Santa Barbara



Santa Barbara is a city and metropolitan area less than 100 miles (160 km) from Los Angeles but vastly different in pace from its huge neighbor to the south. With a temperate climate and lush natural environs, the "Riviera of the West" is a pleasant day or weekend trip from L.A. Its wide beaches, highly rated wineries, and a large variety of shopping and dining choices enable the town of just 90,000 residents to enjoy the sort of cultural and social amenities which are usually found only in much larger cities.

Understand
Although the common perception of Santa Barbara is as a playground for the rich and famous, the reality is that the average income within city limits is only slightly higher than California as a whole. Notable for its California Mission-style architecture (a long-standing local ordinance ensures that all commercial construction follows the Mission theme, which results in a plethora of red-tiled roofs and faux adobe supermarkets), local residents are intensely proud of their city's roots and traditions, and a number of hugely popular festivals throughout the year celebrate the many cultures found in the city.

In addition, the city's large Latino population, concentrated in the east side of the city around Milpas Street, means there are a great many tacquerias and Mexican restaurants to be found. Santa Barbara has also been influenced by Los Angeles' food-truck scene.

Orientation
The city of Santa Barbara is part of what's known as the South Coast, so named because the coastline between Point Conception and the city of Ventura faces more south than west. The road that serves as the city's nexus is State Street, which runs northwest-southeast in and near downtown and east-west in the uptown area. It continues west as Hollister Avenue through Goleta. The area immediately to the east of lower State Street, between the waterfront and Highway 101, is known as the Funk Zone and has become one of the premier tourist areas of Santa Barbara, and is home to wineries, breweries, art galleries and restaurants, as well as a more youthful and trendier atmosphere. Just a few blocks above the Funk Zone, State Street becomes pedestrian only for eight blocks before opening up to traffic again. The eight blocks closed to cars, called the State Street Promenade are the core of Santa Barbara's downtown. The Latino part of town is on the east side of the city and has its own main street, Milpas Street, which is almost away from, but parallel to, State Street in and near downtown. Upper State Street connects to Highway 154, a state highway that connects Santa Barbara with Los Olivos and wine country.

The orientation can be confusing to visitors, especially since locals often give directions as though the mountains were east, rather than north, and the ocean west, rather than south. "Go north on the 101" means literally "go west"; and if someone says "south of town" they don't mean in the ocean, but down the coast in the direction of Carpinteria and Ventura.

Santa Barbara's downtown neighborhoods are generally working, middle- and upper-middle-class areas, while Montecito to the east of the city and Hope Ranch to the west are two of the city's wealthy enclaves, known as part-time hideouts for Hollywood celebrities and rich retirees.

Climate
Santa Barbara has a slightly different climate from the rest of the area. It maintains idyllic temperatures for most of the year and it is rare to go a week during any season without at least one day reaching. There are occasional temperature extremes: heat waves are common in the late summer and early fall, and night time temperatures can reach down into the thirties during the winter. The best times to travel are not always what travelers expect. Spring and early summer are cool and cloudy through the mornings and often into the afternoons, with temperatures in the s and low s in what the locals call "May Gray" and "June Gloom". During August and early September temperatures get into the s and cloudy days are rare. In mid to late September and October daytime temperatures stay mostly in the s. The rainy season typically lasts from November through March, but even during the rainy season more days are sunny than not.

By plane


The airport can be pricey, and flight schedules limited; flying to Los Angeles (LAX) or Burbank (BUR) and driving or taking public transportation to Santa Barbara may come out ahead on price, time, or both. Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner (see below) stops at Burbank airport 5 times a day on its way to Santa Barbara. From LAX, take the Santa Barbara Airbus for a direct ride or the FlyAway to Union Station and Amtrak to Santa Barbara. Los Angeles is known for its wildly unpredictable traffic, and even the train sometimes experiences delays, so allow yourself extra time if you go this route.

By train

 * Routes stopping in Santa Barbara:
 * Coast Starlight operates daily between Seattle and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Lacey, Centralia, Kelso, Vancouver, WA, Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank.
 * Pacific Surfliner operates daily between San Luis Obispo and San Diego via Los Angeles.
 * Pacific Surfliner operates daily between San Luis Obispo and San Diego via Los Angeles.

