Stepping Out In Santa Barbara

111 thoughts on “Stepping Out In Santa Barbara”

1. What a fabulous place. I never knew that there was such a strong Spanish influence there. Happy Anniversary.

   1. There is a lot of Spanish architecture in California, but Santa Barbara really embraces the style. I really loved all the tile and iron work.

2. Happy 20th!! What a wonderful trip away. I love it when we can explore a new place on foot. #nothingbetter!

   1. Thank you! We had visited Santa Barbara multiple times over the years – both solo and together – but this was the first time we didn’t have any other reason to be there other than exploring the city. It was a lot of fun and we both realized that we need to plan for more mini trips like that.

      1. Cheers to mini-trips with lots of walking!!!

         1. Yes! 🙂

3. I love Santa Barbara and we have visited every year for 35 years. My son went to UCSB and it gave us more excuses to visit. The courthouse is amazing! I’m glad you took some tours. We returned from this year’s vacation Labor Day Weekend.

   1. As many times as I’ve been to Santa Barbara before, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t been to the courthouse. It was stunning! When we were planning where we’d go for our anniversary, your posts about your recent visit to the area inspired me to add Santa Barbara to the mix (so, thanks!).

      1. I’m so glad my post had something to do with your trip!

4. Happy anniversary! Santa Barbara is such a beautiful city. I miss being near to the beach!

   1. I love how Santa Barbara is both on the coast and very close to the local mountains. The best of both worlds!

      1. It is and the weather couldn’t be more perfect anywhere!

5. Very interesting architecture. Great picture of the two of you!

   1. Thank you, Kate. I am a chronic lookie-loo so I really enjoyed walking through the neighborhoods and seeing the beautiful (and, expensive) homes.

      1. I am too. When we go to the beach communities, I love to look at the homes. The place we stay has had all the old homes torn down and beautiful beachy homes built. The colors and architecture are amazing.

6. Cheers to you and Paul! I’m glad you had a wonderful time in Santa Barbara. Isn’t it fun to walk around downtown and see all the interesting buildings? We are fortunate that Matt’s sister lives in Goleta, by UCSB, so we can visit for free. (As you know, hotels are very spendy there, especially in the summer months.) But a great place to celebrate a special anniversary!

   1. Thank you, Lynn! You are very lucky to have a place to stay up there. Fortunately, several of the local hotels were running a Buy Two Nights, Get the Third Night Free promo so it wasn’t quite as spendy as it could have been… more money for food and wine!

7. Thanks for this post, Janis. I traveled to Santa Barbara twice on business back in the late 70s. Then, after moving to Seattle (for three years), I vacationed in Santa Barbara once, and stayed the a couple days a year later on a drive down the West Coast. I haven’t been back since 1980. It was so good to see the photos you shared.

   1. As beautiful as it is, Santa Barbara is often a town we drive through on our way further up north. This time we wanted to really spend time and explore, and we are glad we did. Between the Spanish architecture, the gorgeous weather, and varied things to do, we were happy with our choice.

      1. The pictures are beautiful.

8. Congrats on your anniversary! I’ve wanted to go to Santa Barbara for a while now but haven’t been able to find the time. I just heard that Delta is creating a new nonstop flight from ATL to Santa Barbara and I thought, “Gee, great. That doesn’t help me at all. How about MSP to Santa Barbara?” The architecture and doors and fences are amazing. Now I want to go more than ever!

   1. I hope you are able to visit sometime soon. There’s a lot to do – both in the city itself and in the surrounding areas. I’m happy wondering around and sampling locally produced wines, but I’m sure your husband could find tons of bike-riding opportunities too.

      1. I won’t be suggesting the bike – haha.

9. Congratulations on your 20th Janis! This post was a delight to look at- so much to see in each picture. I see EA commented and I always look forward to her annual beach photos when they go, but this was an entirely different and amazing viewpoint. Thank you. I’m going back to look more at the courthouse 🙂

   1. Thank you! The courthouse was simply breathtaking. That room with the murals is still used as an actual courtroom. We were lucky that it was opened for public viewing that day.

10. Beautiful! I love Spanish architecture. Didn’t know this about Santa Barbara. I’m unlikely to get there now but it would certainly be on my list. Sounds likely a beautiful way to celebrate your anniversary. Congratulations!

    1. Thank you! I really love the colorful tiles and iron works… so much more interesting than modern boxes.

11. Congratulations on 20 years together, and best wishes for many, many more.

    1. Thank you!

12. It really is gorgeous. I had no idea Santa Barbara was north of California, I would have guessed south.

    1. Santa Barbara is in central/southern California, but north of where I live. Fortunately, it’s just a few hours’ drive for us.

