Book-lovers' paradise! Books are well-organised, the catalog is well-maintained and the staff…read moremembers are very helpful. I always end up finding new books everytime I go. PS- their book sale is worth checking out, and so is their honor books section!

Take a sojourn to the land of literature! I am quite fond of libraries, and Goleta Valley is no…read moreexception! I don't just adore this community gem because I'm a bibliophile, but because of the variety of enrichment and resources it offers. Staff are consistently kind, knowledgeable and helpful. The usual books, periodicals, compact discs, dvd, etc. are available to check out. There are also books, dvds and cds for sale at bargain basement prices in the entryway. We always find something we can't say no to. There are so many programs for kids and adults, including the summer reading program, for which there are raffle prizes, art exhibits, informational events, literary events and much more. The access to digital resources is immense, including catalogs of digital movies, music and audiobooks a member can access at home or on the go through a mobile device. There is a parking lot, including disabled parking availability, and the building is accessible, which is important. We are so grateful for our local library!

Amazing little library that meets all the needs of a larger library. Books for all ages,…read morecomputers, monthly give away items for kids, homework help and programs. Visit it often!

Great small town resource. You can order books to be delivered through the Black Gold System, and…read morethey have some great DVD's!

This place never cease to exists. Since being a student to now, there is so much to offer for…read moreeveryone. And of course a tremendous resource for knowledge. I stopped in to visit the new exhibit showcasing local bee diversity. It was simple but so elegantly done. I'm always impressed with things here. Thank you Gauchos!

Yelp tells me it's National Library Week, so here's an updated version of my review of the UCSB…read moreLibrary, a truly wonderful resource. I wrote the original last year when we were still in the midst of a terrible drought. We got a lot of rain this last winter, but nothing like the storm I describe below. Back in the 90s I was a grad student at UCSB and had the privilege of doing research in this library. It's an outstanding resource and staffed with an incredibly knowledgeable and helpful staff. Five stars all damn day! Also back in the 90s here in Southern California we used to have wet winters. Hardly ever rains in these parts anymore. This story took place in 1994, in the middle of an absolutely epic rainstorm. The wind was so strong that huge decades-old eucalyptus trees were blown down all around campus. Roads running through the campus were blocked with these fallen behemoths. The rain was coming down in torrents. It was a full on El Nino type storm event. I had spent the morning doing research and left the Library a little after noon to walk to my apartment about a half mile away I was wearing my trusty REI raincoat. It has a huge hood that completely covers my head and has a bill that extends out to cover the top part of my face. With the hood on and bill pulled down you can keep your face dry but your forward vision is limited to the area just in front of your feet. I was on the path that led back to family student housing, with a backpack loaded with like 15 pounds of books I had just checked out. The wind was blowing so hard it made the rain look like it was falling sideways. I was walking into the wind as fast as I possibly could, staring at the ground and only peeking out from under my hood occasionally to make sure I wasn't about to run into anything. Since it was raining so hard, and had been for hours, the path was virtually deserted. Every time I peeked out from under my hood there wasn't anyone else on the path. I kept my head down and pushed on into the driving rain. Then the damnedest thing happened. I looked up and saw Professor Steven Hawking no more than five feet away, speeding directly toward me in his wheelchair. We were just seconds away from a head on collision. At the absolute last possible moment I jumped to the right, out of his way. He motored full speed right by me. Missed me by mere inches. It happened so fast there wasn't time to process the situation. I stood there in the pouring rain and watched him roll away. I couldn't move my feet. I was shaking with adrenaline. WTF????? I almost collided with Steven Frickin' Hawking. Now, you wouldn't know it from my profile, but I'm actually a pretty big guy. At the time I was 6'2" and weighed 220 pounds. I had a backpack with over 15 pounds of books on my back and I was walking at full speed. Steven Hawking was 5'6" and weighed about 137 pounds. And he had ALS. All the way home this loop played in my head: Oh my god, that was so close! Oh my god, if I would've hit him head on, I might have killed him . Oh my god, I almost killed Steven Hawking! In my mind's eye I could see the headlines, "World's Smartest Man killed by Village Idiot." When I got home I tried to sort it all out. I had so many questions. Like, first of all, what the hell was Steven Hawking doing in Santa Barbara? And what was he doing out in the middle of a torrential downpour with no attendants? I mean, wouldn't you assume he would have at least a caregiver or a gaggle of grad students around him pretty much all the time? Well, he didn't. He didn't even have a damn umbrella. He had to have been soaked. And then I started thinking about the moment I looked up to find him just five feet in front of me. He had to have seen me coming right at him for a long time before I noticed him, but when I looked up he was coming straight for me. The path was eight feet wide. He could have easily steered around me. But he didn't. He was coming straight at me. That was a startling realization. Immediately I pictured a different newspaper headline: "Village Idiot Survives Assassination Attempt by World's Smartest Man." Since I wrote the original review I found out what Professor Hawking was actually doing at UCSB. He had a close relationship with the UCSB Physics Department and was on campus as a guest of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. The Institute was launching a series of lectures to make Physics more accessible to the general public. Professor Hawking gave the inaugural lecture of the series at Campbell Hall. Mikey C says: Hey Hawking, I'm walking here!

