50
Records,anold-school shopownedbyacouple
ofOregon transplants and crammed floor-to-
ceilingwithwhatused tobe theirprivatealbum
collection.“BackEast,Iwasalways thecreative
guy in the group,”Tiller says, laughing. “Out
here,I’m the conservative.”
Later, Josh and I wander along State Street,
ducking into well-curated shops like Diani
Living,where for some reasonwe’removed to
buy an antique ice-cream scoop.Toward the
endofState,we turndownasidestreetandare
drawn intoanew surf shopcalledTrim,where
RyanLovelace, a dirty-blond dude in board
shorts,is recliningonacouchwithhisdog.All
around are colorful handmade boards andold
surfDVDs.“I justwanted toopena shopwith
allmy favorite things,”he says.
We’llbedining lateratTheLark—the town’s
hottest restaurant—butwe’re ready forasnack.
We spot a lineof localsatLilly’sTaqueria.The
linemoves farmorequickly than theone I saw
snaking outsideLa SuperRica (the taco joint
JuliaChildonce famously raved about), sowe
decide to join thisone,therebydiscoveringmy
favorite Santa Barbara taco: a superb tortilla
toppedwith
carne
asada
, onions, and cilantro
that sells for awhopping$1.70.
Fromhere,weheadfortheSantaBarbaraWine
Collective, in thehoppingFunkZone, tobuy a
bottleofBabcockPinot,andpull intoButterfly
Beach to partake in the locals’ nightly ritual:
watching the sundip behind the ocean.Then
it’sontoTheLark,wherewebypasstheextralong
communal table for aquieter spot outside.The
menuranges frompancetta-stuffeddeviledeggs
to a black garlic–glazed,Flintstones-size lamb
shank. It’s all quite good, but I want to bottle
thecrispyBrusselssproutsand take themhome.
We end the evening, reluctantly,withdrinks
on thewide terrace atBelmondElEncanto,a
renovated 1920s resort overlooking the lights
of the American Riviera. Back at our hotel
room,we rummage through theGoodland’s
albumcollectionandpullout
CaliforniaNights
,
by indie rockers BestCoast, and fall asleep to
the scratchy tunesonourvintage recordplayer,
vaguely recalling some silly ideawe once had
aboutmovingbackEast.
RachelLevin,
aSanFrancisco–basedwriter,has
one regret about her three-day coastal excursion:
that she’snot gettingpaidby thebobcat sighting.
Santa Barbara
isn’t LA. It’s
not always
on people’s
radar. You’ve
got towork a
little harder
tomake your
mark. But, in its
own uniquely
understatedway,
it still captures
the Golden State
in its golden era.
steven tiller
ceo, seavees
A pit stop at
Pebble Beach
BOARDINGPASS
Unitedmakes
it easy toget on thePCHwithdaily
nonstop service tobothSanta
BarbaraandMonterey fromLos
Angeles andSanFrancisco, aswell asflights to
SantaBarbara fromDenver. Tobookyour trip,
go tounited.comoruseUnited’smobileapp.
