I read the Great Beanie Baby Bubble this summer and he’s an unusual (nutty) character. It’s really sad and maddening that he has been able to essentially shut down the Biltmore for years. The human tragedy of all the people who lost their jobs plus the place is a historic landmark and sits empty because of the whims of some eccentric billionaire.
Someone needs to do something about Ty Warner.
The pier has some decent options for T-shirt’s, the place under Deep Sea tasting room.
Seems Ty is bringing features from Las Ventanas to his Montecito properties. A speak easy at SYR and a lazy river at Biltmore. Both are better suited to Cabo than Montecito…
I agree with you that parklets are probably the best approach to State without major infrastructure changes like raising the grade of the road to level with the sidewalks. Disagree the striping project is a waste of money though - it's a pilot scheme that is a rounding error in budgetary terms, and will be useful to see if it helps alleviate some of the conflict between cyclists and walkers - it should have been done as soon as they closed State so is up against some inertial headwinds, but I have some optimism that it'll reduce the feeling of conflict.
You make a good point about one of the issues that is brewing, that the City has latched on to the concept of "accessibility" and has really bought into the idea that by taking cars off State Street it has made it "inaccessible" - even though it's never been possible to park on State other than a few select pull-in spots. That accessibility concern is driving the more out-there ideas about having some form of micro-transit like golf carts, shuttle buses or whatever running in the same lane as bikes.
City Council and city staff talk about reviving State Street, but their actions tell a different story. The parklets are one of the best ways to attract additional people downtown and enliven the atmosphere, but the city makes it increasingly hard for them to operate. They are also wasting $50,000 on a naive attempt to make various types and groups of 'mobility devices' line up and move at one speed within a narrow lane. A simpler solution is to tell the minority of individuals who are uncomfortable sharing the street with bicycles etc. to walk on the sidewalks.
Daisy has removed it’s parklet
Agreed! The Daisy is a gem.
If you mean Pokewaves, yes, I've mentioned it a couple of times, most recently Noozhawk's orofile in August.
Have you mentioned the small restaurant that opened on the corner of Turnpike and Calle Real. It is in the same building as Starbucks. The owner is not advertising and the menu is not for all but would hate to see it go under.
I find it perplexing that some restaurants choose to separate a service charge from their bills. Why not itemizing other expenses like food costs and rent. If they opt not to accept gratuity, that is fine and incorporate it into the product's price. This trend of selective add-on is now permeating into other service industries as well.
Hey Eric!
You may already have an answer for this…. Why is it taking months to fix the escalator at SB airport… and when will it be fixed? I use the stairs regardless…. But big inconvenience for a lot of folks who can’t use stairs.
Hope all is well! Dean
Isn’t it a cocktail lounge now?
Someone told me today at Tre Lune that all the parklets on Coast Village road have to come down by Dec 31.
You might still get a $2500 bill since the billionaires around here think they also own the beach
Are you serious?
I would rather sleep on the beach than give Ty Warner$ 2,500
We dined at Stonehouse in mid-October and the water told us Plow & Angel was going to be a cocktail lounge
Try contacting the developers at https://sbpolovillas.com/contact-1.
I am very interested in the purchase of one of the new condos and would like to know how I go about putting my name on the list
2 bedroom
2 bath.. view
a one night stay - $2500? wowzee wow wows.
It is one of the few that are actually used during lunch as well. Most other parklets are just storage units until the evening.
I heard they’re adding a “lazy river” to the four seasons property and that the Bella Vista restaurant is being built out with a “jungle” theme.. here’s to hoping we can at least see some exotic animals on display?
The Daisy is the vibrant hub of that block of State Street. It would be a huge mistake to take that away
Agree, The Daisy is top notch and the enforcement of the no parklet rules are out of hand.
Looking forward to Columnist, Erin Graffy's, final and 4th installment on the history of the SB Zoo. This series also includes the history of the Child Estate and the Hobo's of Santa Barbara. Quite wonderful and well written by Ms. Graffy.
