Local information

Restaurant Guide

Getting to Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is served by 3 airports: SJC (San Jose; 34 mi), SFO (San Francisco; 62 mi) and MRY (Monterey Regional; 55 mi).

Amtrak and Caltrain stop at San Jose Diridon station, from which the Highway 17 Express bus can be taken directly to Santa Cruz.

Public transportation & ride-share

Within Santa Cruz.

You can use the Santa Cruz Metro bus system, which has major routes to campus from Downtown and along Mission St and Bay St. The fare is $2.

Buses travel around campus either clockwise (numbered odd) or counter-clockwise (numbered even). The following bus lines stop at Stevenson College: 15, 16, 19 & 20.

The most convenient bus stops to Stevenson College Fireside Lounge are:

• Stevenson College/Bookstore, for odd-numbered (clockwise) buses.
• Crown College, for even-numbered (counter-clockwise) buses

For ride-share apps, the most convenient drop off point is Stevenson College Circle.

From Airports.

Direct transit connections from the airports takes time, so a ride-share may be preferable. If you prefer public transportation, it is necessary to get to San Jose Diridon Station; from there, the Highway 17 Express bus can be taken. See this explanation. The fare each way is $7.

Parking

Parking is limited campus-wide, so we encourage you to carpool, to use a ride-sharing service, or to use the Metro bus system.

Visitors to the conference can park in either lot 107 or 109 for $5 a day. Find the kiosk for that lot and complete the on-screen instructions to obtain a weekend permit.

Driving

Within Santa Cruz.

Follow Highway One north through town, where it becomes Mission St. Turn right on Bay Street and follow it up the hill to the campus entrance.

To Santa Cruz:

From Southern and Central California:

Take Highway 101 north to Highway 156 west to Highway 1 north. Follow Highway 1 north to Santa Cruz.

From Northern California:

Take Interstate 5 south to Interstate 80 west to Interstate 680 south which becomes Interstate 280 north. Then take Highway 17 south to Santa Cruz, then Highway 1 north.

From San Francisco Airport:

Take Highway 101 south to Highway 85 south, to Highway 17 south to Santa Cruz, then Highway 1 north.

From San Jose Airport:

Take Interstate 880, which becomes Highway 17 south to Santa Cruz, then Highway 1 north.

From Monterey Airport:

Take Highway 1 north to Santa Cruz.

Accommodations

Santa Cruz is a beach town and tourist destination, so the hotel market can be steep. We recommend making a reservation as soon as possible, just in case. The most convenient accommodations will be on the West Side of Santa Cruz, in proximity to the main campus.

AirBnB is a very popular option here.

Some favorite hotels on the West Side:

• Mission Inn - convenient to UCSC and to the restaurants, wineries and breweries of the West Side. Usually has reliable prices.
• Babbling Brook Inn - more like a B&B, tucked in amongst redwoods and overlooking ... a babbling brook.
• Sea and Sand Inn and Seaway Inn - are located on West Cliff Drive, overlooking Monterey Bay. The views come at a price, but it is sometimes possible to snag a deal here.

The Mission Inn is about a 10 minute walk to the nearest bus stop, Bay & Mission St. The others are 2-5 minutes from bus stops on Laurel St (Babbling Brook) and Bay St (Sea* Inn).

The more adventurous, or road-trip inclined, might look for arrangements somewhat farther afield, e.g., the Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel (~30 miles north), the Davenport Roadhouse (~10 miles north), or local campgrounds, like in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.