13. The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is a great example of the predominant architecture that bloomed in the area following the 1925 earthquake.

    1. It’s hard to credit such a devastating event for fabulous outcomes, but I imagine Santa Barbara would look quite a bit different if that didn’t happen.

14. Belated anniversary greetings! Thanks for walking us around this beautiful place. I really enjoyed the tour.

    1. Thank you! It was a great place to celebrate our anniversary.

       1. 🤗🩷

15. I’ve been to Santa Barbara, but it has been many years so thank you for the refresher. Wonderful architectures and skilled craftsmen bring an amazing culture to life. Congratulations on your anniversary, and the lovely photo is definitely frame worthy.

    1. I thought a lot about the various craftspeople as we were admiring the architecture. So many modern buildings now are cookie-cutter. It was nice to see so many homes and other buildings that took skill and creativity to design and build.

16. Happy 20, and cheers to the next 20! About that door with the wonky ovals… ummm… yes please!

    1. Thank you! That architect is so creative. It’s like old Spanish style and Dr. Suess had a love child 🙂

17. Congratulations and best wishes to both of you as you celebrate your 20th anniversary! May I ask the date of your anniversary (if you don’t mind sharing)? Alan and I just celebrated ours on September 15th, and I’m thinking we must be pretty close to yours.

    I love the slide show feature, and that entire Courthouse is a work of art. It looks like you chose a wonderful destination for your celebration! 🍾

    1. Happy anniversary to you also! Ours is a few days before yours.

       Are you going to be traveling along the coast on your trip out west? If so, I hope you are able to see that courthouse in person.

18. Happy Anniversary, and here’s to many more years of wonderful adventures together! We’ve briefly visited Santa Barbara (mostly passing through) and always enjoyed the gorgeous Spanish architecture. I wish we had visited the courthouse, so thanks for the photos. But I think my favorite is the contemporary take on the historic architecture…very cool!

    1. I can’t believe that I had never visited the courthouse before this trip. I could have spent hours in the room full of murals. I loved Jeff Shelton’s architecture too. I would love to give him a blank check to design and build something for us.

19. #3, 4, 5 & 6 of the Jeff Shelton slides are my favs. Did you notice the paving/pavers? That’s the extra that puts it over the top IMHO! Of course, I am partial to the purple railing in #6!
    😎
    Happy Anniversary – you guys look great, BTW!

    1. There were so many lovely details in his architecture it was difficult to see everything but, yes, the paving was beautiful too. I would have loved to see some of the insides… I wondered if the creativity extended into the living areas.

20. Happy anniversary! I never got to visit Santa Barbara. The closest I ever got was when I visited the Edna Valley wine district, which I believe is just south of it (I still look at California’s geography in terms of the wine regions 😃). All your pictures are beautiful. – Marty

    1. Santa Barbara is beautiful

       1. Yep, it sure is.

    2. I think that is an excellent way to divide up the various sections of California! Santa Barbara is just south of the Santa Ynez Valley region (where they filmed the movie Sideways). Unfortunately, we weren’t able to fit in a trip there this time.

21. Congratulations on your anniversary. Your approach to travel is the same as ours, have the nights booked, one thing planned, then wing it. Santa Barbara looks beautiful, a great vacation escape.

    1. Thank you! Winging it worked out well this trip because there was just the right amount of things to do. Too many, and you feel rushed and overwhelmed. Too few, and it can get boring.

22. Happy Anniversary! And now I’ve added Santa Barbara to the list of places I want to visit!

    1. Thank you, Anne. I think you’d love it. Not only is the city beautiful but there is so much to see in the area.

23. Beautiful images! I like your perspective!

    1. Thank you. This trip checked a lot of boxes for us.

24. Happy Anniversary Janis and thanks for a great idea for a short trip. My Dad was from Santa Barbara, but his parents had moved to LA by the time I was born. Never spent any time there. It looks lovely and I like the idea of a walkable weekend.

    1. Anytime we can leave our car and use our feet as transportation, we are happy. I hope you get to visit Santa Barbara at some point… it’s lovely.

25. That’s my kind of getaway. A parked car, lots of walking, capped by a meal deserving of the 20 year wait. What struck me as I looked at your photos of S.B. is the scale. The buildings, by today’s gaudy, big block or high rise standards, look neat, compact, and useful, besides being eternally beautiful to look at. And I love Jeff Shelton’s whimsical updates to a classic style.