[[Image:Santa_Barbara_station_2022.jpg|260px|right|thumb|Coast Starlight operates daily between [[Seattle]] and Los Angeles. Stops include Tacoma, Lacey, Centralia, Kelso, Vancouver, WA, Portland, Salem, Albany, Eugene, Klamath Falls, Dunsmuir, Redding, Chico, Sacramento, Davis, Martinez, San Francisco (Emeryville), Oakland, San Jose, Salinas, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Simi Valley, Van Nuys, and Burbank.

Santa Barbara railway station.]]

The ride on these train routes is beautiful on portions near the coast, but delays do occur, especially on the Coast Starlight.

By bus
The station is downtown, at 224 Chapala, next to the Amtrak station.

The Santa Barbara Airbus operates eight times per day between Goleta, Santa Barbara, Carpinteria and LAX.

Central Coast Shuttle also operates an airport shuttle between Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and LAX.

Flixbus serves Santa Barbara on its way to San Luis Obispo and Los Angeles.

VISTA Transit runs regional service from Ventura and Oxnard.

Santa Barbara MTD, the city bus, runs service from Goleta and Carpinteria if you're already in the metro area.

By car
There is only one major highway in and out of Santa Barbara: US 101, which is coterminous with Highway 1 for over 30 miles (48 km) both north and south (well, east, but down the coast) of the city. From the 101, coming from the south, downtown Santa Barbara can be accessed via the Garden St. exit, while the beaches can be found off the Cabrillo Blvd. off ramp. From the north, get off the 101 at either the Mission or Carrillo St. off ramps. Traffic patterns are the opposite from the famous Los Angeles grid lock, as the southbound 101 can come to a grinding halt on Sunday afternoons.

State Route 154 is a secondary road that leads over the mountains to the Santa Ynez Valley, and to towns like Los Olivos and Solvang; it is accurately designated a "Scenic Highway" by the California Department of Transportation. However, it's probably less of a way to get into town and more of a road to take on a day trip from Santa Barbara.

By bus
The Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District (SBMTD) runs buses all over Santa Barbara proper, and neighboring Goleta, Montecito and Carpinteria. Routes and fares are on their website. It's a cheap and fairly comprehensive way to get around town, but not particularly fast.

The SBMTD also runs shuttle bus services along State St between downtown Sola St and the waterfront, and along the waterfront between the Zoo and the Harbor, leaving every 15 or 30 minutes between 9AM and 6PM (till 10PM F-Sa in summer). Fare is 25 to 50 cents; get a free shuttle transfer to switch between the two shuttles.

Bill's Bus specializes in transporting the student party crowd safely Downtown from Isla Vista and back again on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. $10 round trip, $7 one way.

By car
Santa Barbara is fairly easy to drive around, and in most areas parking is rarely difficult to find, either in a municipal garage or on the street. One confusing wrinkle is the presence of 3 similarly named major streets, Carrillo St, Castillo St, and Cabrillo Blvd. Don't mix them up. As anywhere, you shouldn't drive under the influence of alcohol, but be aware that Santa Barbara police are particularly merciless about catching and prosecuting drunk drivers.

Budget and Hertz car rental outlets are present at the airport terminal, and several other rental agencies are located in Santa Barbara.

By foot
With a mild climate, walking is a great way to get around town, but might be inconvenient outside of downtown and the funk zone.

By taxi
Taxis are plentiful but expensive, but given the relatively compact size of downtown Santa Barbara, they're viable if you don't need to go out too far into the suburbs.

By bike or inline skate
Along the waterfront, many businesses offer bicycle or inline skate rentals for exploring the beach areas, and "rickshaw" taxis are also common.

Do
Although Santa Barbara is an atypical coastal town, it offers the typical Southern California variety of outdoor activities, from surfing to whale-watching.


 * are based at Lompoc City Airport.
 * are based at Lompoc City Airport.
 * are based at Lompoc City Airport.
 * are based at Lompoc City Airport.

Performance venues and organizations
The events calendar of the Santa Barbara Independent (a local weekly newspaper) is a good source for the latest events in town.

Parks
Santa Barbara has numerous attractive public parks. A few notable ones are listed below.

Buy
Santa Barbara is a shopping paradise. State Street alone offers more than a mile stretch of everything from trendy boutiques to popular chain stores like Restoration Hardware. (812 State St., downtown) is an upscale mall that bills itself as "California's First Shopping Center," while lushly themed and nearby (651 Paseo Nuevo) offers Nordstrom's and more than 50 specialty shops. Whatever you're looking for, you'll likely find it on State Street. There is plenty of parking downtown with the first 75 minutes free in most lots (except at the beach). A good bet is the parking structure on Ortega.



