“Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city.”
At least that’s what famed wit Dorothy Parker once wrote of our adopted hometown, and although the city can be accurately described as a vast wasteland with uniquely bizarre barrage of cross-cultures, to my mind that makes it so special. In other words, anything goes.
But for a more retro and homogenous (and some say, more authentic) California experience, you can’t do better than take a trip up the 101 to Santa Barbara. Nestled between the coast and the mountains just 90 minutes north, the place remains as enchanting and seductive as it was to the wealthy elite to flocked to the town in the 1930s.
I’ve been filming in this compact gem of a town recently and last week we happened to be shooting a trapeze artist in an empty parking lot right by the freeway. Before driving on to San Jose the crew and I got to enjoy a well needed day at the beach.
The city is pleasingly located on the longest section of south-facing coastline on the West Coast, bracketed by the Santa Ynez Mountains to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The climate is classically Mediterranean and it was pitched to vacationers as the ‘American Riviera’ during its initial heyday before Word War II. In recent months it has come back into the spotlight as the adopted home of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, or rather it’s tony suburb of Montecito, where the royals’ neighbors include Oprah Winfrey and Michael Douglas.
We working stiffs enjoyed a delicious brunch at Chad’s, conveniently located right by the sea, where we quaffed a flight of mimosas, dived into some incredible Eggs Benedict and enjoyed watching the sail boats glide by. It’s a little slice of heaven. (chadscafe.com).
There are plenty of options in terms of places to stay. We opted for the Inn By The Harbor, a quaint little place with a cute courtyard which ran us $159 a night but if you are feeling lavish you can always stay at the Bacara for around $1500 a night. And if you want to splash out on a sumptuous Sunday brunch there is always the legendary Biltmore Four Seasons, where well-heeled locals and vistors alike have been downing Bloody Marys since the 1920s.
If you’re craving gourmet food at modest prices, don’t miss La Super-Rica on Milpas Street, which has long been a must-eat destination for visiting foodies. The place itself looks like not much more than up upmarket taco stand but the food is quite superb.
There are tons of young folk milling around the old town district on weekend nights, particularly on State Street, thanks to its proximity to the nearby University of California, Santa Barbara. Covid times have slowed the action over the past year, but as things open up you can expect the main drag to be jammed with students en route to O’Malley’s Irish bar or one of the dozens of other inviting watering holes.
If you a wine drinker there are dozens of wineries to explore just across the San Marcos pass in the Santa Ynez Valley, and if you are heading that way, you simply cannot miss the Sunday BBQ at the Cold Spring Tavern, on Stagecoach Road, which started off as stagecoach stop in the 19th century but now plays home to bikers, hippies and other vagabonds every weekend (coldspringtavern.com).
If you are a golfer there are plenty of options in Santa Ynez, I have it on good authority that the best best option locally is the Sandpiper Links Course in Goleta a few miles north of town. Located right next to the ocean, apparently its considered a mini Pebble Beach by the locals. (sandpipergolf.com).
To sum it up, Santa Barbara feels a bit like a classy but laid back cousin to the more boisterous Los Angeles, but one you always enjoy visiting for the Spanish architecture, the good times and the chill attitude. It’s definitely made it into my top three places to retire.
Go visit while you can, and before everything starts to open up properly.
Till next time!
Craig Young
