Not a big fan of single sided stadiums but the one has a GREAT argument for it and that is the…read morebeautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean view!!! Then, on a full moon night, rising up from the left gives an incredible experience, even if the game is not so great!

I was vacationing in Santa Barbara and needed to do a track workout. Luckily for me, I was a half…read moremile from SBCC. The stadium was open with a bunch of people doing stadium stairs workouts and others running or walking on the track. It was a nice lively atmosphere.

This review is for the performance offerings that UCSB's Theater and Dance program is providing…read more(free!) during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Department has been doing a great job of continuing to create a season of work despite physical and social distancing requirements. By migrating productions to an online format, the show goes on! Last night I had the pleasure of watching "Under Ordinary Circumstances," the last theater production of the Fall quarter portion of the season. The piece, written by Brian Otaño and directed by Shirley Jo Finney, saw members of an AA group for young people working through their recovery during this year's quarantine. Cast and crew--many of whom are by now well-versed in Zoom theater--did a fantastic job. In addition, this season has so far included a whopping eight other productions. Spanning across Department projects and affiliations from Naked Shakes (a Shakespeare performance company) to Launch Pad (which produces new works), these events have presented diverse storytelling styles and subject matter. Yet to come is the Fall BFA Dance major Capstone show. Winter and Spring promise an exciting menu of stagings. You can find performance information and an event calendar on the Department's website. I've also signed up for the emailing list to get news, and if you want to sign up you can do so here: https://www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu/news/announcement/807 Disclaimer: I am a Department PhD student, so this review may be biased!

First and foremost, this is a UC. Meaning that is of the highest academic standards. I was thrilled…read morethat two of my daughters were able to continue to dance, while at the same time get a world class education. UCSB is not a dance school. It is a highly ranked research university and education comes first. Those wanting a school solely because of its dance program should not go here. Not because it isn't good, but because the focus will be on educating the student to become a future leader in whatever field they choose. Although UCSB is a large school, it acts more like a smaller school with staff and professors that care about each student and their success. I am a UCLA Alumni and I can honestly say that my girls get treated way better here at UCSB than I ever did at UCLA. Anyone would be lucky to be admitted to the dance program here at UCSB and I am blessed that two of my daughters were fortunate enough. Go Gauchos!

I Madonnari Italian street festival happens every year during Memorial Day weekend. This festival…read moreshowcases over 140 colorful and vibrant chalk street paintings. I respect that each artist works hunched over on the ground filling in the template. I commend each and every one of them for the time spent to fill in and showcase the beautiful art work. Be respectful and give them space while walking through. It gets pretty busy due to the holiday, so expect crowds during your visit. Enjoy live music, local food, and a great atmosphere. The mission gift store is also open and worth checking out for souvenirs. Bring your camera, charged up phone, and prepare to capture amazing pictures! If you're impatient and don't care to wait in long lines for food, then bring your own food and have a picnic across the street. Park yourself at the rose garden with the family and relax on the grass. There's also an local vendors selling baked goods and lemonade for sweet treats. Tuesday & Wednesday are the best time to stop by if you want to see the chalk art completed.

I Madonnari is an Italian street painting festival that takes place at the mission every Memorial…read moreDay weekend. I've been twice over the years, with and without kids, and it's a nice, free way to enjoy some outdoor time in beautiful Santa Barbara. The festival gets busy, so it's best to go early if you want to park anywhere close to the mission. My elderly father-in-law went and gave up when he couldn't find parking to meet us at 10:00 on the Sunday morning. We found a spot on the rose garden side, and our kids enjoyed looking at the wonderful variety of roses on our way in. The street paintings are super fun and impressive. They all seem to be sponsored by local businesses, schools, and even families, who hire artists to create temporary paintings on the concrete in front of the mission. The works range in subject matter and artistry, with teenagers working alongside absolute ringers rendering amazing images in chalk and pastels. I've only gone in the middle of the festival, and I like watching the artists at work. I'll bet it'd be cool, though, to walk through all the finished paintings. There are food vendors and other entertainment on the lawn, which we will take advantage of some other year, when our children aren't being moody. I'm charmed by this local festival, and look forward to more Madonnaris in the years to come.

