santa barbara, ca

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

(btw, that's technically a Scrub-Jay - you don't get Blue Jays in CA)

SB's also where Jimmy Connors can get arrested.

the scrub jay is very cute:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Western_Scrub_Jay_holding_an_Acorn_at_Waterfront_Park_in_Portland,_OR.JPG

(btw, that's technically a Scrub-Jay - you don't get Blue Jays in CA)

Steller Jays represent!

http://www.birdsamore.com/_images/jay-stellers_350.jpg

cheap rooms taking sides: hotel state street private room with a shared bath (http://www.hotelstatestreet.net/) or a private en suite at http://www.sbhostel.com/ ? anyone stayed in the hostel?

I had a friend who did said it was one of the nicer hostels he's been in.

did, said

likely true

thankig u again for retreat, jody; have reserved

Was in a bar on state street tonight wondering to myself which students I hate more, Oxford or UCSB, and then I saw a guy wearing an Oxford 2006 Ski Trip hoodie. What a town.

UCSB students like to think that they go to the 'Harvard of party schools' - for the most part, they're the smartest of the kids in California who wanted to go to a party school.

Breaking news: I just went for a quick walk to the pier and back before I go to bed and saw my first dead body. Police and ambulance stood around a body on the floor in the bushes. Didn't look like a crime scene. : ( Very weird first few hours here.

Turns out this is a v. nice town, corpses and Oxbridge undergrads notwithstanding.

If you want Banana Republic and tattoos then State Street is for you.

Yup, sounds about right. My cousin went there.

I saw another dead person. I was on this train : (((((

http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_11429916

when we are in santa barbara (or even just passing through between the bay and so cal) we stop at pierre lafond for breakfast.

http://www.pierrelafond.com/

I ate there. It was good!

p.s. http://lafd.blogspot.com/2009/01/woman-struck-by-amtrak-train-dies-in.html. What a 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!

buellton 76 station still at it:

https://i.imgur.com/KA4ai3r.jpeg

Gifford Fire pairings

I love SB but I just can't get on board with tri-tip after years of eating proper hog (North Carolina) and brisket (Texas).

buellton 76 station still at it:

This makes me so happy. I miss CA.

I enjoy tri-tip in a casual home cookout setting, but yeah, it's not going to adequately replace real bbq mains. An overachieving gas station sando is probably a good context.

I nevertheless intend to seek it out next time I'm up that way.

please let me know if it is a trap or disappointing like aebleskiver

funny, i've become intrigued with santa maria bbq over the past couple years just through reading about it and cooking the occasional tri-tip myself. i wouldn't expect it to be anything like southern or texas bbq but it's on my list of things to seek out whenever i'm in california again.

That's fair. It's a great thing to make at home or to feed a small crowd, and it makes sense to check out the source. The frustration here is when you find "the new barbecue place" only does this. It's great but also everywhere. And good southern bbq is less common.

It’s just a grilled piece of meat is the thing—I would rather have another cut cooked over the grill tbrr

I have not had an aebleskiver! In general I avoid Solvang but I do like all sorts of pastry, so I intend to give it a go at some point.

Cosign tri tip as a great party trick but i would also argue that i don’t go to raleigh to get tri tip so why would i care about pulled pork n vinegar* in santa ynez

*it would be dope but i like regionalisms!

^^^
1000%

The worst is a place that does Kansas City Style and TX brisket and NC pulled pork and and. They all suck. Do one thing and do it well.

Agree, and no place claiming to be a bbq joint should be serving fish!

regionalisms otm, i also think the full meal accompanying the tri-tip is a funny combo that works despite not being very intuitive--like beans and salsa sure, but then the garlic bread is a total curve.