<p>ok well only me and my friend(who is also attending UCSC) is going to the orientation on july 26.. my friend is the only one who drives, but he can't do it for a long period of time. i live in LA. so we're planning to take a plane to San Jose and rent a car.. but i just found out the chance of us renting a car is practically ZERO. is there a hotel inside UCSC or very close to UCSC(walking distance). how can i get to santa cruz after arriving in san jose?</p>
<p>Locate Diridon Station and from there you can catch a bus number 17 to Santa Cruz. The ride is about 45 minutes to Santa Cruz. </p>
<p>But to get up to campus, you would need to catch another bus…though that I’m not too sure.</p>
<p>How old are you? You’ll generally need to be 25 to rent a car. Also, consider checking the “rideshare” section on Craigslist to save money versus the flight. There are some hotels nearby, as for walking distance, that depends on your definition. The immediate area surrounding campus is residential; no hotels that I’m aware of. The University Inn is near downtown, about a five minute walk to the Westside metro hub on Pacific.</p>
<p>we are both 18. as for craiglist, i don’t really trust it. what is the westside metro hub?</p>
<p>Try to see if you can find people from the UCSC class of 2014 page on facebook who will be willing to carpool. If not, take the highway 17 express from the diridon station to the santa cruz metro station. From there, take any bus that says “UCSC” in its title. The 15 and the 16 are the fastest, but you can take the 10/13/19/27X.</p>
<p>If you are planning on taking public transportation, go to Google Maps and then hit the public transportation option. It will tell you how to get there, what buses to take, and you can also edit the trips by time.</p>
<p>If you SERIOUSLY have a legitimate issue of why you can’t use public transportation (and it better be a good one), I can find you a ride pretty easily.</p>
<p>i don’t have an issue with using public transportation, neither does my friend. the issue is where can i find a close hotel near the campus and also be able to get there fairly quickly for the freshmen orientation</p>
<p>@Tony</p>
<p>Try to get a room at University Inn. You can think of it like the University’s hotel. 4 floors are occupied by students for the full year, and one floor is for hotel guests. It is by a nice park and only about a 10-15 minute walk to downtown/bus station. A couple perks: 1) one of the cheapest and closest options, and 2) free continental breakfast in the morning. I’ve stayed here with my parents many times, and while it is not super nice, it is clean and convenient.</p>
<p>The metro hub is just the bus station, like Trumpet said. If you’re 18 there’s no chance whatsoever that you’ll be able to rent a car, so it sounds like you’re limited to public transport.</p>
<p>well the university inn might be full when my friend and i get there. we’re planning on coming on sunday night. are there any other hotels beside the university inn?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be too concerned about the inn being full, especially since it’s summer. If you’re really concerned, call and make a reservation. Most other hotels require you to be 21 and are a good deal more expensive, so unless you’ve got a fake ID or are willing to stay in a sketchy motel, you’re out of luck.</p>
<p>how much does bus fare cost?</p>
<p>and does the downtown/bus station have buses to ucsc? is the downtown bus station the santa cruz metro station?</p>
<p>It’s $2/ride. The metro station is the bus station, yes, and the Westside (downtown) hub (the Westside/UCSC line) busses all go to the top of UCSC.</p>
<p>Ok tonythetiger, first question answer. Get off the plane in San Jo, take the 10 bus (free) to the Caltrain. Take Caltrain (2.50) to the 17 express station. From there you will wait for the 17 express and it will take you to downtown Santa Cruz for (4.00). From there you can catch another bus to University Inn or up to campus. Depending on the time you arrive and how long you have to wait for buses will determine your total time. For me, I’ve made it in 1 hr 5 min and another time it took almost 3 hours. It may sound like a lot but it is very very easy to use public transportation to get from the airport to campus. I also agree with the University Inn because you will get a special rate if you are there for orientation (last year it was 65.00). Remember, it is summer and high season for other hotels in Santa Cruz. Holiday Inn probably about 170.00. Once you are a student at UCSC, all the public transportation is included in your student fees so you just show your id card and you won’t have to pay.
Also look up Santa Cruz Metro and it will give you all the routes and time tables.</p>
<p>Actually, the 17 is now $5. Metro recently approved a fare increase. Although I’m surprised to see the website still showing $1.50 for the in county buses. I remember reading a sign in a bus a few weeks ago that said it increased to $2.</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.scmtd.com/en/fares/fares]Fares[/url”>Santa Cruz METRO - Fares]Fares[/url</a>]</p>
<p>I’d also suggest checking out the Santa Cruz Hostel. [Santa</a> Cruz,CA Hostel - Carmelita Cottages - Home - Official Website](<a href=“http://www.hi-santacruz.org/]Santa”>http://www.hi-santacruz.org/) It’s only a few blocks down from the UCSC inn and much less expensive.</p>
<p>uhh i would defintely not want to be in a hostel…</p>
<p>and how would i get back to san jose airport? and the 17 express station is the diridon station right?</p>
<p>Yes, the 17 express station for San Jose is the diridon station. The 17 express station for Santa Cruz is the Santa Cruz Metro station.</p>
<p>Literally, go to Google Maps and hit the transportation button. It isn’t difficult at all. They will give you options and sort them by times.</p>
<p>so take the 10 bus then take the caltrain and then take the 17?
is the caltrain stil 2.50?</p>
<p>and another question…
if i reserve my spot now for the university inn will i get the special deal if i reserve it on the 25th to 26th?</p>