••• The bike lane has been painted on the rest of the State Street Promenade. On one hand, if cyclists behave, pedestrians will now be able to safely walk in the remaining part of the street. On the other hand, walking along the gutter isn’t especially appealing—why not just be on the sidewalk? Also, there’s a mid-block stop sign outside the Granada Theatre that I’m sure every cyclist will ignore. I certainly did.
••• The commercial space at the southeast corner of Anacapa and Ortega—across from La Paloma and Gala—is being converted to those vacation rental–style hotel rooms we’re seeing pop up all over. P.S. I’ve always seen a face in that entryway and the wreath nose really makes it pop.
••• If you’re looking for something to do on New Year’s Day…. “Every January 1 at 11:30 sharp, people from all walks of life and all ages gather at the shoreline to take a group dip in the beautiful Pacific Ocean rain or shine! It’s a great way to start off the New Year! John Palminteri is our official emcee this year. Afterwards, we hang out on the beach, congratulate ourselves and have snacks and celebratory beverages. Creative outfits are encouraged! […] What to bring: towel, swimsuit, warm clothes, re-useable cup, snacks, drinks….” There’s more info here, including about the raffle this year. Meet at East Beach across from the Hilton hotel and Chromatic Gate.
••• Now up at Sullivan Goss: “a major survey on the concept of the sublime in American art. The Sublime: Where Words Fail will include works spanning the last 120 years highlighting how the sublime has been a recurring source of inspiration for artists even as art has moved from romanticism to realism, and representation to abstraction.” Below: “Y Que Venga la Calma” by Maria Rendón.
••• The Seven Hills Turkish imports store at 1019 State Street (Carrillo/Figueroa) has had “store closing” signs up for months; the signs now say this is its final month.
••• Santa Barbara County’s Public Works Department has the widening of Hollister Avenue (from San Antonio Road to Modoc Road) and State Street (from Modoc Road to State Route 154) on its to-do list: “Proposed improvements include two travel lanes in each direction with a center turn lane to improve circulation, sidewalks, bike lanes, enhanced bus stops, and a new railroad bridge.” I asked for a timeline: “Phase 1 is between Auhay Drive to Nogal Drive. We are currently working to complete the environmental document. This phase is anticipated to begin in 2025 after the environmental document and right-of-way coordination are finalized. Phase 2 is between San Antonio Road and Auhay Drive and Phase 3 is from Nogal to Highway 154. These projects are currently at the 35% design stage and are pending on construction funding.”
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Thanks for the Polar Dip mention and thanks for all the other cool and informative stuff you’ve turned us on to with Siteline!
Yes, I agree. My favorite place to get SB information! Thank you, Erik!
The Seven Hills Turkish store has some really good deals on Turkish towels.
You are SO funny – i love the face with wreath nose observation.. thanks for starting my early morning off with a giggle! Happy new year Erik!
Thank you Siteline for the great job throughout the year.
This is without a doubt the best place to be for all that’s important in Santa Barbara.
The bike lane is opposite what most people I know wanted. It would have been better to ban e-bikes on state street and then put a bike lane in one of the gutters, if at all. This new bike lane taking over almost the whole street is ridiculous.
I agree – wide bike lanes and fast moving e-bikes taking over most of the street don’t make for a pedestrian mall that befits our beautiful city. I am a big fan of the mall concept (we live and walk in the city daily), but if this is being considered as the long term solution, then State Street may as well revert to vehicles so we know what we are dealing with. Can a proponent of the bike lanes as they now exist tell me why they are the best solution?
Yeah, easy. Walk on the sidewalks and leave the lanes to the bikes.
Maybe Google the definition of ‘promenade” ?
The bike lanes are better than no lanes because on a short-to-medium term basis they give predictability and direction for where the bikes should travel vs pedestrians, at a rounding-error cost. The biggest problem is they should have been put in three years ago but the City gonna City. It is also not a true long-term solution – the long-term solution is the State Street Master Plan which involves cool stuff like replacing the asphalt with permeable pavers, raising the grade to level with the sidewalks and ultimately replacing parklets with regular outdoor seating.
May your New Year be ‘over the top’ newsy shared with all us who stick to your words like gluesy…Thank you for your amazing work and Happy Happy 2024 ????
Very clever, Ma…
A very Happy New Year to Erik … SiteLine is the best!
SiteLine is definitely on our Top Ten list of favorite things we’ve learned about in 2023. Thanks for keeping us informed and often delighted. Happy New Year
Thanks for all the great information! Really enjoy it!
You are such a gift, Erik! You make our area a community. Happy New Year!!
Thank you Siteline for keeping us informed on all of the cool SB info and happening in 23! Cheers to more good stuff in 24!
Did you know today is the last day for Metropolis deli in the funk zone ????
Since Erik pointed this way to see nice comments, I’ll post one!
As a result of lots of Erik’s time and effort, Sitelinesb has become such a valuable resource for many of us, one which we look forward to reading every time it turns up in the inbox. Thank you for your hard work, your inquisitiveness, and especially your sense of humor. Ditto what Mark said above, “Cheers to more good stuff in 24!”