It’s THE spot for enjoying breakfast after playing volleyball, cycling, skating and every kind of outdoor activity you can do at the beach.
“Enjoying another day in Paradise without having to die,” Salty replies.
Scorpio (Oct. 24 – Nov. 21) “Pay attention to the things you do when you’re supposed to be doing something else. Those activities are more than mere distractions. They are pulling you for a reason.”
Three empty-nest couples converge on the “American Riviera.”
One couple lives in Santa Barbara year round.
The lucky ones.
After an evening of walking, drinking, eating and grooving we’re eager to experience things and explore places we haven’t been to for years.
Or at all.
So the next morning I quickly, oh ok, groggily drag myself down to the first floor lobby where you serve yourself a continental breakfast
I’m just there for coffee for both of us to take back to our room at the Historic Hotel Santa Barbara
Why bulk up when we’ll be rendezvousing with the lucky ones
First Scorpio distraction.
I notice the Hotel Santa Barbara’s Zip Code is 93101.
Hmmm.
Back to what we’re supposed to be doing on this staycation.
Drive from the hotel down Lower State Street to the harbor and turn left on E. Cabrillo Blvd which hugs the beach and the sunbathers and picnickers on the greenbelt while looking for a parking spot near the East Beach Grille.
Wait, second distraction.
Somehow we pass through an invisible boundary without realizing it.
We travel through a hidden portal into a different Zip Code (93103) as we search for a parking space on Cabrillo Boulevard.
But, we feel fortunate.
Not only because we’re meeting our retired-teachers-empty-nest friends, but for eating breakfast where the Santa Barbara locals hang out.
It’s THE spot for enjoying breakfast after playing volleyball, cycling, skating and every kind of outdoor activity you can do at the beach.
Or, was.
We were told the grille would be closing for renovation.
But, maybe what our friends actually told us, looking back now on our conversation, was that all the long time weekend hanger-outers like them were pissed that it could actually close.
Months later they began their grieving process when the beach tradition closed their doors for good.
When they were forced to say goodbye to the grille, “Just steps from the famous Santa Barbara East Beach enjoy breathtaking views with your breakfast or lunch sandwich.”
“Pancakes.”
“Have the pancakes.”
So, we followed them into the grille, gave our orders and returned to sip coffee.
And watch the parade of cyclists, skaters, strollers and power walkers pass by.
Oh, and observe how the locals and tourists flit the sea gulls, pigeons and other winged creatures away from their breakfast dishes.
What, maybe three or four minutes elapsed before the moms took out their smartphones and showed off photos.
“Wait, so you’re saying neither boys (Millennials) have kids or are married?”
Nope.
So we didn’t have adorable newborn iPhotos to flaunt.
“Wait, you’ll love this one.”
Swipe. Stop. Nope. Swipe. Swipe. Swipe. Nope. Oh, here. See?
But, we brought them up to speed.
David left Huntington Beach working remotely from his Irvine company a few blocks from our hotel.
Jeff switched jobs but still lives in Newport Beach a block from the ocean.
Pretty soon an alarm triggered.
It was time.
They have a lunch engagement, we don’t.
Like all hosts showing off their resort home towns, there’s a routine you follow.
Walk, walk, walk.
Back along Cabrillo Boulevard from East Beach past Stearns Wharf to West Beach.
The women converse.
We guys do too.
Mostly about travel tips and local insider tips.
Our friend says “Hi, how’s it going?” to a salty local parked on Cabrillo sitting on his tailgate as he wiggles out of the remaining part of his wetsuit.
There’s a dog in his, well, dog cage.
“Enjoying another day in Paradise without having to die,” Salty replies.
I figured they knew each other.
Nope, our friend whispers he thinks he’s homeless as we walk on our way west.
A third distraction.
What the heck is that over there on the greenbelt near enough to the sidewalk to catch my eye like a dog who spies a squirrel.
Kinda a rock of ages.
Something with a tacky plaque.
Dedicated to Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo who paved the boulevard we drove on roughly 475 years ago.
Or paved the way for a few hundred years of exploration along the California coast.
One of the two.
According to Wikipedia Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo sailed through,
“… what is now called the Santa Barbara Channel in 1542, anchoring briefly in the area. In 1602, Spanish maritime explorer Sebastián Vizcaíno gave the name “Santa Barbara” to the channel and also to one of the Channel Islands.”
So where’s Vizcaíno’s plaque?
Closer to West Beach?
Nope.
Sail By?
“In 1542 Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed up the Santa Barbara Channel, and made first contact with the Chumash inhabitants of the area in October.
Cabrillo was the first European to navigate the coast of present-day California.
He died the following year and was buried on San Miguel Island.”
Following the squirrel-like historical distraction a bit longer, The City of Santa Barbara lists seven historical timelines beginning with Cabrillo through the present.
- Exploration Beginnings of the Period, 1542-1785
- Founding and Early Growth of Mission Santa Barbara, 1786-1796
- Economic Growth and Expansion of the Mission Complex, 1797-1833
- Secularization and Structural Decline, 1834-1845
- Expansion and Interest in Restoration, 1856-1924
- Modern Restoration Efforts, 1925-1953
- Stewardship and Modernization, 1953 – Present
Walking to West Beach on West Cabrillo Boulevard we passed more familiar scenery – restaurants, hotels and harbor sites.
Returning to East Beach Grille we parted ways.
We notice many of the other hotels we had considered and drove around to check them out.
Phew!
No buyer’s remorse.
Talking about buying we return to Lower State Street.
On a tip from our friends, we drive around looking for Chip and Joanne’s store off State Street.
No luck.
We return to the Hotel Santa Barbara on State Street, but we two Scorpios part ways.
Emma with shopping on her mind hoofs it a while.
And I head upstairs to our room with other distractions weighing on my mind.
Like comparing 93101 to 93203 zip codes.
And a little more history to consider as we look forward to dinner and a night out on the town.
While musing over today’s horoscope.
Scorpio (Oct. 24 – Nov. 21) “They’ll ask for your opinion when they want something else entirely— for instance, your attention. Be wise to this.”
Tell me about it!
Part One: Quick Getaway to Santa Barbara
Part Two: Hotel Santa Barbara’s Grand Tradition
Part Three: Night TRAPs – Walk. Drink. Eat. Groove.