    1. I had a similar thought while looking around. No high rises, no boring office blocks. I don’t know if there are regulations in place or if that’s just the general vibe of the place and people are determined to keep it that way. I did appreciate the “No smoking in public areas – Santa Barbara is a smoke-free city” signs we saw everywhere.

       1. I suspect SB has very strict zoning regulations. Oh those darned regulations that a certain party absolutely hates. But oh how necessary they are.

          1. Regulations are often the only thing standing in the way of developers doing whatever they want… then conveniently leaving town so they don’t have to live with the results.

26. It does look very European, including the walkability. Cheers to 20 years and many more!

    1. Thank you, Anabel. I loved the European feeling too. It’s a great way to get your steps in every day.

27. I like that you were able to walk everywhere. Gorgeous place. I would have never guessed that that building was a courthouse. I love the architecture everywhere. Happy 20th anniversary! Cheers for many more!

    1. Thank you! The courthouse – and Jeff Shelton’s buildings – was certainly a highlight. The murals were even more beautiful close up.

28. Happy anniversary! I have only driven through Santa Barbara. I knew it was a lovely and popular destination, but I’m glad to know it’s a good place to walk around.

    1. Thank you! Next time you get close to Santa Barbara, I hope you can stay a while. 🙂

29. First, happy anniversary to you. Second, what a great way to spend that 20th anniversary. I did sense the “doors theme” here as I scrolled down and remembered all your lovely door contributions from your stays in Mexico. I like that Courthouse too – what amazing architecture and a treasure trove inside. Having been to Spain, I can see the comparison as well.

    1. Thank you, Linda. That mini-trip was just what we needed to relax and recharge. We love to walk and we love to explore so it was the perfect combo.

       1. It sounds like a fun getaway Janis.

30. What a wonderful way to celebrate your 20th anniversary. Congratulations, Janis. It was interesting to read about a place I knew so little about.

    1. There is a lot of Spanish influence in California. I think Santa Barbara has done a fantastic job maintaining its beauty and not giving over to rampant development.

       1. That is good to hear that they value that heritage

31. Happy anniversary, you crazy kids! You make Santa Barbara look pretty appealing. One of the few places in CA I haven’t been.

    1. Thank you, Mark. Perhaps you need to put Santa Barbara on your Too-See list. 🙂

32. “No specific plans” turned into serendipity- how wonderful!

    1. Yes! Too many commitments make me twitchy. I love just seeing where the day takes us.

33. Hello! I followed you here from Ally Bean’s.; I comment there as M. I really enjoyed this. We live in the San Diego area, too, and this made me want to drive up and spend a few days in Santa Barbara. My nephew went to UCSC and we drove up for his graduation….such a beautiful campus….but we didn’t get a chance to explore the area. I think it’s time! I recently retired (just finished my 4th week) so we have more time for local fun trips!

    Happy Anniversary to you and your husband!

    ~M~

34. Hello! I followed you here from Ally Bean’s. I really enjoyed this. We live in the San Diego area, too, and this made me want to drive up and spend a few days in Santa Barbara. My nephew went to UCSC and we drove up for his graduation….such a beautiful campus….but we didn’t get a chance to explore the area. I think it’s time! I recently retired (just finished my 4th week) so we have more time for local fun trips!

    Happy Anniversary to you and your husband!

    ~M~
    (Sorry if this is a duplicate. I tried to post it a couple of times and it tells me I had already commented before.)

    1. First, I’m sorry you had problems commenting (WordPress has been giving a lot of us fits lately), but I’m glad you persevered. I hope you get the chance to spend some time in Santa Barbara just exploring like we did. It’s a short drive from San Diego (despite Los Angeles being in the middle :0 ) but feels very different from our large city. Your nephew went to UC Santa Cruz? I did too (a long time ago). It really is a gorgeous campus!

       Congrats on your retirement! I made the plunge about eight years ago and haven’t looked back!

       Thank you for your comment and I hope to see you here again!

       1. Thank you! Eight years! I clicked on your “Retirement” tab and read the first few posts. I am now reading the post from your first week, and I’m nodding, totally feeling the “give myself permission” to just be. I’m so glad to hear that retirement has been wonderful for you! I’m looking forward to seeing what retired life brings for me. So far so good!

          Yes, my nephew graduated in 2008, so many years ago now. We couldn’t take too much time off because of my work and my son’s school so we were only there for 3 days, and 2 of those were mostly eaten by driving time. But we drove around the campus a couple of times, into the woods. Gorgeous!

          1. There are several lifetime learning opportunities in San Diego, depending on your interests. So much to do, so little time 🙂 Best of luck to you.

