Chromatic gate santa barbara1/31/2024 (Mark Weber/Visit Santa Barbara)īut the actual past can be glimpsed at more than a dozen destinations right downtown in the Pueblo Viejo (old town) District. The paseos in Santa Barbara’s old town welcome visitors with winding passageways, cafes and wine-tasting bars. Today, State Street and its hidden paseos evoke a dreamy sense of history, a Spanish mirage of ranchos and fiestas - rather like a Hollywood Western with clean cowboys. When the downtown was rebuilt after a 6.8 earthquake devastated the city in 1925, town planners chose a Spanish Colonial Revival style, hoping to create a more architecturally cohesive town center. Of course, the city didn’t always look like this shimmering Spanish vision, with its terracotta-topped white stucco walls, ceramic tile-adorned stairs and vivid bougainvillea. We’d gawk at the glitterati who live here - this was California’s original filmmaking center, after all - but the cityscapes and ocean views are the real stars here. You don’t have to wait for the glittering Santa Barbara International Film Festival, attended by Oscar front-runners each winter, to spot celebrities. Bistros and sidewalk cafes line the city streets, and its vibrant arts scene keeps museums, galleries and theaters abuzz. Like its Mediterranean cousin, Santa Barbara with its hillside setting is kissed by sea and sky. It’s not difficult to figure out why this region is known as the American Riviera. Disneyland will hold first official gay Pride events in June
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |