Drinkin' Booze in Santa Cruz

As part of my California-state tour, I jaunted up to Monterey this past weekend to visit some friends from my Glory Days.. high school.  As an aside, I had a layover in Los Angeles.  I barely buckled my seat belt before we touched ground in the big city.. what a joke.  Apparently it is quite difficult to get a direct flight into Monterey.  This made a lot of sense upon arrival as the size of the airport equated to the size of my elementary school, if that.  Many visitors to Monterey actually fly into San Jose International airport and rent vehicles to complete the hour long trip down to the peninsula.. just an FYI.

Anyway, I digress.  One of our leisurely activities consisted of visiting Santa Cruz to enjoy some delectable mimosas and Bloodys at a classy, little joint called 515 Kitchen & Cocktails.  We had intended on sipping our suds atop a roof-deck boasting sensational views, however, Mother Nature had other plans in store for us.  No big deal, the goal of the trip was to enjoy libations, which was clearly inevitable.  As we entered the 515, we walked upstairs into the dining room and were greeted.. or judged.. by a 20-something year old host that treated us as if we were a gang of vagabonds.  When you enter into a restaurant, doesn't the greeting generally go something like "Good afternoon, how many for lunch today?"  Well, this Judgy McJudgerson didn't get that memo.. his interpretation was more along the lines of "Excuse me, are you looking for the restroom?"

HA, joke's on you, Preppy Paul.  Not only are we staying, but we're probably going to get a little bit inebriated and unnecessarily loud.. after all, it was a reunion of sorts.  And that it was.  

Moral of the story:  If you're in Santa Cruz, visit the 515.  They make a hell of a Bloody Mary.