Odds & Ends

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

The Revamp of Dwight Murphy Field Is Finally About to Get Underway

Plus: A better look at the residential conversion on Ortega Street; Seven Bar's new mural; Jon Batiste to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; Wyatt Flores in concert at the Arlington Theatre; the reason for the construction on Via Real; Vitsoe shelving for sale.

May 11, 2025

Opening Date for the Linden Square Complex in Carpinteria

Plus: A winning makeover on Garden Street; changes to a busy block downtown; Mācher's Santa Ynez shop opens this week; Mad Dogs & Englishmen is returning to Montecito; another outpost of the Well; upper De La Vina Street to be one-way during bridge replacement; "special parties" in the works at the Magic Castle Cabaret; a better look at the Hilton Santa Barbara's proposed expansion. 22

May 5, 2025

A Possible Lead in the Case of the Purloined Stiletto

Plus: A visit to Rose Story Farm during peak rose season; demolition proposed for Los Patos Way apartments; two more Santa Barbara Bowl shows; Fairview Gardens update; Xanadu Skate Boutique to go online-only; Umbra Labs bailed on lower State Street; new look for the SBIFF Film Center; Don Louis Perceval art exhibit at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum; is Santa Barbara like Athens? 8

April 27, 2025

The Rancho San Marcos Golf Course Has Reopened

Plus: A new podcast about Santa Barbara; Band of Horses and Iron & Wine to play the Arlington Theatre; Maren Morris returns to the Santa Barbara Bowl; the Cold Spring bridge project is completed; Soul Sucker ceramics and plants at El Paseo; architectural tours of downtown; next year's SBIFF dates; De La Vina bridge replacement to start next month; new look for the five-story building proposed for De La Guerra Street. 2

April 21, 2025

The Big Red Shoe on Highway 101 Was Stolen

Plus: A new gym with a burly name is opening downtown; Orangetheory's Santa Barbara studio closes next weekend; Game Seeker needs to find another home; Vic Trace Reservoir replacement; new interior design shop in Buellton; the Illuminate Film Festival; confusing signage at the Los Patos roundabout. 3

April 14, 2025

Another Jeff Shelton House Is for Rent

Plus: Two more Santa Barbara Bowl shows (and so few women this season); double feature of documentaries about Montecito architecture; Lower State smoke shop status; Santa Barbara Fair & Expo is coming up; "Montecito: An Audio Soap Opera." 6

April 7, 2025

The Former Nordstrom Building Will Be Partially Converted to Residential

Plus: More turnover on Coast Village Road; four new pickleball courts in Montecito; local production of "Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812"; jewelry store coming to the Montecito Country Mart; Gogol Bordello to play the Arlington Theatre; Arrediamo Home Decor is opening on State Street; an evening with Albert Brooks. 14

April 1, 2025

Marisa Mason Is Moving to Montecito

Plus: Spikeball classes; tickets to the Music Academy of the West‘s summer festival; Flaming Lips and Modest Mouse to play the Santa Barbara Bowl; free gardening advice; Colin Campbell Cooper, Leon Dabo, and Lockwood De Forest at Sullivan & Goss; "next-level circus" coming to the Lobero Theatre; a good source for breaking news? 10