Walk up to a complete stranger on the street and ask them any question about a topic that piques your curiosity. What would it be?
Would you do it? Could you do it?
That was the job I was offered in June 2023 when I was the lucky journalist who visited the office of Brad Kava, the new editor of Good times. One of Brad’s first decisions was to bring back “Question of the Week,” a popular feature that had been absent for years, and I wisely (and impulsively) accepted his offer to take responsibility for it.
For this young journalist, it was a daunting task to go out on the street and ask random people for answers to questions that I thought might be fun or important to think about for five minutes a day.
I almost gave up on the first day. A few polite rejections and cold feet were enough to awaken my long-dormant social anxiety. I said, “I don’t think I can do this.” But Brad wouldn’t let me back out, not without submitting my interviews at least once.
I have been grateful ever since for that impetus, for 58 consecutive weeks of Street Talk, and for meeting the kindest, most considerate, surprising, and articulate people on the streets of Santa Cruz County.
I have made real friends and made lasting memories – learned a lot, laughed a lot, and cried more than once. I have witnessed the joy of visitors discovering Santa Cruz for the first time, heard stories from Santa Cruz’s past, and learned about the needs of our homeless.
I have discovered that far from being the all-white enclave that some consider Santa Cruz to be, our community is very ethnically diverse—a beautiful fact that I hope to express to the neighbors who appear on Street Talk.
I shuddered when I heard stories about UFOs and the supernatural.
Lindsy Valdez told of a campfire gathering where an eerie floating light appeared, and Kamran Aghevli11, believed that aliens are “waiting for an opportunity to strike soon and for the moment when we are vulnerable.”
I laughed as Philippe Cartin remembered “Bruce Almighty,” his favorite Jim Carrey film.
I was amazed when I learned Leila Hakimi finds her inner peace in wrestling, just like Van Swanson in sword fighting.
I enjoyed hearing about the deep affection Watsonville residents have for their City Plaza, their pride in their many festivals, and their connection to history and heritage.
I learned that the composer Bela Bartok owned a curved piano that we once had in a music venue in the city center, called Palookavilleand that a woman, Bertha Benzdrove the first long-distance test of an automobile.
We commented on the Otter 841 affair and COVID and reconsidered the slogan “Keep Santa Cruz Weird.”
And our street speakers had foresight when they agreed across all demographics that Joe Biden is too old to be president.
Thank you all for taking the time to talk and read. Street Talk returns next week in its usual format.
Do you have a favorite question or answer from the last Street Talk year?
Do you have a suggestion for a question next year?
Post on the Good Times Facebook page or email us at le*****@go*******.sc.
