The ultra-bizarre River Street sign.
A page to document all the fun, interesting, silly, unusual, shocking and downright weird things that make Santa Cruz what it is.
If you are looking for Bizarro World, unfortunately you are on the wrong planet. Or should I say, "you is on the unright one." Click here for more info.
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People
Robert 'Umbrella Man' Steffen aka Pinky
- Town Characters, including Robert 'Umbrella Man' Steffen
- Santa Cruz Trash Orchestra
- The Box The weekly Goth night at the Blue Lagoon brings out many characters
- Santa Cruz Rollergirls Roller Derby team
- Laffing Sal Though technically not a person, it's a pretty creepy roboticized version of one.
- Rad Girls
- Santa Cruz C.R.A.N.K. Mob
- A Band of Orcs
Signs and Art
One of the many messages displayed. Photo by John Pilge
- Oddly Decorated Cars
- Casa Del 17 has funny "No Smoking" and "Do Not Litter" signs.
- Curious Traffic Signs
- Speed Enforced by Aircraft
- King Street Has art in the middle of an intersection designed to slow traffic.
- Nuclear Free Zone
- Scotts Valley Branch Library (1985-2011) fragrance free request notice.
- Squirrel Crossing Sign
- Tsunami warning sign in response to the 2011 Tsunami.
- Signpost of Directions to Places Around the World
- Subway Sign
- Surfer Crossing Sign
- Santa in his Underwear wooden cutout, previously displayed outside a home on Bay Street
- Porter Squiggle It's not only a classic piece of Porter College art, but it is also fun to lay on.
- Wreck Ahead sign.
- Alimur Park sculptures
- Giant Hairy Spiders!
Stories and News
Does Creekside Veterinary Hospital assume bad parking habits are hereditary?
- Light Brown Apple Moth Didn't the CDFA know that locals wouldn't want to be sprayed with chemicals?
- Stolen Yellow Submarine February 2007
- The Fraternity Life/Porter Koi Incident
- 2010 Tax Bill Typo
Places
Restaurants
Yes, that is a pie IN the table at the Saturn Cafe
- Abandoned Wienerschnitzel
- Saturn Cafe
- Santa Cruz Diner
- Brookdale Lodge A beautiful, natural creek runs through the main dining room of this hotel and restaurant that is laden with bizarre history and legends of ghosts.
- Night Owl Cookies A service that delivers cookies to your home at night and on the weekends....Santa Cruzans sure can get their munchies.
Residences
- Zami! Housing Co-op Aka Zombie
- "Door with a 35 Foot Drop" back of a carriage house of the Golden Gate Villa
Museums
Beaches
Shopping
Buildings and Structures
- Court of the Mysteries
- Fair Avenue Temple
- The Flatiron Building
- Garfield Park Tabernacle and Garfield Park Circles
- Octagon Building
- Boomeria! a Medieval "country" in Bonny Doon complete with Castle, underground catacombs, dungeons, full sized guillotine, scaffold stocks, control rooms for remotely closing portcullises and hatches, royal chapel with grand pipe organ, catapults, projectile cannons, large slingshots, science laboratory, towers with high pressure water cannons, ammunitions bunker, orchard, livestock yard, and playground.
Mysterious and Mystical
- Bobo
- Mystery Spot
- Elfland
- Google Map Goofs
- The Giant Hedge
- Local Ghost Stories
- Holy City
- Howden Castle
- Monster of Monterey Bay
- Moon Rocks
- Tree Circus Axel Erlandson's wild botanical visions are now located in Gilroy, but two Circus Trees still remain at Tree Circus Center on Scotts Valley Drive
- Albino Redwoods
Everyday Phenomena
- Surfers carrying their surfboards while riding their bikes
- Pleas to Keep Santa Cruz Weird
- Musicians, travelers, and street performers on Pacific Avenue
- Demonstrators of all political persuasions at the Town Clock
- Really loud Sea Lions you can hear barking a mile away from the harbor
- People smoking copious amounts of Cannabis (for medicinal purposes only, of course!) on a regular basis
- Obsessives complaining about the lack of and searching out the few Local Escalators
- Bumper Stickers, mostly of the Liberal persuasion
- Roundabouts
- Chemtrails
Media
- Free Radio Santa Cruz Our local free-form, pirate radio station
- Community Television
- Strange Movies Filmed Locally, such as Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Heartbeeps
Education
Events
- Fungus Fair
- 4/20
- Halloween on Pacific Avenue
- Last Night Santa Cruz DIY
- Omega Nu's Ducky Derby, a Rubber Ducky race and festival, the proceeds of which go to support charitable causes in the community
- Santa Cruz By Night A live action roleplaying game with a vampire theme Downtown
- Testicle Festival
- World's Shortest Parade in Aptos
UCSC Classes
- The entire UCSC History of Consciousness Department
Bizarro Santa Cruz Of The Past
- Ciao Bella Act II Italian food with a wild dinner show
- Santa's Village
- Lost World dinosaurs
- Giant Dominoes
- UCSC Campus Folklore
- Wreck Ahead sign.
