Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens

PhotoCredit: http://www.conejovalleyguide.com/dosomethingblog/alice-keck-park-memorial-gardens-in-santa-barbara.html
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1

One of my favorite parks in Santa Barbara is Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. I have grown up going to this park and it brings back so many childhood memories of playing hide and seek, looking at the fishes and turtles in the pond, and just experiencing nature.

The park consists of well-tended gardens surround a man-made pond with coy and turtles. There is almost always a group of children gathered at the gazebo watching the enormous orange fish gliding through the dark water. It consists of one entire city block, bounded by Santa Barbara, Micheltorena, Garden, and Arrellaga Streets.

The real estate and an endowment for its conversion into a park were a gift to the city, from an anonymous donor. The mystery existed for two years until it was revealed to have been given by Alice Keck Park, the daughter of William Myron Keck, the founder of Superior Oil Company. The revelation was not made until after her death, as she wished. The City subsequently named the park in her honor.

Alice Keck Park Memorial is a great park and if your in Santa Barbara you should definitely go check it out.

Deltopia Part: 2

So the first half of Deltopia was plain out fun partying for all of the college students. However, the second half was a little different.

After the massive day-long street party fueled by alcohol, Deltopia turned violent late Saturday night.  The whole incident started in the 6700 block of Del Playa Drive. A UCSB police officer was injured at that location shortly before 10 p.m., and a large crowd formed shortly thereafter. The UCSB police officer was hit in the head with a backpack that contained large bottles of alcohol. During the arrest, a large crowd gathered for several blocks and threw objects at law enforcement personnel, including rocks, bricks and bottles. At least six officers were injured, struck by rocks and bottles. Tear gas and rubber bullets were being deployed as deputies and officers working to regain control of the streets. ” “One was hit in the face with a brick, and two others were hit in the hand with bottles,” she said. Approximately 26 people were transported to area hospitals.

Rioters were ripping out stop signs and would not stop rioting even after the tear gas, flashbang grenades, and rubber bullets. I know the rioters are not the most lawful citizens, but you have to give them some credit for not backing down and having some big sized balls. 

Deltopia Part: 1

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/young_people_descend_on_isla_vista_for_deltopia_20140405
Photo By: Justin Covington
April 5, 2014

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/young_people_descend_on_isla_vista_for_deltopia_20140405
Santa Barbara Helicopter Tours photo
April 5, 2014

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/young_people_descend_on_isla_vista_for_deltopia_20140405
Photo By: Mike Eliason
April 5, 2014

On April 5th over 20,000 partiers charged the street of Del Playa in Isla Vista for the annual Deltopia. Deltopia is an annual block party that takes place in Isla Vista. It was to be a day packed with partying and drinking mass amounts of alcohol. 

Law enforcement uniforms were easy to spot, since more than 100 extra officers were on hand to monitor the number of people inside residences and on balconies. Throughout the course of the day and evening, more than 100 people were arrested, and at least 44 people were transported to the hospital. There had been 17 calls for medical service, and out of those 14 were transported to the hospital. All the transports were alcohol-related and several involved subjects who had alcohol poisoning. 

Over 100 people were arrested and 88 citations, including 26 for drunk in public, 47 for minor in possession of alcohol, and 22 open containers. A mattress was reported on fire in the middle of the road in the area of Trigo Road, but firefighters were holding back because a large crowd had formed and it was not safe for them to enter the area. Multiple stabbings were reported earlier in the evening, but details on those incidents were not available.

The Santa Barbara Zoo

Courtesy of:http://www.cityprofile.com/california/santa-barbara-zoo.html

Courtesy of:http://www.independent.com/news/2012/dec/19/santa-barbara-zoo-open-christmas-day-first-time/
Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Photo By:http://www.touristbee.com/2009/04/santa-barbara-zoo-is-the-perfect-place-for-a-family-trip

http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/toppicturegallery/ig/Santa-Barbara-Pictures/Santa-Barbara-Zoo.htm
Photo By: Betsy Malloy

The Santa Barbara Zoo is a great place to go if your in SB. It offers great animals and is in an ideal location across the street from East Beach.

The Santa Barbara Zoo is home to 160 species of mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. More than 400 animals are exhibited in open, naturalistic habitats. There are endless exhibits at the Santa Barbara Zoo including the Cats of Africa, The Crawford Family Penguin House, The Elephant Walk, the Monkeys, and the Snow Leopard.