Eat
Santa Barbara does French-inspired California cuisine quite well. Locally sourced food is a point of pride for many chefs, who are able to draw from the bounty of fresh produce grown within a few hundred miles of the city, as well as the fresh seafood that's pulled in from the ocean daily. The town's elevated cultural status attracts high-powered chefs from all over the world, and the selection and sheer variety of local fare is quite astonishing for a community of 90,000.

In addition, Santa Barbara's Mexican food ranks with any other town in California and the food truck scene born in L.A. has emerged in the city as well. Here are just a few of Santa Barbara's culinary choices:



Splurge
For a city as wealthy as it is, Santa Barbara has fewer real fine dining options than you might expect. A few good options are below.



Bars
In addition to Santa Barbara wine tasting, the region is also full of bars. Many of them cater to crowds of students from the nearby university. Thursday nights are the official college night of downtown bars at which time the drinks are particularly cheap. Really any bar on lower State Street is Fun on Thursday nights to relive those college days.

Cafés
There are several good places to relax in Santa Barbara:

Other
The local ice creams or blenders are great for the go or to relax on one of the state street benches.

Sleep
Santa Barbara has a huge number of hotels and motels, ranging from Motel 6 to the Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort. One thing you won't find here is dives. Prices are before tax; allow another 8% for tax.

Go next
Although Santa Barbara is somewhat geographically isolated, with only one major route in or out of the city, the surrounding area is rife with fascinating side-trips.


 * Cachuma Lake Recreation Area - This rural county park in the hills, about up Route 154, makes for a pleasant day trip for kayaking or hiking, or you can arrange to camp there.
 * Channel Islands National Park - Channel Islands National Park is a series of islands that are home to incredible marine life, beautiful and remote scenery, and the wily Channel Islands fox. While most trips to the Channel Islands depart from Ventura, Truth Aquatics runs trips from Santa Barbara.
 * Goleta - Neighboring Santa Barbara to the west, Goleta offers similar beaches and resorts to its more famous neighbor. It is also home to a grove of trees that is an overwintering area for monarch butterflies, with the insects gathering in huge numbers each year from mid-November until mid-February.
 * Los Olivos - About north of Santa Barbara on Highway 154. This is a cute little one-horse town with about 20 local winery tasting rooms lined up on Grand St. A great place to go wine tasting without having to drive a zillion miles from winery to winery.
 * Montecito - This affluent town is located just east of Santa Barbara along the coast and is home to many rich and famous, including Oprah Winfrey. Montecito Village is home to some interesting shops and markets, while upscale resorts can be found on the coast.
 * Solvang - Located approximately north of Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang is a gingerbread town. What must have started several decade back as a small "Little Denmark" tourist trap has grown into an entire town and surrounding community obsessed with its own overwhelming Danishness. Every sign, roof, light post and pothole is Danish-themed here, and reports of wandering bands of drunken men in plastic Viking helmets are firmly founded in reality. Take Highway 101 north/west to Buellton (the home of the original Pea Soup Anderson's), exit at the Highway 246 offramp and follow the destination signs to Solvang. If you're up for a twisty drive, take Highway 154 (also known as the San Marcos Pass) back to Santa Barbara at sunset and enjoy an unforgettable view.
 * Santa Ynez - northwest of Santa Barbara, Santa Ynez sits at the heart of the rural Santa Ynez valley, an area that attracts travelers to its many wineries. The valley was the setting for the 2004 film Sideways, and fans of the film are known to make pilgrimages to the inns and restaurants from the movie.
 * Wine Country. North on US 101 or Highway 154; pretty much all of the county north of the mountains.
 * Los Angeles is about down the coast, but whether you take the 101 or the Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1), be prepared for a major tie-up somewhere along the route in the best of times. With no traffic, the trip could take you 90 minutes, but actual driving time is often easily twice that and can be more. Both routes have their appeal, though, as after they diverge in Ventura, Route 1 goes past beautiful coastline and the Malibu Cliffs, whereas the 101 climbs over the Conejo Grade into Thousand Oaks and then the San Fernando Valley.  Also accessible by Amtrak, Flixbus, or Greyhound. Contrary to popular belief, Los Angeles does have decent public transportation and a car-free weekend can be had at places like Hollywood or Santa Monica.