POSTCARD FROM SANTA BARBARA
American Riviera
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Santa Barbara can sweep you off your feet with its architecture, aristocratic ambience and affable weather.
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With beautiful red-tiled roofs of old Spanish buildings, the city overwhelms you with its distinct style and a relaxed air.
Photo: D.K. Bhaskar
Calm waters: The Monterrey Bay.
FAITHFULLY following the instructions on my little GPS device, I drove into Santa Barbara, a city so charming and unique that I instantly fell for its outlandish character. I took the spectacular Highway Number 1 from Atascadero in the county of San Louis Obispo to reach Santa Barbara. The winding road ran along the coast, unfolding some incredible views of an incredibly blue Pacific Ocean at every turn. The rocky embankments jutting into the clear blue waters were an added attraction, with sea lions, dolphins and other marine creatures. Passing through the Big Sur national park, with views of rugged canyons and steep sea cliffs, granite shorelines and windswept cypress trees, majestic redwood forests and pristine coastline, a journey of two hours stretched over to three-and-a-half hours due to my frequent, unscheduled breaks. My stopover for the night was a historic 1871 Victorian hotel, two blocks away from the heart of Santa Barbara's downtown area.
Ideal weather
A city that has retained its Spanish colonial influence, Santa Barbara can sweep you off your feet with its architecture, aristocratic ambience and affable weather. With beautiful red-tiled roofs of old Spanish buildings, which, by the way, are priced at sky high rates, clean roads with impressive landscaping and of course fresh ocean breeze, the city overwhelms you with its distinct style and a relaxed air. With a perfect Mediterranean climate and temperatures hovering around 60°F even in late winter, there could not have not been a better place to take that dream vacation of your life!
On a beautiful winter afternoon, with no specific plan in my mind, I started my exploration of Santa Barbara from the State Street. Beginning at Stern's Wharf and running north for about six straight miles, the street offers everything that makes a fabulous tourist spot; pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, a variety of shops and a mind-boggling array of restaurants amidst a great line-up of trees. Old Town houses, historic sites and old-styled restaurants are juxtaposed with ultra-modern shopping complexes, multi-cuisine restaurants and coffee shops along the sidewalk. On State Street is the tallest building of SB, the Granada building built in 1924, which is a historic place for performing arts and the Trinity Episcopal Church.
As I continued on State Street, I chanced upon a signboard for a "red tile walking tour". I learnt that the tour was ideal for newcomers and visitors to have a quick overview of the main attractions of the city. This intriguing, self-guided walking tour covers many of Santa Barbara's main cultural and historical attractions. The route explores approximately 12 blocks of urban territory and is self-guided. While on the tour, I covered Presidio, Casa de la Guerra, historic adobes, the courthouse and the art museum. Santa Barbara Museum of Art is a majestic building located in the middle of State Street. Two floors and several attractive galleries display American, Asian, 19th-century European, contemporary, Greek and Roman antiquities and photographic arts. Located adjacent to it are some lovely cafés and restaurants.
The temperature was dipping and the sun was slowly going down the horizon. I had planned to reach Stern's Wharf for a view of the gorgeous sunset. Built in 1872 to handle incoming freight and passengers, Stern's Wharf is one of the coast's oldest wooden piers. The attraction of the wharf begins right at the entrance with the dolphins' fountain. I stood by a corner with my camera poised to capture the sunset, hoping to photograph the perfect orange ball as it drowned into the sea. However, clouds played the prank and I missed an opportunity to photograph what could have been a gorgeous sunset. Oh well, man proposes and cloud disposes! While walking back, I met a local sand artist who had sculpted a remarkable piece of art of a water mermaid on the beach.
Go kayaking
I took Captain Jack's Kayak tours, perhaps one of the best known in Santa Barbara for a kayaking stint. The sea was extremely calm, the sunshine just perfect, the weather soothing, as I slowly manoeuvred my hard shell kayak; a forward stroke, reverse stroke and sweep strokes and keeping the momentum going through. The colours of the underwater world were astounding with multi-coloured fishes and innumerable sea creatures meandering right below the kayak, while I was still scanning the water surface for possible sighting of the big whales.
With so many exciting things to do and places to be in, it is no wonder that Santa Barbara is home to many celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Ronald Reagan and Tom Cruise, to name a few. Being just about an hour away from Los Angeles, the house of Hollywood, the starlets regularly appear on the A-list restaurants and hotels, relaxing in the quiet and clean beaches. I took a tour of the neighbourhoods in Santa Barbara in a hop in and hop off, an open windowed trolley covering Mission Santa Barbara, Montecito, Court house, Butterfly beach, Santa Barbara Zoo and the train station.
Santa Barbara is the confluence of northern and southern California, conjured up to make a splash of colours and contrasts with red-tile roofs, Spanish style adobe mansions, blue topaz waters, long stretches of endless golden beaches, caramel pathways zigzagging through mountainous passes and a penchant for arts and culture.
D.K. BHASKAR
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