First time to come here for a concert. Very nice venue for a concert. Not very big so there's…read morereally no bad seat in the room. Parking was surprisingly easy and it wasn't hard to find any space even with a sold out venue. Lobby area is tiny so everyone waited outside before doors open. The ushers look like they were all students on campus. They were selling shirts and souvenir items in the tiny lobby. No snack bar or concession stand. Food and drinks not allowed in the theater anyway so I guess that's alright. But they were selling some cookies and water outside and taking donations for coffee. We would definitely come back to this place and watch another show.

A&L provides cheaper tickets for students which is great to see shows you wouldn't be able to…read moreafford otherwise like Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I love seeing the dance and music shows they offer on campus and in downtown Santa Barbara.

I attended a private event that included a polo match. The chairs set at the tables for the event…read morewere covered in dirt. Some of the dirt was so thick, we could not wipe it off with napkins. The event bartender lacked class. I ordered a sparkling water. He placed the can in front of me, unopened. I asked if I could have it in a cup. He placed the cup next to the can instead of opening the can and pouring the beverage into the cup. I did it myself. While at the bar getting sparkling water, I decided I may as well order a beer. The bartender placed the bottle of beer in front of me. I asked that he put the beer in a cup. Again, he placed the cup in front of me so that I could serve myself. To make matters worse, everyone talked about how tacky it was that the bartender had his phone on the bar with his bar code showing for people to scan for tips. I'm sure gratuity was included in the event fee. Besides, why tip someone who's too lazy to pour a beverage into a cup. Running out of food also didn't help.

The food is horrible!! I attended a polo match this last season 2025 and had a poor experience -…read morefood took an hour to arrive and it was horrible. They could at least get a decent chef! We sat in the stands and our server was really kind however our family are members and they sat in the middle terrace area and they said their server was cold and rude. Get it together Santa Barbara Polo fields!

Santa Barbara Beer Festival 2017 was a huge event that apparently has been rooted in this community…read morefor years on end, I had just never been in the loop? Very glad to be looped into the festivities this year and see many familiar faces out there having a blast and supporting local breweries. The staff at the entrance of the event were all rugby player volunteers, from what I understand, and while their heart was definitely there, they were a little less professional than they could be. Very glad, though, the festival is set up to help a good, local cause and think they should promote the rugby foundation a little more in the festival advertisements. The beer samplings themselves were great, of course. A lot of the same vendors from the multiple September/October festivals this year were there, including: Captain Fatty's, Rincon Brew, Island Brew, Sierra Nevada, Draughtsmen Ale, Brass Bear, & 3 Window. It was awesome to see, though, the surprise michelada option at M Special and chips and salsa from Mesa Salsa Company. Oh my gosh that green salsa was to die for! The VIP blow up tent was fun and festive and the pizza bread inside was nothing like I'd ever tasted before. I also loved seeing all the men walking around in kilts throughout the event. I wish I got the memo, I'd totally be on board to dress up Oktoberfest like. Next year they should invite everyone to, the pictures would be hilarious! There was life sized Jenga, cornhole opportunities, lots of space to dance or picnic, multiple port-o-potty locations, and live music throughout the day. I thought the venue was beautiful but a little too spaced out for what it contained. I also wouldn't recommend driving unless you get there way before opening and don't mind paying $5. The Uber or Lyft will be safer and well worth the money.

