|
|
Bike paths in and around Santa Barbara make it a breeze to explore “the American Riviera.” By Kelsie Diperna / iStock
It’s 9:30 a.m. on a Friday, and in California’s tourism hot spots, most visitors are having a very different morning than I am — likely caught up in the L.A. snarl en route to theme parks, or driving the 101 coming or going to San Francisco. I’m perched in a tandem kayak in the waters off Santa Barbara, eyes peeled for pods of dolphins, a frequent sighting here.
“I always call this the islands of the mainland,” says our guide, Sean, who grew up just inland and now leads tours with Santa Barbara Adventure Co. “No people here, just wildlife.”
It’s unexpected, blissful tranquility. The morning is overcast, and our bellies are full of the huevos rancheros that my travel companion and I gorged on at a mom-and-pop joint before the tour; recognizing the lazy vibes, Sean goes easy on us. We don’t cover much ground, instead sticking close to the volcanic cliffs that line the coast, Sean telling stories about the Chumash people, who have lived and fished here for thousands of years.
Santa Barbara’s palm-tree-lined waterfront, with the Santa Ynez Mountains in the background.
By OC Gonzalez / Unsplash
As we bob in the waves, my eyes drift west toward the sea, and I spot an anomaly: a giant oil tanker. It’s a shock for the eyes. But it’s also a clue to how Santa Barbara became a hotbed of livable sustainability, a tight vacation destination full of easily accessible, local pleasures — years before urban planners became obsessed with the notion of the “15-minute city,” where everything you need is within a quick walk, bike or public transit ride.
Drilling off the California coast dates back more than 150 years. In 1969, a blowout of a drilling rig platform just off Santa Barbara spilled 4.2 million gallons of oil into these waters — but it also gave rise to the world’s first Earth Day, and a local commitment to environmental protection that’s shaped Santa Barbara into the destination it is today.
With its Mediterranean-like climate, dreamy Spanish architecture and lush gardens, Santa Barbara has long been called the American Riviera. More recently, it’s been giving L.A. North vibes, thanks to an influx of starry residents — most notably, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who moved into a $14.65-million (U.S.) mansion in neighbouring Montecito in 2020.
But for this visitor, Santa Barbara’s charm lies in its commitment to compactness, one of the goals of the Community Environmental Council, a local non-profit conceived in the aftermath of that 1969 oil spill.
Today, it’s easy to pack a lot of vacation into a very short time: exploring an urban wine trail in a neighbourhood of repurposed warehouses, for example, or visiting verdant outdoor spaces, or cycling along bike paths that put spots like the glamorous Montecito Country Mart open-air mall — and the rushing waterfalls and hiking trails tucked into the hills just beyond it — within a short coastal cruise.
The city’s Funk Zone neighbourhood is home to an urban wine trail, artists’ studios and boutiques.
By Blake Bronstad / Visit Santa Barbara
By mid-afternoon, we’re back in the centre of town. After stopping for scoops at the iconic McConnell’s, which started making its famed small-batch ice creams downtown in 1949 (and has since expanded to L.A.’s Grand Central Market, and a handful of locations outside Santa Barbara), we only need to take a few steps back to our hotel to plan the rest of the day.
Dating back to 1925 and situated in one of Santa Barbara’s original Spanish Colonial structures, the Hotel Californian, where we’re staying, encompasses three buildings spread over the busiest corners in town. The rooftop pool provides an excellent lay of the land: popular West Beach and Stearns Wharf just across the street, with the Pacific Ocean beyond that, and the low-slung rooftops of the nearby Funk Zone — where we set our sights — all framed by the Santa Ynez Mountains, which hug the coast.
A view of the Hotel Californian, noted for its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.
By Hotel Californian / Visit Santa Barbara
In a more spread-out destination, the rest of the day might be less ambitious. But Santa Barbara’s easy access includes putting wine country within walking distance. In the Funk Zone — blocks of converted buildings and warehouses — we peruse offerings from the dozens of regional wineries that have opened in-town tasting rooms.
We finally settle on Pali Wine Co., as much for its garden-party vibe as its playful natural wines and serious Chardonnays and Pinots. From there, it’s just a few more steps to Loquita, with its packed, fire-lit courtyard full of guests digging into plates of local seafood and paella, and then just a few more steps back to the hotel.
We sleep that night with our doors open, lulled by the frogs in Mission Creek, another one of the environmental council’s conservation efforts, which backs our room. Their sweet night song promises new discoveries in the morning, just outside our door.
来源链接：
https://www.toronto.com/things-to-do/travel/in-santa-barbara-a-k-a-america-s-riviera-everything-you-need-is-within-a/article_a6a354c5-e571-5946-ab21-8c699f64d0d1.html
|
|
