Santa Barbara, CA

I'm in love.

I fell in love with the Spanish-influenced town of Santa Barbara. Leo and I spent New Year's weekend there. It sits between the ocean and the mountains, the perfect setting for amazing views no matter where you are. We were spoiled with tours that finally allowed me to appreciate history, which is a subject I've always detested. I want to go back already, hopefully in August when the city celebrates with flamenco and folklórico dancers on the steps of the Mission. I will not fail to mention that Leo was the perfect boyfriend, too. He opened doors, walked on the street side of the curb, and held my hand like it was our second date in 2001. I'm going to try to recreate my wonderful time in Santa Barbara here so I can relive it over and over again until I return.

Our trip started on Saturday. The two-and-a-half hour drive was partly wet, partly sunny and always cold. The first stop was the cheapy hotel we booked in Santa Barbara to unload our stuff before we headed to the much talked about Danish town of Solvang another 40 minutes away. 

Mountains on one side...

...ocean on the other.

(This one is for you, Nacho and Sophia)

I did not know that Solvang was on the other side of a mountain. I wasn't too worried about the rain that fell during the first half of the drive there but I asked Leo to turn back when I saw patches of snow on the side of the road. I thought the raindrops falling on the windshield were going to turn into snowflakes any minute. But Leo kept a steady hand on the wheel and asked me if I trusted him. I did. He was excited to see more snow but it never fell. Instead, the sky cleared up as we started to descend which was perfect for our Solvang stroll. 

We walked around looking for a restaurant Leo had liked online. But as we passed others, he started checking their menus. That's when The Red Viking caught our eye. While Leo had an Italian place in mind because he knows how much I love me some pasta, I thought we should have something more authentic to the city's influences. The packed place convinced Leo it was a good eatery so we went inside. We were seated right away and that's when I heard the first foreign language being spoken that weekend. Italian? I couldn't tell. If it's not French or Spanish, I can't identify it. We passed on the buffet and I ordered the most delicious lemon herb chicken and even ate the veggies (with the exception of the cauliflower). Leo got something that resembled the appendages of a male's private parts. 

We skipped dessert at The Red Viking because Leo wanted to get a danish from one of the local bakeries. And we were in luck. The one across the street from the parking lot we had parked at was about to close. Leo got what he wanted and I ordered a cookie composed of two crushed almond crackers with honey dipped in chocolate with cream in the middle. It was delicious.  

Since most of the stores were already closed, we had no choice but to head back to our hotel. We watched part of a movie before turning the TV off because we had a walking tour of Santa Barbara scheduled at 10am the next morning and couldn't afford to sleep late. 

After the tastiest continental breakfast out of all three hotels-- Frosted Flakes, Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs, fruit cups--we met our tour guide in front of the Santa Barbara Public Library. He was a local architect and this made him much more knowledgeable because he had worked on several of the buildings we saw over the course of his career. Although probably in his 60's, the man could've been around since the mid to late 1800's because he described Santa Barbara pre and post the 1925 earthquake as if he'd witnessed the fall and rise of the city himself.

This used to be the main entrance to the library

Close-up: That's Plato and Aristotle and each shield represents the four major libraries in the world at the time. (I didn't have a recorder so I don't remember all the details). Mr. Architect said that there are snake-like things behind the statues to keep birds from standing on them.

This was the Liberty Building. The three chains that used to be there represented truth, love, and friendship.

The Granada was one of the few buildings that didn't suffer massive damage during the 1925 quake. It was renovated and reopened about 5 years ago.

Hey! I know those flags. This is one of the entrances to El Paseo, an open mall where we had lunch after the tour.

Arlington Theater

Painting on the inside of the Arlington Theater. 

I'm going to see these kinds of dances at the Mission someday.

We passed by this Catholic church during our tour. I thought it was pretty. We tried going inside twice but it was closed. 

