So after doing a mega drinking binge at a bar in Capitola, my friends and I rolled our drunken asses down to Santa Cruz to eat (we did have a designated driver....we're dumb but not THAT dumb).  This was at about two this morning.  Anywho, as my friend and I stumbled to the bathrooms at the Santa Cruz Diner, I noticed some pics on the wall.  While waiting for my friend to crawl out of the men's room, I studied the pics....the Santa Cruz Diner used to be a Golden West!  I freaked out because that was a name I haven't heard in AGES.  When my friend finally emerged, I gleefully pointed it out to him, and we both started reminiscing about the place.  When we got back to the rest of the mutant mob at the table, we were reminded of how old we were when NONE of them had heard of it.  Phooey on them.  ANYWAYS...

So when I climbed my drunk ass into bed this morning, I hopped on the computer to see if I could find out anything about this restaurant.  NOTHING, except some old items for sale on eBay.  So does anyone else remember this place?  Fond memories, company info, logo origins, anything?  BUELLER?  I know that my grandfather used to take us there a LOOOOOOONG time ago, usually when we were coming or going on our camping trips.  I couldn't have been more than three or four.

The logo(s), to refresh memories:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GOLDEN-WEST-RESTAURANT-Matchbook-Never-used-/260554940112?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caa48ded0#ht_500wt_928

http://cgi.ebay.com/GOLDEN-WEST-RESTAURANTS-Single-AD-Playing-Card-/260506468979?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ca7654273#ht_668wt_911

So after doing a mega drinking binge at a bar in Capitola, my friends and I rolled our drunken asses down to Santa Cruz to eat (we did have a designated driver....we're dumb but not THAT dumb).  This was at about two this morning.  Anywho, as my friend and I stumbled to the bathrooms at the Santa Cruz Diner, I noticed some pics on the wall.  While waiting for my friend to crawl out of the men's room, I studied the pics....the Santa Cruz Diner used to be a Golden West!  I freaked out because that was a name I haven't heard in AGES.  When my friend finally emerged, I gleefully pointed it out to him, and we both started reminiscing about the place.  When we got back to the rest of the mutant mob at the table, we were reminded of how old we were when NONE of them had heard of it.  Phooey on them.  ANYWAYS...

So when I climbed my drunk ass into bed this morning, I hopped on the computer to see if I could find out anything about this restaurant.  NOTHING, except some old items for sale on eBay.  So does anyone else remember this place?  Fond memories, company info, logo origins, anything?  BUELLER?  I know that my grandfather used to take us there a LOOOOOOONG time ago, usually when we were coming or going on our camping trips.  I couldn't have been more than three or four.

The logo(s), to refresh memories:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GOLDEN-WEST-RESTAURANT-Matchbook-Never-used-/260554940112?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3caa48ded0#ht_500wt_928

http://cgi.ebay.com/GOLDEN-WEST-RESTAURANTS-Single-AD-Playing-Card-/260506468979?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ca7654273#ht_668wt_911


Hmmmm....another addled memory!  ;D

Jumps wildly up and down, waving hands, bellowing "I remember Golden West" pancakes back in the 1960s!!!!!!!"

During the family treks from Pleasanton and Livermore to Santa Cruz to romp in the surf, wander the boardwalk and venture the general area (along with traversing the coast to stop at various beaches and peek into the tide pools, we often stopped at the Golden West within Santa Cruz and ate the breakfast fare including their pancakes.

I usually grabbed the pigs in a blanket fare... link-type sausage unlinked with each sausagelet wrapped within a pancake.

That was a BIG event for our working-class family.

And the trip was soooooo much more enjoyable back before the horrendous growth rate that flooded the Bay area with humanity, reducing the, to me, quality of life immensely.

Imagining the area with 40 million humans as the population continues to grow exponentially saddens me but I will be dead and gone before that horror strikes.