santa barbara, ca

i think you heard right. my friend who is moving to oakland has been living in SB for a couple of years and he HATES it. he says it's really beautiful and scenic and shit, but as for stuff to do/places to go etc. it really sucks ass. and nothting is open after 8pm.

i've never been, but i'd like to eat one of the super tacos, check out the beautiful-looking courthouse, and get a west-facing view from somewhere close to (or on) the water, preferably higher up. the natural history museum sounds like it could be interesting too.

I been to Santa Barbara a few times. The beach is nice and State St has its moments and there are couple of OK museums, but there is not much in the way of shopping or curiosity. There's plenty of places to drink and eat although some of them veer dangerously close to sports bar and/or "fake" fancy restuarant territory. It is not a good town for coffee, unfortunately. But then maybe you don't need coffee.

I've never been to the campus, maybe there's more of interest around there?

Oh, but I really like the buildings downtown - pretty!

You're not staying in the State Street Hotel, by any chance? That's where I usually stay. Cheap as hell and RIGHT next to the railway tracks! (the station is right outside)

My wife really likes The Coffee Cat which is East of downtown, but tbh I think we only liked this so much because there was nowhere else in SB that catered much to interior bookish coffee-drinkers like ourselves.

That said, if you want some peace and quiet to read a book and look at the ocean, I think it's a good choice. The last time we went this is what we wanted and we got it.

There's plenty of places to drink and eat although some of them veer dangerously close to sports bar and/or "fake" fancy restuarant territory.

that's what i found when i was last there. maybe if i do my research i'll discover something better.

You're not staying in the State Street Hotel, by any chance?

no sir.

this place probably isn't great or anything but looks moderately appealing - http://www.hotelvirginia.com/

same here? http://www.innbytheharbor.com/index.asp

i already have a hotel room. it ain't much (it ain't even cheap), but the vast majority of the hotel rooms in SB are sold out for the weekend!

(i checked out B&Bs too, but they all want a minimum 2-night stay.)

ok, maybe not the latter

(i'm just leaving myself notes here per usual)

super tacos

if you mean la super-rica, you're 8080

I was raised in Santa Barbara and live here for 3 more weeks before I move to Paris. It seems like a good tourist town, but I've never been completely sure what tourists *do* once they get here.

I've never been to the campus, maybe there's more of interest around there?

Not really.

i loved SB the couple times I went tho w/the sneaking suspicion that I could never afford to live there (and I live in manhattan so...)

la super-rica lives up to the hype. meat + tortilla + LOVE there's also a great upsclae italian rest called mollie's the owner is improbably from africa but the food fits in the scene, sunny and refreshing.

I really enjoyed the drive up there from LA, cruising along the coast checking out passing little beach towns like Carpenteria.

killer waves, some decent italian grub, good for weddings and a little day trip.

nobody works in this town, it's nuts.

ISLA VISTA: NEED TO WALK DOWN THE STREET WITH YOUR CUP UPSIDE DOWN

H-IV

LOL

what's the area where state street and de la vina merge together (near mackenzie park)? i like it -- it's understated, a little older/worn, with the sense that there's some money around but people aren't ostentatious about it. lots of independent businesses but there's a gelson's and a coffee bean and a trader joe's too if that's yer thing.

WAHT I MISS???

we have to go there next weekend for a wedding, hope we get time to check out what there is to check out (i've stopped by before, did the dead ass state st. thing at night, there's got to be more)

nope, that's it.

I go regularly because it is a quiet and pleasant place -- ideal for hotel, food, beer. It's also an easy jaunt from Pasadena. I regularly stay in an old redone motor court motel off the harbor beach. From there it's a nice backstreet walk to the State St. restaurants. There is also a very nice park on the mesa above the marina. You can relax there or walk down the cliff-side staircase to a narrow strip of beach. The zoo is another place to spend a couple hours. And the people I travel with often take an afternoon out to hit the local wineries, although it's not my bag.

Montecito is also there if you want to rub elbows with those who look down upon Santa Barbarians (HELLO AUNT SANDRA!).

I once caught a barracuda on the Santa Barbara pier.

what's the area where state street and de la vina merge together (near mackenzie park)? i like it -- it's understated, a little older/worn, with the sense that there's some money around but people aren't ostentatious about it. lots of independent businesses but there's a gelson's and a coffee bean and a trader joe's too if that's yer thing.

San Roque. I'm pretty sure people there are only wealthy due to property values...it's pretty suburban in character.

Xpost on the local wineries. Take the 154 over the mountains into the Solvang/Santa Ynez/Los Olivos area - the drive itself is GORGEOUS - and enjoy some tastings at some of the many winery tasting rooms. Personal favorites: Bridlewood, Zaca Mesa, and Cambria. Lots of good restaurants, too, and not just those featured in Sideways. It gets crowded on the weekends, because its a lot nicer than LA and a ton of people come up there for wine tours - lots of stretch limos, etc., trekking from one winery to another.

We just got back from a day up there yesterday, it was a good time. As for living in the area, I have no idea.

i still have never been to solvang. it's an itch i someday hope to scratch.

I found Solvang pretty boring, it takes about an hour to see everything there is to see.

SB would be a good place to retire if I had enough money, but even at my age I wouldn't want to live there.

(Go Gauchos!)

I had awesome Sushi in Santa Barbara.

Otherwise, I found it kind of like every other five-coffeeshop upscale town. But, you know, beach on one side, mountains on the other = hard to complain about.

Oh yeah, and skip Solvang. Totally pointless town.

Sushi place was called Arigato.

right south of santa babs is goleta home of legendary punk venue/ studios the living room!

Has anyone ever been to Ojai? That was one of the towns I wanted to hit but didn't have time. Sounded like it could either be awesome or just ridiculous.

goleta is west of SB

i went to SB for the 4th of july last year. it was fine. underwhelming.

sorry jimmy i was thinkin 101 directions

Sounds like you need directions 101.

OH!

can we ban hurting from ile too?

I've only been to Ojai once, to visit some family friends, but it is even more a place to live when you want a nothing-ever-happens life than SB. I think there is a "downtown" shopping / cafe area but I can't imagine it being worth the trip unless you lived in Ventura. Probably a good area to drive through, though.

x-post: It's "North" by 101 directions anyway.

i'd rather take the high road on this one xpost

alot of the high grade marijuana we get in so cal is grown in ojai

Has anyone ever been to Ojai? That was one of the towns I wanted to hit but didn't have time. Sounded like it could either be awesome or just ridiculous

Somewhat expensive tourist trap and celebrity hideaway along the lines of Julian only without the good apple pie. Back in the 1970s they used to advertise that they were the home of "TV's Six Million Dollar Man - Steve Austin"

The video for Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends" was filmed there, which is about all you need to know

second trip to santa babs we returned to LA via Ojai, scenic winding drive through the hills to get there but sheesh what a boring town, kinda like nowheresville and a tourist trap at the same time. we had lunch at a hole-in-the-wall mexican place that looked promising yet the food resembled tacos you'd get in the midwest ca. 1970s.

good to know. what about santa paula/fillmore?

tell me about the dunes.

i am deeming this a central coast thread

theres a great board game shop in santa barbara run by a really enthusiastic austrian(?) dude, talking like $60-$80 games, expansion packs, you name it, but the guy is a mensch and will cut you a deal, i bought risk 2210 there and ive unpacked it a lot and it looks real pretty but ive never actually played it

yeah i bought my bro some crazy version of axis and allies there

re upthread, i love ojai but you don't go there for the town. i had a really nice time at the ojai retreat a few months ago, just staring out the window at the mountains, wandering the grounds, taking photos, "meditating" (if you like).

also suzanne's is quite good. we also tried feast bistro -- thumbs up on the food, thumbs down (in my one experience) on the flaky service.

but no, there's not much to "do" in ojai, and that's rather the point.

my photos:

http://flickr.com/photos/stockholm_cindy/sets/72157607455131904/

hey, the retreat looks nice, thanks

SB Unified let school out early. Had to ford a few small rivers to pick up the kids. Partners says there are cars abandoned in flooded areas downtown.