After the tour, we walked through El Paseo on State St. searching for a place to eat. Leo thought it was funny the way I pointed out the Spanish-inflenced iron rails on balconies, arches, concrete that was made to look like wood on buildings, and concrete that was made to appear as brick on the sidewalks like our tour guide had done during our walk. I told you, I learned a lot.

We finished lunch early, about 30 minutes before the 2pm tour of the court house Mr. Architect had recommended. Leo read great reviews about the historical site online so we decided to check it out on our own before we met with the next middle-aged tour guide. 

We learned later during the tour that the lock on the gate is on the outside. 

Ten minutes to the hour, we went inside the court house. The man at the front desk said we had time to climb up the clock tower. We followed orders. 

The climb

Clock history and mechanics

View from the top. 

Along with the iron rail and rooftops, my last name might also be of Spanish influences.

There was a wedding taking place in the garden. It was freezing. The bride looked older. My first instinct was that this was not her first wedding. Then I told myself not to judge because I too might marry with a few wrinkles on my face.

We looked at our watches and it was five minutes past the touring time. We ran down the stairs and sat inside the oldest court room in the building for another hour of learning. 

Tour man got to stand behind the rope.

Lo que todos deseamos. 

The Spanish arriving in Santa Barbara.

Ceiling

Spiral staircase

Seal at the bottom of the staircase

Main entrace

After seeing the courthouse, Leo and I headed to the Museum of Art. But we were tired and cold. We went through the show rooms fairly quickly and then I dragged him to the store outside to get some souvenirs. Thinking about our beach-front hotel room for the night is what kept us going.

Our view. It was gorgeous!

After we took in the view and closed our mouths, we got ready for dinner. We wanted to go to the pier which was about a mile away but 1) we had a good spot on the street that we didn't want to lose (didn't want to deal with valet) and 2) if we drove that meant we couldn't really drink. Leo considered calling a taxi but the fees were not worth the travel. We found Bistro 1111 at the Hyatt next door and walked right over instead.

I loooved getting ready in the built-in vanity. I need to make sure my future house comes with one of these.

I had wheat spaghetti bolognese but I can't remember what Leo got. We each ordered a holiday specialty drink and then switched them for what the other got because we didn't like our own. We splurged on a delectable gelato trio and walked back to our hotel. We changed into our pajamas and sat for a while on the balcony under a blanket. We drank from the bottle of Stella Rosa my friend Maria gave me, Ferrero Rocher chocolates, chocolates with shots of alcohol (also from Maria, I think she had a plan), and cheese and crackers as we listened to and watched the waves crashing. It was wonderful.

On Monday morning, we fueled up at continental breakfast #2. There was a sign-in sheet but it was pretty blank compared to all the foreigners grubbing by the large windows overlooking the Pacific. When we finished we headed to the pier. 

There were different test-your-luck games on the sand as we walked on the pier.  This one was the funniest.

I couldn't believe there wasn't a fence! 

11 years to the date we went on our second date to Santa Monica Pier. Now, we were in a different Santa.

And finally, we drove to Mission Santa Barbara where I fell in love with its history. 

You can clearly see the ocean from the Mission.

El nacimiento

Three adobe missions were built before this one. 

I've never taken so many pictures of myself on a trip. 

Detail at the top of the Mission.

This corridor was dark but my flash captured what we thought to be the friars' quarters.

Virgen de Guadalupe at the entrance. Was it wrong that I asked for a favor as I slipped two dollars in the donation box?

The Sacred Garden

Another Virgen inside the Video Room where I learned the entire history of the Mission.

This one is for my mom who likes to care for (and eat) cactus, or is it cacti?

An ox cart.

Beautiful cross inside the mausoleum

I wondered what was behind that rotting door in the cemetery.

I found this angel hiding in the garden.

The church. It's still active today. "Imbedded in the floor are stone plaques which mark the crypt room where early missionaries and laymen are buried beneath the church."

A church is not a Catholic church to me without my patroness.

So life-like, St. Clare of Assisi.

