Our aim had been to get to our next hotel in Santa Barbara by 3pm. But there was fat chance of that after leaving Hearst Castle late and then having a big lunch on Piano Beach. We had a big Mexican. I thought it odd when we ordered starters and the waitress asked if we wanted them as main meals. They were large. My soup was meant to be a bowl but was nearer a tureen. Anyway, it offrered great views from its little terrace.
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Anyway we piled on down the Coast to the much vaunted Santa Barbara. Having checked in at the hotel we thought we would explore in the late afternoon before dinner. We were close to the beach and one of the reasons for me taking cycle lessons was to hire a bike down the boardwalk. Except so little of it seemed of interest that we didn't bother. We wandered up the pier which was quite dull too, made all the worse by being such a grey day.
So we headed inland along State Street. This is supposed to be a lovely mix of Spanish American architecture, but this is somewhat overwhelmed by the commercialism. You can't get passed the fact that it's just full of expensive shops. And that's all. Finally we popped into a quite classy bar and that was nice. Then onto an excellent sushi restaurant. Now we were feeling rather better disposed to the place. On the opposite side of the road were the local Democrat campaign headquarters so we popped in there for a chat about US politics until we had outstayed our welcome. A nice ice cream on the way topped off a fine evening. Amazing how a good bit of food and drink and a nice chat can turn a dull town into a satisfying one.
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