In the Face of Change, Here’s One City That Hasn’t Lost Its Magic : CHANGE: One Place That Hasn’t Lost Its Magic

The phone call from an old neighbor in Santa Barbara had been a long lament about changes in our beloved town. As many of the longtime residents do, he had even threatened to pack up and move north.

I had clucked and murmured agreement. But even with the changes in Santa Barbara since my childhood there, what I see now is not an urban sprawl (catch me at rush hour on Highway 101 near State Street and I might talk a different line) but a city that has managed, while the rest of Southern California grows like Topsy, to remain achingly beautiful.

Indeed, parts of Santa Barbara were starting to look rather worn and shabby by the 1960s, like the economizing family that has decided to forgo a new coat of paint on the house and hopes no one will notice the worn upholstery.

Then, in the late ‘70s, an increasingly restless and affluent Los Angeles population began to use nearby Santa Barbara as a weekend hide-out.

The city preened and blossomed under the attention. Neglected areas were revitalized to within an inch of their lives, and new buildings were designed largely--some would say too strictly--to the popular and successful Spanish motif.

Reminders of Old Days

To those contemplating a weekend in Santa Barbara, there is much among the new to recommend and much remaining from the old days to share. Here is where I send friends and colleagues:

Start with breakfast. At 1209 Coast Village Road in Montecito (take the Olive Mill turnoff from Highway 101) is Tutti’s. It was built on the site of an aging coffee shop called Gene’s, the walls of which had been painted with circus scenes in the style of American primitive. It had diner-style food to match its funky exterior and good coffee.

I miss the coffee and the tigers and elephants, but its replacement has beautiful pastel murals, polenta, and the patronage of such local celebrities as Bo Derek. There are tables outside at which to savor food that is fresh, generously portioned and delicious.

Among the best of the breakfast offerings is a meal of two eggs, polenta and chili that costs $5.25; two eggs and a basket of breads--featuring Tutti’s outstanding banana-chocolate chip and zucchini, among many others--comes to $3.65. Tutti’s opens at 7 a.m. for breakfast, which is served until 2 p.m. on weekends and 11:30 a.m. on weekdays.

While the day is still cool, take a hike in Montecito’s San Ysidro Canyon, behind the San Ysidro Ranch, 900 San Ysidro Lane.

The ranch itself is rapidly becoming one of Santa Barbara’s toniest hideaways. But it suffered days of neglect in the late ‘60s, when paint was peeling off the walls of bungalows that had housed the honeymooning John F. Kennedys and the sanctuary-seeking Sinclair Lewis, among many luminaries.

Many hours of thought and labor later, the rejuvenated ranch has kept its rarefied country charm while adding a touch of elegance. It now has more tennis courts, more bungalows, dahlia-laden gardens, and chatty stationery that begins, “Back at the ranch.”

Horses and Trails

Access to the canyon trail is at the stables next to the ranch, where guests can rent horses for trail rides. The canyon has a stream that runs year-round, and the water-loving sycamores along it turn gold in the winter. By March, it is lush with wildflowers such as hummingbird sage, golden yarrow and sticky monkey.

Cottage rooms with fireplaces at the Ranch start at $145; cottage suites start at $220.

According to a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal, volleyball is the sport of kings. I don’t know about royalty, but a lot of men with well-defined pectorals play the game on East Beach, along Santa Barbara’s Cabrillo Boulevard.

Across from the bird sanctuary with its great blue herons and milky-white cattle egrets, the beach features such world-class players as Jon Stephenson, John Hanley and Kathy Gregory, and some impressive up-and-coming players.

In the late ‘60s, the Cabrillo Recreation Center serving the beach was, like San Ysidro Ranch, a shell of its former self--with some questionable restrooms and little else. It now has a complete snack stand, beach equipment rentals and pristine outdoor showers open to the public.

Trace a line up the coast. The next large bump is the Santa Barbara Pier, which, while it does not have the rough-and-tumble allure of its Santa Monica counterpart, has a fortune teller, gift shops and two fine restaurants--Moby Dick’s and the Harbor, with views of the boats squeezing in and out of their slips.

There is a controversial statue at the entrance to the pier of dolphins leaping about. When it was first unveiled, some complained that local sculptor Bud Bottoms could have done something more heady to represent Santa Barbara.

Running north from the pier is State Street, the city’s main drag. In the ‘60s, lower State Street was somewhere you didn’t go if you could help it. Now it has art galleries and vintage clothing stores and outdoor cafes that serve everything from pasta to cheesecake.

If, however, you want to get some of the old flavor, jog east on Haley Street to the Villareal Market, 728 E. Haley St., reported to have the best soft tacos in town. Knowing how to order in Spanish helps.

Lines Around the Block

Back to State Street. All the town was aflutter when the original Joe’s Cafe lost its lease and moved up a block to 536 State St. to the old Maggie McFly’s, which was too much like Marina del Rey to stay in business long in Santa Barbara.

The fancy beveled doors, left over from McFly’s, don’t fit Joe’s, a longtime eatery that offers enormous portions of home-cooked food with no frills. Several years ago, Joe’s was “discovered” and now lines go around the block on weekends.

A restaurant in the same vein that remains a treasured local secret is Clementine’s Steak House in nearby Carpinteria, 4631 Carpinteria Ave., too far off the beaten track to get the crowds and minus a liquor license.

