Tourist Suggestions for Santa Barbara, CA?

[wild2east]

Hi all,

 

I'm heading to LA after Christmas, and was thinking about spending a day/evening in Santa Barbara.

 

Any suggestions for things to do? Places to eat? Places to stay? People to do? :-)

 

Thanks in advance for any info and happy Turkey Day!

 

Adam

[MscleLovr]

This was covered very recently in the Travel section of "The New York Times"

[+ g56whiz]

http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/travel/16hours.html?scp=2&sq=Santa%20Barbara&st=cse

[Epigonos]

For great seafood (the Cioppino is especially good) and Bloody Mary's I recommend Brophy Brothers at the commercial pier (not the tourist pier at the end of State Street). If the weather is good you can eat outside on their balcony. The view of the harbor is great and the prices are very reasonable. This place is mainly a hangout for locals and excellent for lunch.

[wild2east]

Actually the NYT article was what inspired me to check out the town for a day/night..... If you'all have any more insider tips, please keep 'em coming!

 

Any recommendations for escorts out there?

[ariadne1880]

San Ysidro Ranch is EXTRAORDINARY. My boyfriend and I were there for a few days this past summer and felt like we had gone to heaven.

[Epigonos]

Santa Barbara is a Bed & Breakfast type of town. Following this link will give you a great list of local Bed & Breakfasts. http://maps.google.com/maps?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=santa+barbara+bed+and+breakfast&fb=1&view=text&sa=X&oi=local_group&resnum=1&ct=more-results&cd=1 I have stayed at The Old Yacht Club Inn Bed & Breakfast and greatly enjoyed my stay. It is any easy walk from there to the beach and though a rather long walk to Brophy Brothers if the weather is good it is glorious. If you are there on a weekend there is an art show on the sidewalk all along the beach.

Santa Barbara is a great town for walking. Believe it or not the old City Hall complex is both picturesque and interesting. You will probably want to make a stop at Mission Santa Barbara. The setting is beautiful although it has been restored so many times and so badly that it doesn’t much resemble the original. Up State Street about five or six block from the beach is an interesting shopping area with fun antique and gift shops.

I was born and raised in Southern California and when to school in Santa Barbara a thousand years ago BUT I still love the place. I hope this helps and that you have a great time.

[+ deej]

I'd probably push the SB Mission well down the list.

 

I enjoyed my visit there, moreso because my companion that day is descended from one of the original CA land grant families and her great^n-grand-aunt/uncle were married by the original friar/bishop/grand poobah at the mission. She was more thrilled to see it than I was, but it was fun to see it with her.

 

As CA missions go, though, meh.

[Epigonos]

If you have a car and an afternoon and evening open you might want to consider driving up Hwy 101 to Buelton. The drive along the coast is beautiful and takes about an hour. If you are a carnivore and appreciate steakhouses the one featured in the film “Sideways” is located there. The Hitching Post II (http://www.hitchingpost2.com/) has great steaks and a fabulous wine cellar