The penguin house opened in June 2006, this exhibit of warm-weather Humboldt penguins offers both above-ground and underwater viewing, as well as nesting boxes built-in for breeding. These penguins are found along the Pacific coast of South America from Peru to Chile. The adjacent aviary features Inca terns and will soon be home to more birds native to the South American area.

In the elephant walk, two female Asian elephants who have resided here since summer 1972. When Sujatha and Little Mac arrived, they stood four feet tall – but as the girls grew, so did their need for space. The height of the barn has been raised twice as the elephants grew to maturity. A renovation completed in 2005 extended the yard, enlarged the pool, brought the surrounding pathways into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and developed a beautiful Asian botanical setting. An “enrichment wall” provides the animals with a variety of stimulating activities; animal care staff can hide food in various cubbyholes. A new dynamic exhibit of Asian pond turtles has been built adjacent to the elephant exhibit; visitors cross a bridge between the two new exhibits.

Ledbetter Beach

Photo By: http://letsgosantabarbara.com/santa-barbara-best-beaches/leadbetter_beach/
DECEMBER 31, 2010

http://www.travelgrom.com/surf-spots/santa-barbara/leadbetter-point-beach
Photo By: Evan Thomas

Bodyboarding Meets Skimboarding

Ledbetter Beach is not the best beach in Santa Barbara but considering how many hours i’ve spent my time their I had to write about it.

Ledbetter or “leds” is located on Shoreline Dr on the Mesa. Most of my friends live on the Mesa so a good part of my life has been spent there. In the morning after I spend the night at someones house we would skate down to leds and go skimboarding, bodyboarding, or surfing. Leadbetter is a City beach and park between the Santa Barbara Harbor and Shoreline Park and across from Santa Barbara City College. Reservable picnic and barbecue sites, outdoor showers, restrooms, and a grassy lawn are other factors the beach has in addition to the beach sand. Beach lifeguards are also stationed at this beach to insure safety.

Windsurfing, sailing, and standup paddleboarding are very common at the beach. Since the beach is right next to the harbor sailors are frequently sailing on the coast of the beach. Another attribute this beach has is Shoreline Cafe. Shoreline Cafe is a great restaurant that serves the classic burgers, fries, shakes, mexican food, fish and a whole lot more.

Ledbetter is a great beach and you have to see it to get a taste of Santa Barbara’s great culture.

Blenders In The Grass

Blenders is a great place to go to get a smoothie or milkshake. They offer healthy and quality smoothies from a whole array of flavors.

In September 1994 three childhood friends named Scott, Art, and Keric had become enamored with the concept of smoothies and needed low fat high energy meals for their endurance sports. The three friends decided to start a business for a juice bar and what later became known as “Blenders In The Grass.” They traveled all over California tasting tons of different juice bars analyzing what made them good and what made them bad. After lots of testing they came up with 28 smoothies to put on their menu. During March in 1995 the first blenders was opened in Isla Vista. Blenders was a huge success and today there are 12 of them in California.

Blenders is frequently visited by me and my friends because there are smoothies are just too good. There great after a workout or if your trying to have a light stomach while getting maximum calories blenders is the call.

Ty Warner Sea Center

http://www.planetware.com/photos-large/USCA/california-santa-barbara-ty-warner-sea-center.jpg
Photo By: Lana Law

Photo By http://weldonexhibits.com/experience/aquariums-zoos/ty-warner-sea-center/

Photo By: http://www.sbnature.org/twsc/2.html

Photo By: http://www.sbnature.org/twsc/2.html

The Ty Warner Sea Center is a great place to go to see, feel, and learn about marine life. The sea center is located on Santa Barbara’s historic Stearns Wharf, an ideal location for studying marine life since they are literally on the water. The museum reopened in 2005 with the help of Ty Warner, the facilities major donor. Ty Warner is a billionaire business man who is the CEO and owner of the company Ty which manufactures and sells beanie babies.

There are so many things to do and learn at the sea center. You can work like scientists, sampling and testing ocean water, studying animal behavior, and examining microscopic marine life. There are live tidepool animal encounters, a theater showcasing the wonders of the Santa Barbara Channel. You can crawl through a tunnel inside a 1,500 gallon surge tank to see the life of the ocean. Observe sea stars, urchins, limpets, and much more. Be an oceanographer for a day. Take ocean samples and view sea life close up through video magnifiers. Test your ocean samples to determine water quality. Learn about ongoing scientific research and get an update on marine mammal sightings. There are also multiple touch tanks which consist of sandsharks and much more.

