••• “What Is It About Montecito?” asked the headline of a New York Times article that ricocheted around town for a few days after it was published. The author got a lot right, even if the paper’s longtime ambivalence about the affluent—it sneers while it drools—is on prime display, and the name-dropping (Spencer Pratt? Katy Perry’s dad?) dredges awfully close to the bottom. Some amusing moments:
Sometimes it is so quiet and so pretty in Montecito that I find myself wondering if this is what it’s like to be dead.
And…
Das Williams, the supervisor for the first district of Santa Barbara (which includes Montecito), […] said he had grown used to Montecitan concerns. “When people come to me and say, oh this or that will be terrible for property value, I just say, ‘Good!’” said Mr. Williams, who lives in nearby Carpinteria with his family.
He certainly has had his way with property values in Carp. And my favorite:
More than a third of Montecito residents are over 65 (this tally includes Carol Burnett), which is twice the national average. Elizabeth Colling, owner of the popular local restaurant Merci Montecito, describes a clientele keen for ever more soup.
••• In what I assume is an Airbnb/Goop cross-promotion, Gwyneth Paltrow is going to let a plebe spend the night in her pretty Montecito guest house (above), and they’ll have dinner together, too. —New York Post
••• Edhat digs into the long history of Goleta’s Orient Hand Laundry, which closed not too long ago.
••• Opera Santa Barbara‘s 2023-2024 season includes Carmen, Il Trovatore, Zorro, and a celebration of Maria Callas. —Independent
••• A deeper look at a few of the hotel projects in the works in Santa Barbara. —Independent
••• Robb Report‘s real estate coverage appears to be limited to listings, so I guess this is the end of the who-bought-where updates that Dirt was so good at. (I had to unfollow Robb Report on Twitter—it was relentless—so if you happen to see that it has started dishing the Dirt-style dirt, let me know.)
••• The Jeff Shelton revamp of the State Street undercrossing at Highway 101 is finally proceeding: “Construction could begin as early as the fall. […] The city will plan for construction on only one side at a time to allow traffic to cross between Gutierrez and Yanonali. City staff estimate that the project will take about 18 months to complete.” —Independent
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Sorry to see Dirt go. I had been following them even before the Dirt days, when it was Yo Mamma’s hysterically funny blog.
The NYT article “What Is It About Montecito?” had several geographical errors, one of which remains (8/5/2023):
“on the southern edge of Santa Barbara: Montecito.”
It is not possible for Montecito to be on the southern edge of Santa Barbara because it would be in the Pacific Ocean.
Actually south west would be in the ocean
Gwynnie is doing a deal with Airbnb. And I’m sure her vacation rental/promotion will be merchandised with lots of her snake oil (with QR codes to simplify the purchase process).
More hotels are planned for SB? Lodging taxes in St. Louis are 18%, Houston is 17%. Santa Barbara is 12%. Where would you rather be? Tourism restricts local access to amenities/beaches/parks/infrastructure. Locals also feel the brunt of higher prices. A City imposed revenue stream that isn’t from local homeowner permits/fees/taxes would be welcome relief! IT’S TIME.
I agree!!