All of Montecito is under an evacuation order.

yikes

That is a lot of rain on Santa Barbara to San Luis Obispo coast #castorm #AtmosphericRiver in just past 24 hours #cawx pic.twitter.com/9ankUZAU5E

— Alex Tardy Skiwxman (@SanDiegoWCMwx) January 10, 2023

We're doing PCH from LA to SF in December (dream of mine). We did Big Sur to SF last year, so that will be a repeat.

We're going to make SB the first stop for two nights after LA. Thinking of staying right in town instead of in wine country. Are there any good hikes within a short drive of SB?

I was thinking of going SB > Hearst Castle. Is Hearst Castle worth doing? If so, where do you recommend staying near there if we are pushing on to Big Sur the next day?

Inspiration Point is the classic hike. Parking is on a residential street and can be annoying later in the day. With kids, it can be fun to pick up arroyo burro trail from Stevens Park or drive to Toro Canyon - both let you start with a play structure. You can take Arroyo Burro all the way up to Inspiration Point and more if you want a full day kind of thing. Rattlesnake Canyon has an enjoyable loop with some good views, and it can be quieter than IP.

We enjoyed Hearst Castle. I'm no expert on the area, but we stayed in Cambria at a hotel called El Colibri and it was small but nice. They had a path you could walk from the hotel to a pebbly shore.

PCH is currently closed for 50 miles south of Big Sur as several (9! iirc) large sections of the highway washed out over this winter between Big Sur and San Simeon. Hopefully it will be open by next winter but I'd put a contingency plan in place in the event of closures.

Old West Cinnamon rolls can be a fun stop at Pismo. A colleague loves the chowder at Splash Cafe also in Pismo.

Elephant seals by hearst castle. Pideras blancas trail to the lighthouse (inaccessible to civilians) is a nice walk

PCH is currently closed for 50 miles south of Big Sur as several (9! iirc) large sections of the highway washed out over this winter between Big Sur and San Simeon. Hopefully it will be open by next winter but I'd put a contingency plan in place in the event of closures.

Yes, I've seen that. Contingency is driving the 101 around, up, and down to Big Sur, which obviously is less scenic and much longer, but Big Sur will make up for it. I was hoping to hike Julia Pfeiffer and Partington Cove but it looks like one of the closures is between there and Big Sur, so we will see.

Sufjan, thanks for your feedback on HC and the other recommendations! I will check them out.

Wind caves @ gaviota is a quick hike if ur looking for something off the highway. Either bishop’s peak or madonna mtns in SLO (madonna is easier, bishop is more interesting)

If ur forced inland bc of road closures consider Pinnacles NP outside of soledad/hollister

Gaviota looks great, but park is closed. If it reopens before Dec, I think that might work.

Contingency is driving the 101 around...

I see your Southern Californian dialect is already dialed in 🤣

Is that a Southern California-only thing? Blame it on Hollywood.

It's the only place I've ever heard it. The 101, the 405, the 5, the 10 . . .

The mother of a friend of mine applies it to every roadway when she visits. The Pico, the Wilshire, the Olympic . . .

Well, NY has the LIE, the Northern State, etc. We just ignore the numbers and give everything names.

~1 min:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-tG6ufH90

ok, lol

Any recent updates on the tri-tip bbq place in the back of the gas station in Buellton? Will they be open with food on a Monday? Information on the web is spotty at best.

I forgot to track that place down! TBH tri tip is not much of a driver for me—it ain’t no TX brisket or St. Louis ribs—but I did have some really excellent tri tip tacos from a food truck outside Figueroa Brewery in Los Olivos recently. FYI Industrial Eats in Buellton has been closed since the owner’s death last month, not sure on reopening status.

