Opal Cliffs, Pleasure Point, CA

Opal Cliffs is the eastern end of Pleasure Point, in the last corner of Live Oak on the Santa Cruz side of the Capitola line, and it feels closer to Capitola's village than to the surf blocks farther west. The bluff is what everyone here builds around, and the water is never far from view. Opal Cliffs homes fall into two groups. Along Opal Cliff Drive are the older bluff-edge houses with the ocean at the back fence. Behind them is the 1950s grid, where streets carry the names of jewels and stones, such as Garnet, Diamond, Jade, Topaz and Crystal, and the houses are mostly single-story places on small lots. The water is the main outdoor draw. Privates Beach, reached off Opal Cliff Drive, was for years reached only by neighbors with a key, and it is now open to the public. Hook Beach and Shark's Cove sit along the same stretch. Jade Street Park Community Center is a little farther into Capitola. The food is a short stack of east side favorites. Verve Coffee Roasters has a cafe on this side of town. Over at The Penny Ice Creamery, the scoops are organic and change with the season, and Mad Yolks, builds stacked breakfast sandwiches and closes up in the afternoon. Pleasure Pizza runs an East Side Eatery here as well. Daily errands go east, to the Lucky store and the New Leaf market in Capitola. Capitola Village and its pier are a bike ride or a short drive from most front doors. Highway 1 is the quick route to Santa Cruz and Watsonville. The streets are narrow and compact, so beach visitors and neighbors compete for the same few curb spaces on sunny weekends. That is the cost of sitting this close to the sand, and it is also why so many people here leave the car at home and walk the last block to the bluff.