Santa Barbara

I was planning on taking the Coast Starlight train from Anaheim to Salinas for the last leg of my journey. My friend Kate got her first teaching job and I wanted to come see her new digs and go to Monterey and San Francisco too! The thing is, I waited too long to buy my train ticket and it was about the same price to rent a car, so that it precisly what I did. I decided to drive up Hwy 101. My dream is to drive all the way up 101 someday, and this is a partial fulfillment of my dream.

I took the train to LA and then a shuttle to LAX and then I was FINALLY able to pick up my car. A silvery-blue Kia. Not gonna buy one of those, but it was nice to drive a car with windows that roll down!

I stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch and a ahort visit. I parked at the Chamber (all parking costs $$) and walked to Stearns Wharf. While I was trying to figure out where to have lunch, I heard a woman talking about the water taxi. For $4 I could ride to the other side of the harbour. This was the place to eat, she tells me. So I jumped on the next taxi (called Li'l Toot). We passed yachts and boats galore. It was gorgeous! Our cute guide told us about some of the boats and their owners (like the CEO of Pepsi, and the Wrigley heiress). I then had the most delicious seafood chef salad while watching the boats bob in the water.

The water taxi lady told me about the electric shuttle. For 25 cents it would take me right by where I parked. Except that after I told him where I wanted to go, he thought I was gonna pull the signal that I didn't plan on pulling cause I was 1 of 2 people on the shuttle and I had already told him where I was going. So-- I saw more of the waterfront as we made the loop and it cost me another $2 in parking and 20 minutes later on the road. But really it isn't too bad. It was a gorgeous day!

I would really like to go back to Santa Barbara and see more of it. I have heard from a lot of people how great it is. And I really enjoyed my 2 hour layover there :)