The Santa Barbara Beer Festival is as good as it gets when it comes to beer festivals. It's a…read moregrand ol' time to eat, drink, be merry, hang with friends, and make new friends. The 2010 Santa Barbara Beer Festival is upcoming, and although it's about 4 months away, I'm already getting excited. 2010 Santa Barbara Beer Festival details: Saturday, October 16, 2010 from 12 - 4 pm at Eling's Park. Tickets as well as the list of brewers are not available yet. Parking is $5 and available along Jerry Harwin Parkway. Designated drivers can enter the festival for free! And Bill's Bus will offer free rides. When the list of brewers becomes available on-line, I will edit this review to reflect that update. Santa Barbara Beer Festival 2009: October 17, 2009 My friends and I, all UCSB alumni of course, arrived at Eling's Park about an hour or so before the scheduled opening time of the festival. We turned over our tickets and were given a wristband and a small beer glass, and then waited. As noon approached, the crowd had grown substantially, and included a man in a gorilla suit. It was obvious who the veterans were; those were the ones equipped with necklaces customized to hold the beer glass. Maybe I will try to fashion one this year. Tents peppered the lawn of the park, and my friend's and I devised the strategy to start at the tent farthest from the entrance. It really didn't matter though, because although there were a lot of people at the festival, the lines weren't long, and moved so quickly that it wasn't a hassle. There was plenty of time to try each brewery many times over, and also stop by the sponsors and food vendors as well. The weather was beautiful, clear, sunny, and hot. Definitely apply sunscreen. The food was great; award winning chili, sausages, etc., and the prices were not inflated. The portable bathrooms were not a nightmare, but were surprisingly big and clean, and there were sinks set up outside the restrooms as well. Overall, a great experience at a great venue with great friends. 2009 Santa Barbara Beer Festival Brewers: The Brewhouse Downtown Brewing Company Hollister Brewing Company Island Brewing Company Santa Barbara Brewing Company Telegraph Brewing Company Union Ale Brewing Company Firestone Walker Brewing Company Alaskan Brewing Company Anacapa Brewing Company Beer Guy Blue Moon Brewing Co. Bootlegger's Brewery Cal Poly Brew Crew C.A.R.P. Homebrewers Chau Tien Pale Ale Deschutes Brewery Einhorn Beer Company Karl Strauss Brewing Co. Kona Brewing Company Lagunitas Brewing Company Leinenkugel Lost Coast Brewery MateVeza MillerCoors Moylan's Brewery Nakhon Premium Beer Nectar Ales New Belgium Brewing Company Peroni Pilsner Urquell Samuel Adams Santa Barbeerians Sequoia Brewing Company Shock Top Belgian White Skyscraper Brewing Company Widmer Brothers Brewing Company Wolf Creek Brewing Company 2009 Santa Barbara Beer Festival Music: Debra Farris Band The Kicks The Brewery Boys 2009 Santa Barbara Beer Festival Vendors: Judge's Sausages 2009 Santa Barbara Beer Festival Sponsors: Montecito Bank & Trust 99.9 KTYD Discount Party Rental DSR Audio Santa Barbara Independent SportFence Allied Waste Service MarBorg Industries Santa Barbara Ice Company Santa Barbara Sailing Center Twiin Productions

"Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery" sounds like a boring documentary, but it is in fact a cute,…read moreinteresting art gallery. It doesn't take a long time to visit - unless of course you're feeling spendy - but it's a pleasant stop in a beautiful walkable part of Santa Barbara. The art is modern, and on my visit I enjoyed a nice display of geometric art in front and some cool optical illusion art in a room with a giant bead curtain in the back. The middle room held more picturesque art, paintings with people and scenes of bustling cities. That's as descriptive as I can wax as I am no art critic, but Sullivan Goss is definitely worth a look if you're in the mood for a quick diversion.

This is a very sophisticated and charming art gallery. There are varied styles of art, ranging from…read moreimpressionist to postmodern to folkish, and they have a small book selection as well. I stumbled upon it on my way to the Arts and Letters Cafe. (One must walk through the gallery to get to the cafe - see my review) I found all the pieces to be thought provoking, whether I cared for the art or not. My favorite item, hands down, was a metal sculpture of a rhino the size of a terrier. (I have a friend who collects rhinos, and he would just love this) The gallery is about half a block up from State Street. If you're in the Santa Barbara area, I highly recommend checking it out and the cafe.

Casa Cantina is great! Of course it is only open four days a year! Wednesday through Saturday…read moreduring Fiesta! It is the dirt lot outside of the El Pase, across from De La Guerra Plaza (El Mercado during Fiesta). Wednesday night is always the best, I call it locals night and always see many of my friends. Spencer the Gardener always plays on that night and it has become a Fiesta staple to kick things off. To get in you have to have a wristband. Buy one early in the day or get the 4 day wristband at the beginning of Fiesta. If you buy one early in the day it is $6 and includes a beer ticket so basically the entry is free. In the evenings they charge $10 with no beer ticket. This year they had real margaritas--Yea!!! But they were horrible-Boo! Let's do better with that next year folks!

The locals classic during the week of Fiesta especially during the day and early evenings. Overrun…read moreby tourists and visitors during the weekend and at night. Still worth going and having a beer, but the Margs are pretty poor. Viva la Fiesta!