My visit to Santa Barbara was complete after visiting the Mission. I could've driven home happily after our self-guided tour but it was New Year's Eve. We had to prepare to ring in 2013. We checked into the Santa Barbara Inn on State St. and started calling different places to compare dinner prices and entertainment. We settled on The Sandbar across the street. Margaritas plus a four-course meal and a bottle of champagne for the low, low price of $39 per person PLUS dancing? Uh, yeah. That was the perfect spot for us.

When we told the valet guy the next morning where we'd celebrated, he said we had gone to the "wild" place.

It wasn't crazy yet. 

Yummy. 

Before the bottle of champagne: I told Leo we couldn't get up until we finished it.

After 3 glasses of champagne each. 

Leo and I started 2013 with a hearty and delicious breakfast from Esau's Cafe. He ordered a biscuit sandwich and I got chilaquiles, with were pretty enchilosos. Unfortunately, because it was New Year's Day, a lot of places were closed, including our next stop, El Presidio State Historic Park. I have no history lesson to share about this site but that's okay because it'll serve as an incentive to return sooner than later.  

Since I already started the year off right, 2013 is only going to get better. I hope we are all filled with joy, health, and love this year. Let's do this!

(Maria, this one's for you: he does exist.)

Six Again

Oh. My. Gosh. My friend threw the yummiest birthday party for her daughter last Saturday. I'm not even going to waste time setting it up for you. I'm just going to go right into it.

We got there, we being my boyfriend and I, after an hour drive. My friend Maria lives in the desert close to another good buddy of mine. I don't know what it was about the Coachella Valley that produced best friends for me in college but then took them right back after we graduated. The good thing is that the trip is very relaxing for me so I'm happy to travel out there when ever possible, with or without an invitation.

Anyway, as I was saying, we arrived around three in the afternoon and the first thing I noticed were the beautiful center pieces sitting atop, yes, atop, the tables. I thought, Whoa, Maria went all out for this one. A stuffed penguin in a winter coat sat on top of a vase filled with chocolates. Upon seeing my admiration, Maria's husband pointed out the maker of such creations sitting with her family against the house. 

"She made them," he said, "just so you know for when you're ready."

It might be a decade before I request the ladies' services for my own child's birthday party since I don't have any. That didn't stop me from thinking of a future date that would be worthy of such extravagances, though. 

A little girl asked me if this one was mine and I said yes, although the other guest at the table and I were going to rock, paper, scissors for it. Unfortunately, it disappeared after we went to the bathroom.

Since Leo and I didn't stop at Chili's before heading out, we were starving. And we weren't embarrassed to communicate this to Maria's husband. We put our stuff down at the table that was sure to relish in the sun until it went down. Then I grabbed a bowl-shaped Styrofoam plate that Maria's husband voluntarily filled up for me with posole because he didn't want me to burn myself (what a gentleman). That was my pre-appetizer. There was so much food and my goal was to have some of everything. Then came time for the appetizer. Since Leo was about to grab nachos, I told him to fill up because I was going to have me some too. It was then that I had enough fuel to get me through the main event: a pair of homemade chicken tamales. I admire Maria so much as a teacher, as a wife, and as a mother. But she blows my mind when it comes to her culinary skills. My own mother doesn't know how to make tamales yet here is a young woman who slaves away in her kitchen making posole and tamales on the same day for her family and friends. You're the real-life Super Woman, friend!

Love you, amiga! You don't know know how much I appreciate your friendship all year long, between visits and calls. 

You can bet that I was ready for desert after my three-course meal but it was too early to cut the cake. I seriously considered yanking the penguin from the vase and grabbing a chocolate but I knew I'd never be able to return it to its original state. Instead, I stood up and followed Maria to the craft's table when I saw her come out of the house with her face painting supplies in tow. I sat next to her and a little girl tried fighting me for the chair. I was willing to relinquish my seat but Maria told her I had to go first because I was her best friend. I attempted to console the child further by stating that Maria was going to refine her skills on me so the painting would be perfect on her. The kid didn' believe me, though, since she gave me the same look I give my students when I don't trust them.

