It’s almost here! Next week is unofficially my “favorite week of the year to be in Santa Cruz”. Why you might ask? Because people are leaving town and we’ll have it all to ourselves. Less traffic through the maze of construction downtown. Empty beaches. Three things factor into this week of bliss. First, most if not all local Bay Area schools are back in session, so not as many local tourists from over the hill making the trek with kids to the beach for the day visits. Second, UCSC has not started their fall session yet. Classes there start in late September. And finally, we’ve got Burning Man next week. This will empty out town with lots of local people who go.