So my visit "starts" by going up yet another hill to yet another Spanish colonial mission.
As has been the trend, going up a hill meant rising to a whole new economic level. Those of you who know Santa Barbara know it's pretty up there to begin with (think Oprah) so when you go uphill, you know you're really getting somewhere.
About a half mile up the road, right past the Monastery of Poor Clare ...
There it was. The so-called Queen of the Missions. No burritos this time – unlike the one in San Francisco, this mission truly is the inspiration for California "mission-style" architecture.
(This, by the way, is the fourth California colonial mission I've visited. Not counting San Miguel, which I passed on the train. It's the second I've photographed for Jeff's America. There are 21 in total. Can you name all of them?)
This mission is the real deal. People did serious work there, and still do. Here is the old laundry trough that they may or may not still use – it still looks perfectly good.
There is St. Francis, the patron of this mission as it was founded by Franciscan Friars. It is also owned by the Franciscan Friars, one of the few missions not currently owned by the Catholic Church or a different group. The bell, which you see all up and down the state of California, indicates that it's along El Camino Real, the historic "Royal Road" linking the missions. The archway is the door through which the self-guided tour starts. Only $5, and you get a brochure.
The tour started in the central garden, where the locals (i.e., the Chumash Indians) learned the basics of agriculture and horticulture.
Overlooking the garden is the man himself, Junipero Serra, the founder of most of the California missions, except for this one that was founded by one of his protégés (it was a little later than most of the rest).
In another courtyard is the cemetery, indicated by some fairly obvious symbols.
In the small burial vault to the side, where many of the Franciscans are interred, there was an open slot. Could it be for you? If you're reading this, probably not.
Here's another statue of St. Francis of Assisi. This one is interesting because, according to the little sign below it, it was dedicated on the same day and at the same hour that the United Nations was established.
Next up was the church. Palm Sunday coming up.
This one of the few missions that still has its original altarpiece, located in a small chapel at the back of the church. This was carved by Chumash Indians, who, once they were no longer heathens, turned out to be pretty accomplished artists.
One of the things they had was a reconstruction of a missionary's sleeping quarters. And you thought your apartment was small!
These statues are among the few examples of sculpture by the Chumash.
Outside the mission was a nice public park, with community gardens. The gardens looked rather lush, presumably the community is as well.
Coming back down the hill towards town was another example of a modest public park.
In the center of the town is the old Presidio, the military headquarters of this part of the colony. I didn't get to go in, but it seemed nicely preserved, in the sense that it looked about 200 years old.
But in the blocks just surrounding, you quickly transition from the old to the new.
And from the run-down to the trimmed-up.
Santa Barbara has truly one of the most meticulously cared for downtowns I've had the pleasure of visiting. On State Street, the main road, is the art museum. Normally a museum stands out as an elegant, monumental feature in a city. In Santa Barbara, it just blends in.
Another major cultural attraction is the historic Lobero Theatre, on the block just next to the Presidio.
And then there's the lobby of a local movie theater. Currently showing: Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D.
It has its requisite supply of thematically-named stores.
Of course it has its own cupcakery.
One of the signs of a tightly-controlled downtown business district is the limitations on the size of signage.
If you can tell what bank this is, you don't need glasses.
The Holiday Inn Express even has a historic look. Well, to be fair, I think this is an older hotel that was turned into a Holiday Inn Express. But they were required to include a dude hanging out of the window on a cell phone to give it a more folksy quality.
Other businesses have changed their image altogether.
I think the most interesting example is Ralph's grocery store, well-known around California and popularized by the movie The Big Lebowski. ("Is this the only form of identification you have ...")
This is the actual entrance to Ralph's.
This is also one of the places where abbreviations are considered a little too lowbrow.
I was in town for one of the "First Thursdays," where downtown establishments have open art galleries, music and the like during the first Thursdays of every month.
Even public institutions were part of the decor.
Probably the best example is the 1920s-era Santa Barbara County Courthouse, built in the mission style, naturally.
Seems like a pretty nice place to visit before you serve 5-to-10.
The many archways around the buildings were peppered with quotations.
My favorite was the one below, for obvious reasons. Some of it is obscured but I'm sure you can figure it out.
But in my view, the winner for civic design has to be the public parking garage.
Progressively enough, it contains a bike parking room. But I feel like maybe they went a bit far with the folksy charm of the sign indicating where the bike parking is.
That's it for the town. Next up is the campus of UCSB, and the thrilling conclusion.
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