Lookout Park Has Expanded

••• The Summerland Citizens Association reports that the eastern end of Lookout Park—which I didn’t even know was in the works—has opened. It’s a pretty circular lawn with the ocean views you expect from the park. “Longtime Summerland columnist Fran Davis dedicated countless hours leading the move to open the east end of Lookout Park for public use. In recognition of her years of advocacy on behalf of increasing public access to this part of the park, she has been honored with a plaque placed on a boulder on the east end.”

••• Thirty percent off a hotel stay is nothing to sneeze at. From Visit Santa Barbara:

Starting Nov. 1, Visit Santa Barbara is kicking off a new lodging promotion, offering unprecedented 30% discounts for local residents from Goleta to Carpinteria who book overnight trips to the Santa Barbara South Coast in the shoulder season. The deals apply to stays between November 2023 and early 2024 at more than a dozen South Coast properties.

Participating hotels range from luxury resorts like The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara and El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel to seaside hotels such as Hotel Milo and neighborhood inns like Best Western Plus Santa Barbara. Short-term rental properties from Paradise Retreats are also part of the mix. Some properties are offering extra perks for locals who book, such as complimentary parking or discounts on food or beverages.

Although this off-season deal is exclusively for locals, area residents can extend the offer to their friends and relatives. Dates of stay, as well as terms and conditions, vary by property, and blackout dates may apply. To view all of the available offers, terms and instructions for booking, visit here.

••• Light + Home has opened a pop-up in the former La Kaiser jewelry store at the corner of State and Figueroa. As befits the season, there’s more gifty stuff than at the San Roque flagship—which I finally visited for the first time, and if your style skews modern, you really should check it out.

••• The November 8 agenda of the Historic Landmarks Commission includes “a new lighting corridor along State Street (between Micheltorena Street to just north of Mission Street) and Mission Street (between Chino Street and Anacapa Street) and removal of a portion of the median at the intersection of Mission Street and State Street for a left-turn lane.” I’ve always wondered there’s no left-turn lane for people driving south on State.

••• The Ojai Holiday Home Tour is November 11 and 12. Advance tickets are $45.

••• Two commercial real estate transactions of note: 1) Google bought 355 Coromar Drive, 7.61 acres of land southeast of Goleta’s Target store, for $16.8 million; 2) the Pacific Crest Hotel at 433 Corona del Mar in East Beach was bought for $9 million by Oceanic Enterprises, which owns hotels across the West. It looks like it could benefit from attention…. UPDATE: “355 Coromar had been approved in 2022 for Pacific Beverage Company to build 75,000 sqft, now Google owns the lot,” tweeted @SB_Updater. “Google currently does Quantum AI research on Mentor Dr. in Goleta.”

••• On November 9, the Santa Barbara Historical Museum will host a flamenco performance—by Manuel Gutiérrez, Vanessa Albalos, Alex Jordan, and Amanda Cuevas—in the historic Covarrubias adobe. The 7 p.m. show sold out, so a 9:30 p.m. one has been added.

••• And for the left-brained: “The James Webb Space Telescope […] has ushered in a new era of cosmic exploration, succeeding the iconic Hubble Space Telescope. As the largest and most advanced space telescope ever engineered, it offers humanity a high-definition glimpse into the infrared universe. On November 8, Dr. Matthew Greenhouse, esteemed NASA JWST Lead Project Scientist, will share his insights and expertise during Ventech’s event hosted at Cabrillo Pavilion from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.” Tickets are $40. Below: “The Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant located 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Taurus.”

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