The Goleta Pier

First, here’s a note of appreciation to Margaret Connell for starting this column. As one of the people trying to fill her shoes as the Indy’s Goleta columnist, I’m taking on this assignment with all the trepidation George Selkirk must have felt as he took over the position in Yankee Stadium right field that Babe Ruth had just vacated with his retirement. The inspiration for this first column came from Indy editor Matt Kettmann. He is undoubtedly aware that feuds and wars increase newspaper circulation. Anyone offended should blame Matt.

With all due respect to the gem that is the City of Santa Barbara, Goleta residents know that it is actually Goleta that is the jewel in the crown of the American Riviera, the south coast of Santa Barbara County. This may sound like a rash statement so here’s a quick side-by-side comparison.

The City of Santa Barbara has an airport legally and by name, but not in reality. Legal niceties aside, if you live in the City of Santa Barbara, you have a pretty good drive or expensive taxi ride to the airport. But since in the “real world” the airport is located physically in Goleta, I can roll out of bed minutes before my flight and still make the plane.

Of course, many people admire downtown Santa Barbara for its shopping choices centered around State and Milpas streets. However, if it’s shopping choices you want, Goleta boasts shopping centers in Old Town Goleta, plus the Calle Real Marketplace and the Fairview shopping centers. And if you crave discount shopping, nirvana awaits you in Goleta’s quarter-mile shopping strip. Anchored by the Camino Real Marketplace, with a Kmart shopping center just to the east, Albertson’s shopping center to the west, Goleta enjoys acres of vibrant shopping, recreational, and people-watching activities. For a little “culture” with your shopping, have you tried the frozen yogurt at the Costco snack bar?

It is true that S.B. city residents “cocoon” in their swanky, million dollar homes. However if cocooning is your thing, it is Goleta that has its own world-class Ellwood Butterfly Preserve, one of the largest in the United States. Butterflies pass right by Santa Barbara in order to bed down for the winter in the bosom of Goleta and nearby Ellwood Mesa.

Goleta is sometimes preferable for what it hasn’t got. What about that fog that envelopes City of Santa Barbara residents, often until mid-afternoon? Rare is the day that we don’t wake up to sunshine and many are the times that, journeying west from downtown Santa Barbara, I emerge from the dark, downtown Santa Barbara mist into the perpetual sunshine of Goleta.

Then there’s the so-called “University of California at Santa Barbara.” From the name, many have been deluded into thinking that the City of Santa Barbara enjoys a world-class university. It does, except geographically speaking, just like the airport, it’s in Goleta! So whether it’s a Gaucho basketball game or a stimulating program at Campbell Hall, Goletans take just a short hop to their local university. For City of Santa Barbara dwellers, it’s a commute.

Yes, it’s true that Goleta lacks a Fiesta. However, Goleta is more than consoled by Goleta’s Lemon Festival, Fourth of July celebration and Old Time Fiddlers’ Convention, just to name a few. These festivals provide delights for all the senses and without any of the accompanying cascarones and horse droppings.

Some Santa Barbara denizens especially love their Funk Zone and their old town. Goleta goes one better by combining the two with Old Town Goleta. This is a vibrant, mélange of high-tech and low-tech businesses, plus culinary delights from the original Hamburger Habit to the multiple ethnic cuisines that put a smile on your face while scarcely denting your wallet.

You say that Santa Barbara has a world famous wharf? The Goleta Pier proudly juts 1,450 feet into the Pacific, while eschewing typical commercial ventures such as those dotting Santa Barbara’s Stearns Wharf. Goleta Pier’s rough-hewn wood honors its Work Projects Administration heritage of putting Depression-era people back to work while doing some public good. Sounds like a good idea even today!

While one could justifiably say that the City of Santa Barbara is for tourists, one could also say that Goleta is for the birds. Lake Los Carneros, a surprising delight in the middle of a residential neighborhood, is also one of the premier destinations for bird watchers year-round. If you want to spot a two-footed, binocular-breasted bird watcher, this is the place.

If there is any doubt still that Goleta is one of the best places in the world to live, it’s worth noting that Goleta also enjoys one other attribute few other cities in the world can claim. Goleta is only minutes away from a wonderful place with world-class beauty and climate, the City of Santa Barbara. While we think Goleta is great, we also appreciate the nearby charm, glamour, and culture of the City of Santa Barbara which, for many of us, would be a great second choice of places to call home.

Related Links

• More Goleta Grapevine columns

Comments

Discussion Guidelines

Local Weather

Currently:
Clear Sky
Temperature:
57.0°
Wind:
3 W

Surf Report