The first time I went to the Sea Center was in 2nd grade on a field trip and it opened my eyes to how cool the ocean is and how great the marine life within it is.

Weekly Bite: Backyard Bowls

http://www.independent.com/news/2011/mar/15/backyard-bowls/
Photo By: Paul Wellman
March 15, 2011

http://www.noozhawk.com/article/111311_backyard_bowls
Photo By: Valorie Smith
11/13/2011

If you just got done with a workout, surfing, yoga, or just looking for some great healthy food Backyard Bowls is the place to go.

Backyard Bowls is locally owned by two Santa Barbara graduates. Their are now 3 Backyard Bowls in Santa Barbara including one in Goleta, one on Upper State, and one on Lower State. Backyard Bowls is a great California style restaurant which serves acai bowls and smoothies. They serve real, unprocessed, nutritious foods which makes you feel great. Their main ingredient in all of their meals is acai. Acai is a small purple berry that grows on a palm tree in the Brazilian Amazon. Famous for having the richest antioxidant content of any naturally occurring fruit, acai is one of the most nutritionally gifted foods. Their are acai bowls are a frozen pulp of the acai berry, blend it with various other fruits into a seriously thick smoothie. Put that blend in a bowl, top it with granola, fresh fruits, and a little bit of honey.

Backyard Bowls was started by Pete Heth and Dan Goddard. After living in Hawaii and falling in love with the acai bowls their they decided to open up an acai bowl shop in their hometown. Their motto is better life through better food.

Backyard Bowls is one of my favorite places in Santa Barbara to go and have a great nutritious meal. Go check it out!

Weekly Bite: Cajun Kitchen

Cajun Kitchen is great old school breakfast diner and a go to spot in Santa Barbara. Cajun Kitchen is a family run business that has a standard of serving great quality food everyday. The first Cajun Kitchen was opened in 1984 on De la Vina Street, right across from world famous McConnels ice cream which has been opened for 66 years.

Every thursday my dad and I go their for breakfast and are treated like family. Everyone is very friendly and always in a good mood. Their breakfasts are top notch and I am never disappointed when I go there. Cajun Kitchen serves cornbread that is to die for. It is so good and melts in your mouth. Some of the favorite meals are the New Orleans Omelet, the French Toast, and the California Eggs Benedict. The New Orleans Omelet consists of Louisiana hot sausage, onions, cheddar cheese & bell peppers it also comes with a choice of hash browns or home fries and a side of toast. The French Toast is great, the portions are huge and you can never go wrong with it. The California Eggs Benedict are poached eggs, Canadian bacon on an English muffin topped with Hollandaise sauce and a choice of potatoes. Just like every other thing on the menu they are great. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu.

Cajun Kitchen is a great breakfast diner with a good home environment and quality food. You have to go to Cajun Kitchen and experience the classic diner for yourself.

Day Trip: Big Bear

China Island

Big Bear Hike

4 hours south of Santa Barbara and 6,750 ft above sea level lies Big Bear, California. Big Bear is a place where I have grown up going to. My cousins have a cabin there so it was a recent destination on holidays for me. I love Big Bear and it is one of my favorite places in California. The multiple summers and winters I have spent racing jet skis in the lake and shredding the slopes on the snowboard.

Big Bear is located in the mountains of San Bernadino. Big Bear Valley was first occupied by the Serrano Indians approximately 3,000 years ago. In 1845, while in pursuit of Indians, Benjamin D. Wilson discovered and named Bear Valley because “the place was alive with bears” In 1860 William Holcomb was hunting bear and discovered gold instead. After the discovery, the largest gold rush in California’s history took place.

Big Bear has two main attractions. It’s 7 mile lake, and it’s snowy mountains for skiing and snowboarding. Big Bear receives 300 days of sunshine a year. In the summer temperature is usually 80 degrees during the day and during the winter it is 40 degrees during the day. On the lake their are many activities to do such as fishing, jet skiing, wake boarding, tubing, kayaking, and jumping off of China Island. China Island is a minuscule island on the lake consisting of a few Chinese huts on top of many large boulders which are great to jump off of. There are also a number of great hikes to do in Big Bear. During the winter, with 100 inches of snow falling each year, the slopes are packed. Big Bear has two mountains, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain.

Big Bear is a place where I have grown up and is one of my favorite places to vacation. I have so many great memories there and if you are ever in California you have to go.