Santa Barbara Weekend - Part I

I'm safely back in Orange County after a treacherous drive home yesterday.  Driving for hours through such a big storm was intense.  I watched a car spin out of control in front of me on the freeway, colliding head-on with another car, bringing traffic to a halt.  It brought all my car accident anxieties to the surface again.

And yet, it was a wonderful weekend.

Saturday morning, I left The OC around 8 a.m. to drive up the coast.  Along the way, I stopped to visit with my niece, Undomestic Diva, and her three holy terrors adorable boys.  (Just joking about the holy terror part.  I love them - really, I do!)  

I arrived in Santa Barbara just before lunchtime.  It was a beautiful day.

I met a friend for lunch at La Super Rica, which is purportedly Julia Child's (and Oprah's?)  favorite Mexican restaurant.  It's a little dive, with a long line, and some cheap, but excellent, authentic Mexican food.  I would imagine Julia Child and Oprah don't have to wait in line when they go there.  While waiting outside, forever, to get in - I got very sunburned.  It was a little overcast when I left Orange County and I hadn't thought to put sunscreen on.

 

After lunch my friend and I walked, and walked, and walked, for miles.  I was enjoying the ocean, the sand and the beautiful day.

Next came a few hours of shopping downtown.  I was pleasantly surprised to see a Lush store has opened in Santa Barbara.  I've only ordered from them online before.  It was great to see all their products on display.  My skin has been very dry lately, so I ended up purchasing a pot of Dream Cream.

We visited a lot of stores, although we were mainly just window shopping.

(Except, ahem, I also stopped into Victoria's Secret to pick up a few ... things.)

Before I knew it, it was evening time.  At this point, I'd been on my feet for hours.  We stopped at Arigato for a very light dinner of sushi.  I've mentioned Arigato before.  It's my favorite sushi restaurant absolutely anywhere.  If you ever find yourself visiting, make sure to order their Tiger Roll.  

After dinner, we walked around downtown for awhile longer.  Eventually I made my way to my hotel.  After unpacking, it didn't take long to fall fast asleep to the sound of waves crashing outside my room.  It couldn't have been a nicer Saturday.

© Twenty Four At Heart

Comments

[Margaret]

The weekend so far sounds wonderful. We live in an area where we get massive rainstorms regularly. Fortunately we are geared up for it and most people on the freeway pull over to wait for the rain to stop as you know it won't last too long, also the roads are built to drain very quickly so there is not often much water on the road. Love your photos, definitely putting Santa Barbara on my list of places to see next time I go to the States.

[Mo]

Ah yes, good ol' Victora and her secret.

Hey, that's a nice shot of my boat you have there. If I had known you were on the beach I'd have moored and said hello!

[Maureen@IslandRoar]

Sounds like a lovely day.
Glad you made it home alright; heard about mudslides on the news and thought of you. You're really brave to face that drive after your accident. Yet another thing we love about you!

[di]

Love laid back days like that... the sort of 'no plans' day where you can just wander around in and out of shops. Sounds like the perfect day.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal

[Kelly]

Insanely jealous right now!

[Tami]

Your photos are so beautiful!

[Jan]

I miss warm. I miss Mexican food.

I love your pictures, though! :D I'm glad you had a nice Saturday.

[Jack]

I came very close to taking a job in Santa Barbara. Sometimes I am sad that I didn't.

[LPC]

Thanks for the Arigato tip. We go to SB all the time, my mom lives there. Next time we will check it out.

[Mad Woman]

Glad you had fun. Somehow I hadn't realised she was your niece. Too cool!

[dogmother]

sigh....gorgeous picture! Love Lush soap. How did I end up here??

[jessica]

My Goal this year is to get to Santa Barbara. How beautiful.

[Pseudo]

What a gorgeous wekend.