The Santa Barbara area has many news sources that do various things well, but none was exactly what I wanted—just the important news, along with a healthy dose of upscale lifestyle coverage (restaurants, real estate, travel, and so on). So I created Siteline.
Having grown up in Orange County and moved to New York City after college, I never thought I’d return to California. But when my husband, Adam, and I visited Santa Barbara a few years ago, I realized that the area is everything I love about the state, without all the stuff I don’t. At the start of 2019, I sold my hyperlocal website, Tribeca Citizen, and we moved here. (Before Tribeca Citizen, I was a magazine editor: Budget Travel, Fortune, Travel + Leisure, Town & Country.)
There’s no zealot like the recently converted, as the saying goes, and for a while, I’ll undoubtedly have more enthusiasm than expertise. I will get excited about things that you’ve known about for years, and I will make mistakes. Feel free to correct or contradict me; we know more collectively than any of us can on our own. If you have a vested interest in whatever you’re commenting about, however, I insist that you make the connection public.
And editorial and advertising will always be entirely separate.
Please reach out with any questions, concerns, tips, or even compliments. The best way to follow Siteline is by subscribing to the email newsletter. And if you know someone who might be interested in this site, please pass it along.
Erik Torkells
Founder
917-209-6473
[email protected]
















Recent Comments
Just so we're all clear: I am not a real estate agent, and I have no financial interest in whether a property sells. When I… — Erik Torkells
Pretty sure the only time he's getting paid to help sell a house is when he runs an ad for a realtor. Other than that… — Liz
So many businesses dropping out of Santa Ynez- Queen Cup Coffee, The General, Lucky Hen Larder, Asher, Brass Tack, now Cross Hatch- I predict businesses… — Christine!
The restrictions also only apply to projects with a planning permit, because the restriction is not an ordinance, rather it's a policy that gets applied… — Paul
Me too. It was such a bad decision to close it. — Sue Sadler
Thank you for copying and pasting from the article I just read. — Chet
Really missing Stella Mare — Rhona
That's his job? Since when? — jl
Asana has ~$8 billion in assets under management. Given the jaw dropping figure and their current portfolio, expect chains like Warby Parker. Not exactly Montecito/SB… — J
I primarily read this for the snarky comments — D