Coastal Traveler - Fall 2007 - (Page 40)

coastaltraveler E Anapamu St Ho pe Ra nc h Loma Alta Dr W Anapamu St N Milpas St Santa Barbara St De la Vina St W Haley St State St E Haley St E Guiterrez St Cliff Castillo St Dr Garden St State St S Milpas St Shoreline Dr W Cabrillo Blvd E Ca br ill o Bl vd S Milpas St M on c te Santa Barbara By Robert Plotkin After the Civil War industrialists used to come out to Santa Barbara on their private rail cars to take in the Mediterranean air. Then came the European aristocracy, who after the Russian Revolution, took their fortunes to this small city laying between the ocean and the San Ynez Mountains. The old money descendents still occupy the great rooms of Montecito, a small village just south of Santa Barbara proper. But a wave of Hollywood immigration has been felt in even the toniest neighborhoods as Santa Barbara has become the Hamptons of Los Angeles. The City was fortunate to have suffered an earthquake in 1925, so the entire city was rebuilt during the best period of California construction. The lowliest apartment buildings are made of hand troweled plaster and are capped with aged Spanish tile. The courthouse is like a Spanish Colonial castle. Even the movie theatres on State Street look like places where silent film stars would swing from the chandeliers. There are very few cities in the United States that have maintained an architectural style. Pre-war New York is almost gone. San Francisco has kept many of its Victorian buildings. But there is no place in California that is so unified in its architecture. There are no hodge-podge of styles, just the creamy walls and red tile roofs and black wrought iron. Unfortunately, the ocean is not as appealing as the architecture. It is not particularly clear. And there are not large enough waves to ride consistently, except at Rincon, which is south of Santa Barbara and famous for its point break. The water is not as clear as La Jolla or Laguna Beach, but the city is much more interesting than either, and it has an over arching elegance that few cities in the world can match. It is a place of where scions drive classic cars down long, oak studded driveways, and have to use a ladder to retrieve books from their library. It is a place where beauty, and living well are important. And in that sense, it is like the Mediterranean, where playboys and screenwriters, artists and aristocrats have decided to live under red tile. ito Where to Stay San Ysidro Ranch 900 San Ysidro Ln • 805.565.1700 or www.sanysidroranch.com The Biltmore 1260 Chanel Drv. • 805.969.2262 or www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara.com Bacara Resort 8301 Hollister Ave. • 805.968.0100 or www.bacararesort.com Where to Eat Milk and Honey 30 W. Amapamu St • 805.275.4232 Arigato Sushi 1225 State St. • 805.965.6074 D’Angelo Pastry & Bread 25 W. Gutierrez St. • 805.962.5466 La Super Rica Taqueria 622 N. Milpas St. • 805.963.4940 Where to Shop Europa 2345 Lillie Ave, Summerland • 805.969.4989 or www.antiqueseuropa.com Botanic 2329 Lillie Ave, Summerland • 805.565.3831 or Just Folk 2346 Lillie Ave • 805.969.7118 Church of Skaten 26 E Gutierrez St. • 805.899-1586 Lost Horizon Book Store 703 Anacapa St. • 805.962.4606 40 coastaltraveler fall http://www.sanysidroranch.com http://www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara.com http://www.bacararesort.com http://www.antiqueseuropa.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Coastal Traveler - Fall 2007

Coastal Traveler - Fall 2007 Coastal Contents Coastal Connoisseur Coastal Picks Coastal Hotel Coastal Reader Coastal Rider Coastal Spa Santa Barbara Pismo & Avila San Luis Obispo Big Sur Carmel Monterey Santa Cruz San Francisco Sausalito Mill Valley Stinson Beach Bolinas Olema Point Reyes Station San Geronimo Fairfax Inverness Marshall, Tomales Sebastopol Petuluma Sonoma Coast Redwood Coast Napa Map

Coastal Traveler - Fall 2007

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