Any must-do's? We'll be there for about 36hrs and some of that will be spent at UCSB. But great restaurants/shops/tips in general?
Thanks!
Any must-do's? We'll be there for about 36hrs and some of that will be spent at UCSB. But great restaurants/shops/tips in general?
Thanks!
"Every mother needs a wife." - Amy Poehler, Yes Please
If you like good Mexican food, our favorite restaurant is Los Agaves on Milpas. My husband is Mexican, so he is very picky about GOOD Mexican food, and we actually ate there twice in one weekend in SB because we liked it so much. The best item is definitely the molcajete.
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Mama to DS1 Punkin (2/04) and DS2 Boo (1/09)
We live nearby and I want to say you were the one who recommended that restaurant for us. We LOVE it! Definitely recommend! Will your family be there too? They have a great long beach where you can rent a pedal car (what are those called?). The zoo is up the street. It is tiny but gorgeous. The giraffes have the best view I've ever seen! (Greenery and ocean) My kids like the Sea Center on the pier. Santa Barbara isn't a big city but it is charming and very nice. There are lots of day hikes. If I could live anywhere on the planet Santa Barbara would be my second choice (to Cannes in France!).
There's always the taco stand La Super-Rica (you'll know it's the one by the giant line outside) for a very casual lunch. Looks like it's right near the place mentioned above (which I'll try for sure next time!) We also like a restaurant called Finch & Fork. We've had a few meals there and it was good for both my kids and my father-in-law that don't always have the same taste in restaurants. For shops, you can wander around almost any part of State Street.
Just wanted to say thanks for the recommendation of Los Agaves! We went to the one in Galeta since that's where we were staying to see UCSB (which I will be applying to asap lol). We all loved it! Anna's Bakery is nextdoor and we had a great lunch there the next day. We had dinner more towards Santa Barbara proper at Stella Mare's Bistro, a super cute French restaurant. We really didn't get to do much bc we spent most of the time touring UCSB and we were only there for 36hrs, so we were basically exhausted, but I'd love to go back! I'm not sure if either DD would go there since it's reaaaallllly far from home but it's something to think about.
"Every mother needs a wife." - Amy Poehler, Yes Please
I'm not sure how old your girls are but if you're not a CA resident the cost of attending a UC school is exorbitant and there's no aid of any kind basically for out of state students. If you run the Net Price Calculator for a UC school you'll see that you're expected to pay over $60k a year as an out of state resident. As a CA resident I can tell you that it's totally not worth it! Most out of state people don't realize that and every spring I see tons of posts from heartbroken out of staters who were accepted but had no idea of the costs.
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Lots of people attend our of state state schools and are ok with the price. For some students and families, the expense is worth it.
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I'm so glad OP (and the other PPs ) liked Los Agaves! I wish we lived closer to it!! The closest location to us is an hour and a half away so I eat vicariously through people we recommend it to!
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Mama to DS1 Punkin (2/04) and DS2 Boo (1/09)
Twoboos, thank you for the trip update! My youngest and I are thinking of doing a quick road trip. Totally agree that I’d like to apply to UCSB too! Santa Bárbara community college also has an incredible location. My friend’s daughter will be at the CC this year on a guaranteed transfer path to UCSB. I’m not sure if that’s open to out of state students but it sounds like they have a great program.
Essence/Leticia, I think you are part of the Grown and Flown group on FB? I’ve also read the regular posts on there from out of state parents with sticker shock over our UCs. Twoboos, just know going in that the UCs do not (typically) offset the cost with scholarships. That seems to be what catches parents off guard. After getting merit from other schools, the UC’s “yah no, we don’t do that” is a surprise.
We "had to" go out there to see the UC school DH went to (in state) 100 years ago lol. He was surprised by the current costs since he paid literally a few hundred dollars a semester when he was there in the 80s! (When we met he didn't understand how I had student loans for my public college years. ) Honestly UC out of state costs seem more reasonable than some of the private colleges DD is also looking at - it's insanity!
"Every mother needs a wife." - Amy Poehler, Yes Please