The traffic has spoiled things quite a bit, IMO MamaBear, especially the way several streets were turned into one-ways. It spoiled the neighborhood feeling, and such lovely neighborhoods they are:)
I was a regular at a bed and breakfast, the name of which totally escapes me!!! It was a lovely California bungalow style house and had a hot tub out back....Yes, ma’am.
I used to go to a bookstore called Earth-something. You could sit around a fireplace reading. Also, used to get monster croissants and dark roasted coffee for breakfast, when that was a new fad.
Camino Cielo is above Montecito, I believe. When you drive that ridge, Santa Barbara and the ocean are on one side and Santa Ynez Valley on the other. The Reagan Ranch is up there, too. Oh, I hope you remember it now. There’s a country store at the bottom of the road.
I have always had a good sense of direction, but for some reason I could not tell north from south and east from west.....I always thought that the ocean should be west, but it was actually south. I never understood that. Still don't. LOL.
Our first apartment after we were married was actually a little bungalow about two blocks from the ocean on Natoma Street, just down from the city college. A little studio apartment. We were only there for a couple months and then moved to the Bay Area. Sadly, I never really appreciated living in Santa Barbara until after we left. I remember people joking that Santa Barbara was a place for the newly wed and nearly dead. LOL. They did roll up the sidewalks at sundown, as I recall.
I am enjoying so much this little trip down memory lane. :-)