Other creations on the premises: Santa Claus and a reindeer. I walked into Sears inside a mall like this, and the movies, afterward. I have no shame.

After I was done modeling for Maria's face painting portfolio, I grabbed a small plastic bag off the table. It had all kinds of spongy pieces for a winter picture frame. I made sure there were enough baggies for the real kids before snatching one and retraced my steps to my table. The frame had instructions but I didn't want to put the bird's nest on the snow man's carrot nose. I thought it was more plausible for birds to make a nest on the snow man's hat. I finished my creation with the intention of giving it to my mother for Christmas. Very daughter-like of me, I know.

My family better take good pictures this Christmas or else this frame is worthless. 

And what is a birthday party without a piñata? Just an adult gathering, that's what. Maria's husband always pulls the most dangerous stunts for his kid's fiestas. Maria's friend reminded me of the time he stood on a brick wall just to hold up the Mexican party staple.

"I didn't want to look," the friend admitted to me.

Leo even got to experience some of the piñata pain last year when he held the rope with his bare hands in the drizzly cold weather while standing on a ladder. He was developing blisters before someone handed him utility gloves to get him through the rest of the game.

This year introduced a new challenge. Since the party was in the front yard, Maria's husband's only choice was to stand on his father's minivan and hold the piñata from there. Again, Maria's friend was afraid to sneak a peek, fearing a slip and fall of sorts. But she had a good suggestion for our friend: to put together a photo album based on all the crazy places and positions he takes year after year holding the piñata. I added that this memory keeper should be given to the birthday girl on the day of her wedding. Just a suggestion....

Proud papa up there. That's not the birthday girl. Leo taking watch. 

Maria passed goody bags filled with some candy and personalized pencils with the birthday girl's name engraved in them to all the children while they waited in line. She thought they were too big but came in handy for stuffing the sweets that fell from the broken cardboard holiday star.

Since the night encroaches rapidly during this time of the year, the piñata was immediately followed by cake. We gathered around two bundt cakes when Maria received a phone call from her lost cousin. As she gave him directions to her house, her husband positioned the candles on the cakes and lit them. While we waited for Maria to hang up, we noticed that the candles were burning at a rapid speed. Maria saw and pointed at them, then laughed as she finished up the call. By the time all the stars had aligned to sing her little girl Happy 6th Birthday, only half of the candles were left.

Who cares if there's wax on the cake; all the more flavorful!

Because it was close to near freezing temperatures, Maria invited us inside her house. Her brother-in-law walked by with a delicious looking hot dog and Leo and I turned to each other. We both craved it, especially since a couple of hours had passed since we'd eaten, with the exception of a piece of cake. When the brother-in-law came in a second time asking if anyone wanted his creation, Leo seized it. It had mustard, ketchup, relish, and nacho cheese. In the meantime, Maria's mother graciously handed me a cup of hot chocolate. Leo finished his hot dog while I sat blowing into my chocolate hoping it would cool fast so I could take a sip. To kill time, I asked Leo to get me a hot dog without condiments except for mustard. And with that post-desert desert, Leo and I reached the Full mark in our tanks.

With no more food to taste and no place for it to go, Leo and I decided it was time to go. We stood up, thanked our hostess for such a lovely, yummy time, but she wasn't finished with the surprises. Maria handed me a bracelet, yet another party favor, she had reserved for all the little girls. Then she ran into one of the rooms and came back with my Christmas present. Maria could've said, Thanks for coming, have a safe trip home, from the comfort of her house but she didn't. Leaving her sweater behind, she walked Leo and me out to my car and repeated how much it meant for her that we went.

I hope everyone is as lucky as I am to have such a caring, thoughtful, selfless, and funny human being in their lives. For eight years, Maria has been my friend, sister, mother, counselor, confidant, and personal comedian. Around her, I don't only eat like I'm six again but I giggle like one too.