Odds & Ends

March 2, 2023

Why Were Cameras Installed at the Montecito Hot Springs?

Plus: The latest plans for the De La Guerra Plaza revamp; Little Rainbow Foot Spa closed for remodeling; a new explanation from MarBorg for its non-curbside rate hike; Union Bank is becoming U.S. Bank; East Beach water-contact closure lifted; free firewood from the State Street Axe Club; potential public use of Santa Barbara High School's track and football field. 12

February 23, 2023

A Big New Gym Is Opening Downtown

Plus: Adventure park with ziplining is coming to the Santa Ynez Valley; the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is coming up; Father John Misty, the Head and the Heart, and Rebelution to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; an Instagram account for local history buffs; are neighbors getting annoyed by pickleball? 5

February 19, 2023

The Las Aves Developer Has Taken Over More of Los Patos Way

Plus: Housing for the homeless is said to be in the works for 1.7 acres on upper State Street; more on MarBorg's hefty rate hike for non-curbside service; Channel City Lumber is opening a Santa Barbara store; Angel boutique is moving; an update on the Best Western Pepper Tree Hotel; the Santa Barbara Antique Show is coming up; E. Mountain Drive has reopened at the Cold Spring trailhead; Trombone Shorty, Ziggy Marley, and Mavis Staples to play the Santa Barbara Bowl. 10

February 16, 2023

The Seepage Problem at the Castillo Street Underpass

Plus: Four more Santa Barbara Bowl shows; the best look yet at the wondrous Pepper Hill house; vintage and consignment store Faitell Attractions found a new home; opening forecast for The Pad climbing gym; the answer to last week's "Where in Santa Barbara...?" 7

February 13, 2023

Rooms & Gardens Is Moving to Montecito

Plus: MarBorg's price hike for "non-curbside" service; Goleta Beach County Park has partially reopened; Zodo's bowling alley has been rebranded; documentary about the cool house on Pepper Hill; city survey about the Single Family Design Board design review process; contemporary photos of old buildings; Highway 101 construction updates. 12

February 8, 2023

State Street’s Drift Hotel Has Opened

Plus: Van Morrison and James Taylor to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; Urgent Veterinary Care opening on De La Vina; the complicated hotel project coming to W. Montecito Street; interior designer Amber Lewis hints about a Santa Barbara shop; wildfire detection camera installed on Ortega Ridge; wonderful little building squandered. 13

February 6, 2023

The Provenance of the Blue Vases Atop the Presidio Plaza Building

Plus: Goleta hotel to be rebranded; health warning lifted for Miramar Beach and Fernald Point Beach; vintage-and-makers collective opening on State Street; neighborhood art-studio tours in Ojai; new show at My Pet Ram gallery; novelist Rachel Cusk in person.

January 28, 2023

Plans for a New Jeff Shelton Building Downtown

Plus: Three more Santa Barbara Bowl shows announced; fencing proposed for Plaza de Vera Cruz park; East Beach sewage contamination; Acorn and Oak fitness and wellness studio opening on Hollister Avenue; Romero Canyon bridge is damaged again; group show by a dozen local women artists. 5

January 23, 2023

Coda in Montecito’s Upper Village Has Closed

Plus: Someone is looking to open an indoor playground; a new novel called "Stick and Ball" set in the local polo scene; the Evans/Lillie Avenue reopening got pushed back a bit; a reprise of musician Omar Velasco's Come What May Fest; more photos of the fascinating Pepper Hill mound house; work by J. Bradley Greer and Lynda Weinman at Sullivan Goss. 6

January 21, 2023

A-List Boutique to Open in Montecito’s Upper Village

Plus: Kismet will open a dedicated lingerie studio; Jack Johnson to play the Lobero Theatre; the slate for the 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival; the Montecito Tea Gardens gets another $10 million price cut; are you Santa Barbara's next poet laureate? 5