Almost went there today for a day trip (coffee, museum, books, dinner, etc?) but decided to wait for a less windy commute up the coast

Santa Barbara had not lost any charm after 3 years of living here, btw. Makes having to go back east (more like Deep South, ugh) to visit parents a drag.

My son and I visited UCSB last year; he was considering applying for grad school there. My question was, Why wouldn't you want to go to school there?

Looking forward to seeing SB and around. Will be there in about two weeks!

We arrived yesterday afternoon. The sunset sky last evening was incredible - electric blue sky clashing with fuchsia and reflecting rosy pink glow off the mountains. Very nice.

Wind caves @ gaviota is a quick hike if ur looking for something off the highway. Either bishop’s peak or madonna mtns in SLO (madonna is easier, bishop is more interesting)

― Its big ball chunky time (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Tuesday, April 25, 2023 12:43 PM (seven months ago) bookmarkflaglink

Shout out to Jimmy the Mod for the Gaviota recommendation. We had the best short hike up to the wind caves yesterday morning. We didn’t see another soul the entire time.

Also, tri-tip sandwiches at the Eagle 76 in Buellton are available during the week and were amazing. BBQ sauce and salsa worked beautifully with the smoky meat. Top 5 sandwich experience.

Reclumbed Bishop in august it was very very fun

Also, tri-tip sandwiches at the Eagle 76 in Buellton are available during the week and were amazing. BBQ sauce and salsa worked beautifully with the smoky meat. Top 5 sandwich experience.

― il lavoro mi rovina la giornata (PBKR), Tuesday, December 5, 2023 7:28 AM (two hours ago)

Nice!

Is Pinnacles on your northward itinerary?

Pinnacles whips

PBKR should be the Dave Portnoy of gas station tri-tip sammies

We’re in Big Sur now so no Pinnacles, though we drove past the exit on 101 this morning. Also I wrenched my ankle at Partington Cove this afternoon. We will see how it feels tomorrow, but I’m like done hiking for the trip.

Pea Soup Andersen's closes for good on its 100th anniversary
https://www.sfgate.com/centralcoast/article/pea-soup-andersen-buellton-closed-18600570.php

never have I ever

Fucking bullshit

To be fair, it’s not any good.

"the signature pea soup quickly became a signature dish"

Itisamystery.jpeg

Some more info here: https://lompocrecord.com/news/local/pea-soup-andersens-in-buellton-shutters-doors-property-in-escrow-after-lengthy-buyer-process/article_fea28acc-0ce7-52f9-a9bf-acdf5c443d56.html

Looks like the building is a tear-down. Maintenance of a 100 year old building that sees heavy use is probably impossible to square on a restaurant budget.

"Guggia Jr., a Central Coast restaurateur, also purchased Pea Soup Andersen's Santa Nella in 2007, which is still operational. His company also owns AJ Spurs steakhouses, Shaw's Steakhouse in Santa Maria, Cracked Crab, The Pantry on Park, and Pappy's Diner."

Suppose serving bad soup and steaks of meat that are usually ground to the ancients is good busjness

Overheard in Santa Barbara:

9-year old(ish) son to 40-something dad: “(mumble mumble) SINGER?”

Dad: “best singer or my favorite singer?”

Son: BEST singer!

Dad: Dave Grohl!

no doubt overheard at the solstice parade, where the no undershirt vest wearing steampunkers reuse there goggled tophats each year

*their, I am no better

I’m at the Lark! I actually did solstice weekend over in the SYV.

Coming up on 5 years, god. A lot has happened, but pony and I still love it here!

OMG how is pony!? What’s he eating these days

Pony is fantastic. We won a ribbon at the last show and we are going camping soon! He eats alfalfa and anything else he can find to stuff in his yaw. Except celery—he’s not into that.

wait wait if you do an equinox weekend there and bring pony, it would be an equine equinox (SORRY!!! truly)

Not only that, he takes an arthritis medication called equioxx!