You all spend too much time eating out and buying “prepared” meals at grocery stores. SB has the most incredible food in the US grown by local farmers. If you aren’t growing your own food then buy it from the Farmers Market on Saturday or Tuesday. Sunday in Goleta. Then go home and prepare your own delicious, healthy meals! Save a ton of money, too.
Those first two posts seem pretty indicative of the choice Santa Barbara has to make to accommodate growth: either significantly increase housing and density in downtown and state street that can support many community businesses (yes, that project could use some step backs), or distribute that housing as sprawl across the city through moves like “expanding the definition of open space,” causing more environmental harm and missing the opportunity to evolve and improve what makes this city an amazing place to live.
Not even close
Karpeles Manuscript Library
I think you have it reversed. The city administrator, Kelly McAdoo runs the city. The mayor and council members report to her. And I agree we need better council members.
But cruising State street is FUN. In a car or like I have, a truck. . .
This isn’t just a Santa Barbara thing, it’s pretty widespread. Department stores are closing everywhere and retail has changed dramatically because of the ease of ordering online. Don’t think that’s going to change-my kids buy everything online and that’s just today’s reality. State street (at least lower part) is for visitors and 20 somethings. I’m fine with keeping it closed. Parking has always been in the garages off of state so cruising up and down state street doesn’t seem important or necessary.
Who shops and strolls on State Street anymore? It used to be the heart of the city - tourists, visitors, residents first stop!
Why hasn’t the entire area of residents been given a VOTE???
Experiment with no cars on streets that aren’t crucial to tourism, entertainment and shopping.
Chapala is an ugly, confusing street. Anacapa feels like bumper cars. State Street had all the energy and excitement and was the focal point of Solstice, Fiesta, Halloween, all parades, celebrations, Christmas, The Film festival, etc.
We need a VOTE by ALL the people on this.
Bring cars back to State Street!!! Exactly as it was before! Trolley! Parades!!! It’s a ghostown now! Why can’t we VOTE on it? - Born and raised in Santa Barbara.
PS Make downtown parking free or cheap!
I’m very impressed that you know the president. Wow
Marley maybe you should move to Beverly Hills it sounds like your to good for our community. Please stop putting everyone down. If you don’t like it here just move it sounds like you can definitely afford it.
R.
You know people can get hot takes direct from ChatGPT now, you don't need to copy and paste them on random community blogs.
That project looks like Soviet Russia.
Just $.02
I live in Pasadena but frequently visit Santa Barbara on the weekends. I spend a lot of money and leave.
These comments mystify me. I don’t know why somebody has to inject “white privilege“ into a discussion about a grocery store. The moment I read that it discredits the whole commentary.
I think it is fair to say that the food scene in Santa Barbara has really taken a dive post Covid. While Erewhon it’s not a restaurant, per se, many people use it as such.
The quality of the food there is excellent, but obviously you pay a premium for it. Whether or not it will survive, ultimately depends on the market forces in Santa Barbara. People vote with their feet.
If you don’t want to pay $10 for a smoothie, then don’t go there. No one is forcing you to do that. But business is charge with the market will bear.
Totally. It's much better to have the oil extracted in a far off land, where there aren't nearly the environmental restrictions and controls we have here, where the local population has no say nor derives any benefit from oil extraction, where a 142,000 gallon spill wouldn't even be reported, then have that oil shipped via barges halfway around the world so we can use it here locally /s. Environmental NIMBY's suck.
Here since 1976- you?
It’s also worth noting that said pipeline ruptured and sent 142,000 gallons of oil into our local waters just a decade ago. You must not be from around here… we don’t like bad actors ruining the environment and getting another shot. Fool me once, shame on you - fool me twice, must be named Christine!
“It’s worth noting that Exxon did operate an OS&T off the coast of Santa Barbara for many years. It was bitterly fought by local environmentalists and many county supervisors who worried that the barges offloading the oil and the facility itself posed serious environmental risks. The solution they settled upon? The pipeline”
LETS GO SABLE!
Why so salty? Obviously you wouldn’t go there, but maybe others would.
But you’re right, we rather have another 99 cent store somewhere…
I'm traveling the coast of Spain at the moment and SB needs to learn from them.
There is high density housing above busy businesses and a huge difference is the cities are kept CLEAN AND SAFE!
The pedestrian friendly streets in the city centers are THRIVING! Yes, some streets allow traffic, however, most traffic is directed to the surrounding area. (For State street, a trolley system should be in place to allow people to travel easily from the wharf to upper State St., there's plenty of parking in lots and on the street off State St.).
It can be done SB, it isn't rocket science.
I agree.
Jesus. We’re a 100,000 person town. What do you expect. Log off and get some priorities beyond pizza. Go touch grass.
Thank you, Marley!
you honestly think Santa Barbara holds any weight in the pizza conversation, you’re out of your depth. This town is a pizza wasteland. Rusty’s? Cardboard with cheese. Bettina? Passable at best, more Napa Valley pretension than soul. That’s the “best” Santa Barbara can trot out, and even then it’s running on smoke and Yelp reviews.
Now stack that against Los Angeles — a city where indie pizza is a blood sport. Pizzana in Brentwood is pulling pies that could make Naples blush. Pizzeria Bianco downtown — run by Chris Bianco himself, a man who literally wrote the book on pizza — is a shrine to the craft. DeSano brings wood-fired Neapolitan straight to East Hollywood, and Apollonia’s in Mid-City drops the kind of Sicilian squares people will knife each other in line for. That’s the difference between a scene and a desert.
So no, you’re not a foodie. You’re a seat-warmer chewing mediocrity and mistaking it for tradition. If you want to talk pizza with any credibility, you’ll need to drive two hours south — where the grown-ups are cooking.
Had reason to visit Rusty's Goleta after a unplanned visit to Goleta Cottage ER- and the small pepperoni/small salad bar order was perfect! The place was PACKED, the pizza was delicious and the salad bar hard boiled egg/pea/spinach with blue cheese was to die for. The best part? The kids having FUN, the parents enjoying the beer and the constant yelling of numbers/pizza is ready!
