While Ron and I were in northern California, we spent a lovely afternoon in Santa Cruz and Capitola, places where Ron lived and played in the past. Ron’s doctor is in Santa Cruz, so seeing him every year gives us a great excuse to come and play in these beautiful towns on the coast of Monterrey Bay.

Capitola-by-the-Sea has a permanent population of less than 10,000 people, but is a very popular tourist town because of its large, sandy beach, trendy shops and restaurants on the shore that connect to the fishing wharf. One of the places we love to visit in this charming town is Pizza My Heart (http://www.pizzamyheart.com), now a successful chain of by-the-slice take-out pizza, which reminds us of the great “pie” we enjoy while in New York. We picked up a couple of great slices from their flagship location on the water and enjoyed them with a couple of great glasses of wine from the Cava Wine Bar (http://www.cavacapitola.com) that specializes in wines from boutique producers in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

On our drive back to Santa Clara, we stopped so that Ron could show me one of the great iconic restaurants of the area, the Shadowbrook Restaurant (http://www.shadowbrook-capitola.com).   Originally opened in 1947 and with its red cable car access and terraced gardens flowing all the way down to Soquel Creek, this restaurant is famous for being one of the most romantic on the west coast and in all of America.   We were still full from our time in downtown Capitola, so look forward to bringing Ron’s Mom here on our next trip to thank her for all of the amazing meals she prepares for us.  We’re really looking forward to it.