In Pacifica, Julie Cox Created a Surfer’s Oasis

It’s been a few years since I last drove down to Half Moon Bay and the western half of the big peninsula that starts at the top with the city of San Francisco.  We spent a great day exploring some cool places like Pescadero, Pacifica, and Half Moon Bay, both part of San Mateo County.

First, we visited a former longboard surfing champ named Julie Cox, who opened a place called Traveler a year and a half ago.  Julie had an electrician installing a new outdoor sauna in her back garden, a space that’s already filled with showers, surfboard storage racks, and flowers.

Her shop Traveler is many things. They offer surfers who ply the waves right out back of the shop with things they need, like 24-hour access to hot showers,  lockers to store clothes while at the beach, and various accessories like fins, bathing suits and boards.

But it’s more than that.  Traveler offers a community gathering place, Cox said.   She realized when she first moved to Northern Calif that the surf culture was much different here than in Southern Calif. She wanted to create a store that woman surfers like her could feel comfortable in. “We wanted a warm vibe, cozy, not cold and foggy,” she said.

She often screens movies in the space, and hosts talks about topics she cares about, like preserving the beaches. This has become an unofficial hub of Pacifica, with lots of local products and people coming in for advice about trails to hike and maps.

If you’re thinking of surfing this stretch of coast south of San Francisco, now you know where you can leave your stuff and have a hot shower after your surfing is done.

Traveler
5450 Coast Highway
Pacifica, CA 650-735-9192
www.travelersf.com