Chilling out in Santa Barbara (15 April)

I rather like Santa Barbara - it's not too big a city, and has quite a small-town relaxed sort of vibe.  It feels human, lived-in and friendly.

Our first task this morning was to go to the laundromat. Not the most exciting of trips, but being away from home for three weeks we've had to do laundry a couple of times.  The Best Western Hotel in Bryce Canyon had it's own laundromat which was extremely convenient.  Here, there's the option for room service to take away laundry and deliver it back, but with prices starting at $3 for a single pair of socks (!) we decided to sort ourselves out.  Hats off, therefore, to the Modern Laundry in De La Vina Street.  If laundromats were on Trip Advisor, it would get a 5* recommendation.  There were dozens of machines, and what we thought would be two loads was just one in their large machine. With Starbucks opposite, free wifi, and large-screen TVs (showing the awful news from Paris) the time flew by.

Today I spent some time mooching around on my own, soaking up the atmosphere of the Old Town.  The Spanish influence on the architecture is very obvious, and very attractive too.  This is the Old Court-house.

The newer buildings in the legal district were every bit as interesting.  I particularly liked this quotation above the District Attorney's Office.  I haven't found anyone obvious to attribute it to, but feel free to enlighten me. 

I've tried hard not to overload this blog with pictures of flowers and gardens, but these magnificent strelitzias (bird of paradise flower) deserve to be seen. 

Back to the architecture theme, this was the tympanum above the entrance to the Santa Barbara Public Library dating from 1925.

Walking up State Street was very pleasant - shops, restaurants and all-round sunny views.  Despite this being one of the main arteries in the city there was little traffic. 

The railway that runs through Santa Barbara crosses State Street with a simple level crossing, and pedestrians just walk across the tracks.  A bit further downtown, I discovered the Arlington Theatre. It's now a cinema, currently showing the latest Marvel film. 

The canopy was elaborate, and the foyer was amazing - especially the ticket booth on the right!

Elsewhere, I admired tiles again - as shown here on the stairs of a shopping centre.

Finally - and back with Steve and Tom - we headed to a local tap-house bar for supper.  I remember trips to the USA back in the 1990s when Coors/Bud were practically the only offerings, and we were grateful to find a bottle of Sam Adams in and around Boston.  Now though, there are micro-breweries everywhere. 

I can personally recommend the Finney's Mosaic IPA here - I'm definitely a convert to the West Coast IPA style.  Last night's bar had it's own brewery, and even brewed its own Belgian-style dubbel and tripel.