the Olive Garden and the one close to Livermore closed. Frank enjoyed Pasta Fagioli, a classic, hearty Italian soup made with pasta and beans. Spaghetti & Meatballs and Lasagna were fancy enough fare for us.

Sunday 9/28/25
Checkout time was 11:00 am. Our plans were to leave Capitola with no other activities and take our time heading home. It had rained the night before and there was a slight drizzle but that was not the cause for our unambitious plans for the day. We ate a pancake breakfast at 9:00 am. Again we consumed only half, the portions being so large. Each morning though, the juice and had been super delicious and our fresh fruit cups were delectable. We each ate 100% of those! We packed up and were ready to  go home, continuing our relaxation there. But there was one more challenge.

One of the perks of our particular room was that we had our own designated parking place. It was directly outside our window. The only downside was that the spot was at right angles to the entrance corridor. Backing out without hitting a pylon at the rear left, or grazing the brick on our right where the front of our car would swing. Deceptively camouflaged behind that greenery, that brick wall could severely dent the front right fender or bumper. Reversing straight back would put us into a shed, and we still would need to re-orient the car to exit. Frank helped me negotiate the procedure with my car unscathed by standing outside, directing me like the aircraft marshallers who guide the airplanes into the gate. Back and forth, back and forth, like easing out of a too small parallel parking place while trying to turn 90° ...  that was the slow but eventually successful step-by-step process. 

Once out, we were on our way. The stretch on route 17 was not nearly as nerve racking heading home as it had been on the way down. The day was cloudy and there was a slight drizzle, enough to moderate the distracting dappling effect on the roadway. We got home and relaxed with a bit of football and some other TV. It had been a successful, low key trip. Capitola was not an earthshaking experience but we are glad we got off our duffs to commemorate in some way our 50 years of marriage. And we have a giraffe lamp to show for it! The lady at the store asked me what I was going to name the giraffe and I tentatively said perhaps Jerome. She asked me to let her know when I decided. Once home, I noticed that on the giraffe's head there was wreath of flowers, wound around her ossicones, indicating she needed a girl name. I decided to name her Jolene of Dolly Parton fame.