Soquel Dr, Soquel

Soquel Drive serves as a connector from Soquel to Santa Cruz, as well as a main drag that offers service stations, surf shops and different eateries. The traffic can be a bit chaotic in the morning, but with the sun shining and such close proximity to both the beach and the redwoods, you may just not care. It is probably advisable to live off of Soquel Drive rather than right on the road. The bagelry right by North Main Street is arguably the best of its kind west of New York City, and offers a west coast flair with avocado and jalapeno bagels, in addition to the standard selection. The nearby Ugly Mug coffee shop is another Soquel icon.

Be sure not to confuse Soquel Drive with Soquel Road in your GPS - for some reason, urban planners in the Bay Area delighted in naming every single street in any given town after other neighboring towns, and they must have run out of names. Otherwise, this is a good spot.