This little free library is located on Santa Barbara's Eastside off of Santa Ynez Street. What…read moremakes it unique is it's planter box of succulents growing in front. Also the owner made it completely out of wood scraps from their garage. Crafty indeed! There are even solar powered lights allowing folks to stop by in the evening and peruse the reading selection. The bottom half is children's and young adult fiction while the top half is historical and drama fiction. Remember to take a book and share a book.

Hidden up in the hills above Santa Barbara lies a sandstone cave used by the Chumash for possibly…read moreup to 1000 years. Now part of the California State Park system, it holds artwork created by the Chumash to depict important cultural concepts and themes. Protected by a gate, the Painted Cave can be visited dawn to dusk. Admission is free. Very limited parking on the narrow, curvy, mountainous road. Definitely worth the trip to see this beautiful site.

We stopped here on the way to the Cold Springs Tavern. The GPS takes you to a turn out where you…read morecan safely park and then walk up the hill. Painted Cave road is very narrow so if you pull over in front of the cave you will block others. There's a short climb to the cave which is behind a fence to protect it from vandalism. You can take lots of pictures through the fence. Since it's such a short hike you may want to combine this with a trip to Knapp Castle about a mile up the road. Very beautiful historical site.

This is a beautiful wind chime and sculpture near the entrance of Hans Christian Andersen Park in…read moreSolvang, the artwork producing a pleasant sound on a breezy Saturday afternoon. The area is peaceful, and there's a bench right next to the wind harp, making it convenient to spend a few moments here appreciating this unique piece and its history.

This wind harp is located at the Atterdag Village of Solvang care center where there's also a…read morenursing home. This originally topped one of the towers at the Danish Pavilion at San Francisco's 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition. After the expo was over, the buildings were demolished and this wind harp was transported to its current location in Solvang. It plays peaceful music when the wind blows but it's not something I would go out of my way to visit. I was in, took a couple pictures, and left within minutes.

JMC proved beyond exemplary and knowledgeable. He patiently reviewed our issue, and provided…read morereasonable solutions to move forward. This visit was surprisingly informative and productive. We are grateful for the services and assistance provided by this outstanding associate. Your office is fortunate to have such a talented, considerate and supportive individual working with the general public. The help he provides to the lost by guiding them and navigating the nuances and intricacies of SS - is priceless. Thank you.

I owe them everything,I was living out of a minivan in the los padres and my benefits from where I…read moremoved from were cut a few days before Christmas and I hadn't obtained stable housing yet I had 238 dollars They didn't judge me being dirty or rough when I went in the security guard gave me water and calmed me down The worker took my info and in 15 minutes I had California benefits and was a legitimate California resident Since then I have gotten several slumlords busted ,saved some children from abuse,got my section 8 back somewhere else I have good credit money in the bank ,all my bills are auto pay a month in advance I'd still be homeless if it weren't for them and I love Santa Barbara in general Any negative reviews will be something you find in any ssa office anywhere they don't dictate any of it and there job is very stressful and I'm sure they are over case loaded like any other office Thank you for not judging me. You saved my life I don't care what anyone else says. They probably don't keep up with updates or understand procedure or the amount of changes on a regular basis even before trump and should be thankful even when things are rough or get messed up that they have any benefits at all. It's not a thing everywhere and California doesn't have the highest pay but it does have the best and most benefits and people tend to be knowledgeable about the job and at least try which is far more than I can say for personal experience in other states Also. there was almost no one in there there were empty seats short wait time you don't have to empty pockets or go through metal detector,most were older,not loud no babies Best ssa office I've been to aside my pleasant experience If you have issues just try and stay calm and get the right information. It may take a while , it's like that every where you go Thank you Santa Barbara ssa. If they were absorbing I'd had moved there with section 8 I love Santa Barbara. ,thousand trailsrv not so much. They don't deserve to be in that location If any park rangers see this ,thank you for being so kind I miss you guys and fixed my life,someone killed the cat though Everyone please be safe there To the ssa. Go take a long deserved coffee break. Who ever the main boss is it has been years since I was there. They still deserve some doled out PTO just because they put in the effort and you can Best ssa ever

The Santa Barbara DMV, I'd compare it to the Lompoc one as well - there's virtually no line and…read moredealing with the service personnel, they're actually real humans and they talk to you and joke around. But they do mean business - you get in to get out.

worse experience ever. I was one of two people in there. The front desk lady with the mustache kept…read moregiving me attitude for some reason. Even tho I was being very respectful. She answered my question in form of a question and tried making me feel stupid and little. Unnecessary attitude. Even tho the gentleman that I was dealing with at the window did a wonderfull job, those other staff members needs to check their attitude.