July 22, 2025
Odds & Ends
Another Huge Price Cut for the “Floating Home” in the Harbor
Plus: Update on the upper San Ysidro trail and Romero Jeepway; the Riviera "rain totems" have been moved; construction at the former Klaus Automotive building; answers to two questions about debris basins; Steve Martin riffing locally; exploring the Ventura River Parkway Trail to Ojai. 8
July 14, 2025
The Upper Village Is Getting Another Bank Branch
Plus: Swimwear chain confirmed for Coast Village Road; Loveworn has opened a Carpinteria shop; the Santa Barbara County Civil Grand Jury weighs in; fence proposed around the landmark Moreton Bay fig tree; electronic duo to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; Melissa Chandon paintings at Caldwell Snyder. 11
July 6, 2025
Inside the Huge New Vintage Store on State Street
Plus: More vintage and minimalist leather in the Funk Zone; estate sale pop-ups; Goodwill's donation center on Milpas has closed; real estate agent promoting negotiable fees; Fred Armisen to play the Lobero; new art gallery downtown; more sloppy road signage. 16
June 30, 2025
A Music Festival Is Coming to the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club
Plus: Two new boutiques selling women's apparel; Mācher‘s Linden Square shop opens this week; another development site in the Haley Street Corridor?; the state of the Tesla chargers at the Miramar resort; new local streaming radio station; awkward typography on the San Ysidro Road off-ramp sign; ZZ Top to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; pronouncing "jacaranda." 16
June 24, 2025
Two More Rite Aid Stores Are Closing
Plus: Inside the new 30-room vacation-rental hotel downtown; adjacent Highway 101 on-ramps to be closed for nine months; Queens of the Stone Age concert; Heidi Merrick sample sale; the July 4 celebration at the waterfront; John Waters's Halloween show; the answer to last weekend's "Where in Santa Barbara...?" 5
June 15, 2025
New Tenant for RH’s Former Store on State Street
Plus: Children's club opening in Summerland; Linden Square yoga and Pilates studio debuts next week; Santa Barbara Nissan is no longer; Pete Yorn in concert; another Santa Barbara Bowl show announced; big few weeks for Highway 101 construction; a second Ikat and Pearls shop in Ventura. 7
June 10, 2025
More on the Proposed Apartment Complex Behind the Mission
Plus: Repair of the Butterfly Beach steps; anti-Trump protest on Saturday; new shop and a relocation at Victoria Court; two new shops at The Post; this year's One805 Live! headliner; two more return appearances at the Santa Barbara Bowl; Opera Santa Barbara‘s 2025-26 season; is More Mesa at increased risk of development? 40
June 1, 2025
The Biltmore’s Reopening Has Been Pushed Back
Plus: ChatGPT's roast of Santa Barbara County; new effort to change the way Santa Barbara is run; update on the Electrify America charging station; Kaarem's Victoria Court boutique has closed; Dawes to play the Lobero Theatre; downtown building to be clad in artificial turf; note from a descendant of the proprietor of the Weeping Willow Inn. 10
May 27, 2025
New Adventure Playground in the Santa Ynez Valley
Plus: Three more shops have opened at The Post; new kids' art studio downtown; La Casa de Maria is allowing group events; update on the Manning Park tennis courts; Leslie Lewis Sigler tablescapes at Sullivan Goss; Ensemble Theatre Company's 2025-26 season; answer to last week's "Where in Santa Barbara...?" 1
May 18, 2025
Burning Questions
- Why Are the Railroad Tracks Being Expanded Along Padaro Lane?
- Will You Explain the Plan to Adapt the Waterfront for Climate Change?
- Why Did the Rosewood Miramar Beach Install Gates?
- How Long Will This Big Pipe Be at East Beach?
- Is Cabrillo Boulevard Going to Be Widened Under Highway 101?
- Was There a Fisherman Inn in Downtown Santa Barbara?
- What Are Those Old Buildings at the Corner of Castillo and Montecito Streets?
Recent Comments
It is kind of complex to tease out who bears the risks and benefits in these projects that have public and private parties involved. I… — SBradley
Very interesting. If Yardi is paying anywhere near $120M + $35M + $5.7M for almost 250k empty square feet, this is going to take a… — NuemanJ
I think some folks who would consider this is a windfall for Yardi may be overlooking two things: 1)The cost to Yardi to buyout AB's… — StanThompson
Just realizing I did not address your first point. The buildings on the property have been up for sale, and their value is also depressed… — SBradley
I think that the city's representation of this land as having ‘zero value’ is confusing because it sums together the value of 2 distinct things… — SBradley
No idea whether this is a good deal for Yardi or not. Paseo Nuevo has been available for sale since 2020 with no buyers -… — NuemanJ
I wish this same logic worked for Thrifty ice cream! According to the BLS inflation calculator, something that cost 5 cents in 1970 should cost… — Doug B
I'm unclear how bike lanes are related to maga. For that matter please explain how freeways and rail lines are remotely maga in a state… — Bettye Jones
Worth knowing about the Paseo Nuevo deal: the city is skipping the required competitive bidding process for this public land transfer by using the state-approved… — SBradley
This write up is such a biased take that sides with a handful of people. I imagine the people groaning about this project have a… — Yesenia G.