The family-size meals come close to offering too much food, with a large slice of one of several types of fresh pies offered with each dinner. Meals, such as the delightful roast beef, run from $8.50 to $15.

Back in Santa Barbara, stop at the El Paseo shopping arcade near De La Guerra Street and step into another continent.

The courtyard and shop-lined stone pathways of El Paseo are one of Santa Barbara’s oldest attractions and it’s like sauntering into Spain. The flagstones are appropriately uneven, the fountain trickles rather than gushes, and the shops, small and unpretentious, offer things like imported linens and hand-carved rubber stamps in shapes from Cheshire cats to vintage airplanes. On a sunny morning, with the wind ruffling the bougainvillea and scarlet geraniums, it is paradise.

Currently one of the hottest restaurants in Santa Barbara is The Palace Cafe, 8 E. Cota St. A Cajun restaurant, its teams of servers, enormous basket of jalapeno and banana breads and “crayfish popcorn” appetizers are reminiscent of Orleans in West Los Angeles.

There is always a wait, even on weekdays, but much less of a line if you go early. It is somewhat expensive. The entrees alone, such as blackened salmon, average about $15, but it is excellent dining.

State Street Remodeled

In the late ‘70s, State Street was remodeled so that all the sidewalks, storefronts, phone booths and even the trash receptacles would conform to a Spanish-style look. Even the McDonald’s has terra cotta. There are the name-brand stores like Miller’s Outpost and Pier 1 Imports, although you almost wouldn’t recognize them in the setting.

There are charming, tiny stores with one-of-a-kind stationery and ceramics and clothing. Right off State Street there are leather goods stores and book shops out of the ‘60s.

One of my most treasured finds--several ancient paperbacks by Margaret Millar, a Santa Barbaran and the wife of the late Ross McDonald--was at the Book Den, 15 E. Anapamu St., which was being lorded over at the time by a large cat.

Christmas shopping on State Street was always more time-consuming than going to a mall, but the atmosphere was worth it. There’s a florist’s shop, Gervasoni’s, 1345 State St., that every Christmas season trucks in two-story fir trees and loads them with ornaments of all kinds.

In the same area as Gervasoni’s are my two favorite places in Santa Barbara for eating and shopping. Downey’s food almost defies description. Fresh and light and tantalizing, Michael Downey’s dishes make use of local bounty, such as mussels and venison and assorted herbs and berries.

The best-kept secret in Santa Barbara is lunch at Downey’s, exquisite food at low prices. Swordfish with a citrus-chive sauce is $7.50; local mussels with tomatoes, fresh basil and corn sticks a mere $6.95, and venison with huckleberries and braised spinach is $7.50.

Dinners are higher, such as the salmon with sesame cucumber vinaigrette for $17.50 and the veal chop with citrus-marjoram sauce and asparagus for $22.50. But I have yet to hear anyone complain.

Bookstore for Browsing

Diagonally from Downey’s is the Earthling Bookstore. It stays open late to accommodate the post-dinner browse crowd. West Los Angeles used to have bookstores like this, book emporiums you could get lost in.

There is a free-standing fireplace in the middle of the room with cushioned seats around it for sustained browsing. There are readings of prose and poetry and every category of literary subject matter imaginable.

At one time a Bullock’s was proposed for the site, but in a city referendum residents voted overwhelmingly to save Earthling and leave Bullock’s to find another location.

There is one more side trip to recommend before leaving State Street--the landmark Arlington Theatre at 1317 State St., which still shows movies. The walk up the arcade to the theater, which was built in 1931, is worth the trip just for the tile work, but the interior of the theater is the star attraction.

If you don’t want to see the movie playing, just tell the ticket-taker at the door that you simply want a peek inside and they tend to be understanding. Careful not to disturb the moviegoers. The rest is a surprise.

The most traveled spots in Santa Barbara are unquestionably the courthouse and the mission. But also in the mission area are two less-known attractions deserving of notice, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, 2559 Puesta del Sol Road, and the Botanic Garden, 1212 Mission Canyon Road.

The Mission Canyon area is so wild with trees that even on the hottest days it stays cool. The old, thick stucco walls and red tile roofs of the low-slung museum complex help the temperature stay even a few more degrees cooler inside.

Exhibits are largely in sturdily respectable old wooden cases and the atmosphere is of a quieter, calmer era. The bird hall, a must for avian fanciers, contains an extensive oological collection. The mammal hall, the oldest, has exhibits with backgrounds painted by such distinguished local artists as Douglass Parshall. Hours: Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sundays and holidays 10 to 5.

Up the canyon from the museum is the Botanic Garden, a paean to local flora. Trails meander through oak and evergreen woods, over an Indian-style dam and waterfall, and past desert landscapes and foothill meadows.

And admission to both the museum and garden remains free.

There is a small charge, however, to go into the remodeled and expanded Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. It houses strong collections of American, Impressionist and pre-Colombian artworks donated by local collectors. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Thursday until 9 p.m.), Sunday noon to 5.

Both the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Art have free guided tours available.

Rotating exhibits are enterprising and often eclectic. As small-city museums go, it is considered one of the more interesting and knowledgeably endowed.

For more information, contact the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau, 222 E. Anapamu St., Santa Barbara 93101, phone (805) 966-9222.

For assistance when in Santa Barbara, stop by the Visitors Information Office at 1330 State St. or call (805) 965-3021.