             1. Yes, we are lucky to be close to many unversities/colleges. And I saw your post about OASIS — which I’ve never heard of, so thank you for mentioning it!

                I retired at 56 and I’m looking forward to being able to do/participate many things while still young and strong enough to be able to do so. My husband “retired” 16years ago (but he was full time dad, including baseball-related activities through high school and a couple of years in FL with my son) so we are ready to explore and do things together. We do have an elderly dog so that’s one thing we need to consider when it comes to traveling. When we traveled before, we took him to a kennel in Bonsall (a ways away but it was worth it) … but since he’s 12 and recently started on anti-seizure meds, it’s better he’s home where he feels most comfortable so we have to rely on dog sitters’ availability.

                Anyway, I hope you don’t mind that I’m looking through your “Retirement” posts from the past. I’m enjoying your perspective as a then-brand-new retiree — I can so relate and learning, too!

35. What FUN for you two! Happy 20th, and what a terrific way to spend your anniversary! I love that you didn’t use your car at all once there. The pictures are fantastic. I might need to keep this idea in mind for future. Thank you for sharing this!!!

    1. You probably have, like us, visited Santa Barbara, or at least drove through it on the way to somewhere else, but it was so nice to spend several days exploring. I loved being able to ditch the car and get everywhere we wanted to go on foot.

       1. We’ve driven to San Francisco several times, so maybe we passed through?? Would be nice to explore. 🙂

36. A belated Happy 20th Anniversary! Your photos are wonderful. I’ve never been to Santa Barbara and didn’t realize that it was so walkable. Walking is the best way to take in architecture. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Thank you! We had spent a couple of months in Europe this spring where we walked just about everywhere (after taking the train between cities) and we were so happy to do that again. It’s great exercise and, you are right, it’s the perfect way to really see the architecture.

37. I used to live in Ventura County. Santa Barbara is amazingly beautiful. I remember when we visited Cali from TN where I grew up, and we were driving up the coast in to Santa Barbara and I said to my mom, “I see where there is a soap opera named after it!” Haha this had to be sometime in the late 80s. Beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing!

    1. I forgot all about that series (I just now googled it to remind me)! There are a lot of places in that area that are worth a visit – we love Santa Ynez Valley too. Thanks for commenting!

38. What a great location to enjoy an anniversary. There is so much history as well as beauty. Loved your photos. 🙂

    1. Thank you, Debra. It was a lovely visit… I don’t know why we don’t take these mini-vacations more often.

39. Happy 20th anniversary, Janis and Paul. It looks like you had a fabulous time in pretty Santa Barbara!

    1. Thank you, Liesbet! We had a great time exploring.

40. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Scaling the heights | Still Restlessjo

41. Gorgeous and happy anniversary to you both.

    1. Thank you! It was a terrific way to celebrate.

42. Janis, you are correct that California is much like Spain or vice versa. Autumn seems to be a good month for a short walking holiday.

    1. We love autumn for its mild weather and because there are fewer people around, especially mid-week. September and the first half of October often gives us the best temps.

43. Congratulations on your 20th Anniversary! What a beautiful place to have a celebration dinner. I remember spending a couple of hours there once, long ago. Just passing through.

    1. Before this trip, we had passed through this beautiful city many times on our way elsewhere. It was nice to actually stop and enjoy everything it has to offer.

44. Congratulations on 20 years together! What a wonderful way to celebrate. Santa Barbara is beautiful, as is the whole California coastline. Cheers to your next 20 years!

    1. Thank you! Santa Barbara is special… as is celebrating 20 years together.

45. Gorgeous images! I miss Santa Barbara and had the chance lived there during my university days. Thank you for sharing 🙏

    1. Lucky you! It is such a beautiful area!

46. Many congratulations on your 20th anniversary, Janis.

    I visited Santa Barbara back in 2010. I fell in love with the town, especially the wonderful buildings. Being able to walk everywhere was brilliant. We had a wonderful few days stay. However, I recall the beach area not being as nice as the rest of the town.

    1. Thank you, Hugh! I’m so happy to know that you’ve visited Santa Barbara and appreciated it as much as we did. We didn’t spend much time near the beach since we are close to one where we live. It didn’t have the draw for us like the gorgeous old Spanish architecture in town.

       1. The beach area may well have changed since I was there, Janis. I hope so. But I agree that the gorgeous old Spanish architecture in the town is certainly something that keeps you in the town rather than venturing down to the beach.

47. Happy anniversary Janis and what a great place to visit to celebrate!

    1. Thank you! We had a great time (and got a lot of steps in 🙂 ).

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