With COVID freedom has come a return of hugging friends — or maybe strangers — and gathering at breathtaking art exhibits. Or maybe you’ve celebrated by buying a ticket to a comedy show at the Santa Barbara Bowl, a nice treat for anyone that participates in the Santa Barbara Triathlon at the end of August […]
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Mike Cregan will be the first to admit that there have been sleepless nights over the past 15 months; that’s what happens when one’s big idea is launched just prior to a global pandemic. Built on the concept of bringing together various artistic communities in one place, lockdowns and health protocols aren’t the easiest obstacles […]
Lea másI’m going to reveal something right here you may not know about me: I’m a 6 on the Enneagram, the ancient personality typing system that dates back before Christianity, which is at the heart of the fear-based triad of types. So as scary as the idea of catching COVID was, the lockdown worked for me, […]
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For roughly 1,225 days, Kim Cantin didn’t have answers. A mother searching for her first born. Her 17-year-old Eagle Scout was missing amid the catastrophic Montecito Debris Flow of January 9, 2018. Other deceased were found. But not Jack, not her kind-hearted, gentle soul of a young man. But in late May of this year, […]
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Santa Barbara Museum of Art is back in business! As the venerable 60,000-square-foot institution, a former Post Office, celebrates its 80th anniversary and its reopening on August 15 after the lengthy pandemic lockdown, not to mention a $50 million, six-year renovation expanding exhibition space enormously making it possible to show more of the 27,000 works […]
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Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital Foundation’s 2020 Tiara Ball, one of the more popular annual black-tie galas in a town with no shortage of big bash benefits, was one of the last public events in the community before the COVID crisis closed everything down. The so-called “Party of the Year,” held on February 29, Leap Year […]
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Today, local superheroes pick up 600 pounds of trash — and how! Sixteen-year-old brothers Ramon and Noah Wang are quickly becoming known in local circles for their tremendous cleanup efforts. The pair have dedicated their summer to keeping Santa Barbara green, and we couldn’t ask for better representatives as they prepare to step out into […]
Lea másAfter so many have been isolated in our homes for the past year and a half, quite a few of us are feeling like we need some time away from home. That was just the feeling that Avi Gitler of Gitler &_____ in New York City had coming out of the pandemic. He had previously […]
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I’m in Paris. And I arrived as soon as I could. Yes, masks are required everywhere at the airport, but once inside the lounge and sitting at one’s own table, off comes the mask and in goes the American-style breakfast, excellent espresso coffee, and a glass of champagne to celebrate the start of a long […]
Lea másQuickly look around your workplace — or your morning Zoom call — and there’s likely 10 people. One of those folks will get a kidney stone at some point in their lives, according to researchers. And that number is seemingly growing, with the rate in the United States shifting from 3.8% in the late 1970s […]
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Millions of dollars’ worth of exotic horsepower was on display when Lotusland, the 37-acre paradise founded by the late Polish opera singer Ganna Walska, hosted its 26th annual gala, raising nearly $500,000. The botanical bash, co-chaired by interior designer Caroline Thompson and David Jones, chair emerita Belle Hahn, and honorary chair Hania Tallmadge, had a […]
Lea másRate hikes, non-renewals, and cancellations of homeowners insurance have been hot topics for the past three years, and Montecito’s issues on this front trend with problems statewide. Here’s a quick recap: 2019 March: Montecito homeowners get notices of non-renewal. They struggle to find replacement policies, with price shocks — up to 10 times what they […]
Lea másThe following is an open letter to the Coast Village Association and the property owners of the Country Mart and Starbucks strip: We need you to step up now and help your businesses and customers stop enabling homelessness. Help us solve it instead. We are writing to you as Montecito residents and founding members of […]
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Amid a 120-day cleanup of homeless encampments, the question becomes: What happens on Day 121? You might not have noticed Joe — or maybe you did but kept your eyes on the road in front of you. Joe, a senior citizen, would panhandle at numerous off-ramps around Santa Barbara, spending 16 years sleeping on the […]
Lea másTo use a well-worn phrase, the homeless (“unhoused,” “unsheltered,” “houseless”) are a blight on our fair city. It’s not that we don’t have sympathy for these folks, but when they are met on the street most of us steer wide of them. I’m not insensitive to the homeless, but from what I’ve seen on State […]
Lea másWith the school year less than two weeks from starting, a pair of Santa Barbara Unified School District board members are calling for all district staff and teachers to be vaccinated or be tested for COVID at least once per week. The proposal from Board President Kate Ford and Board Member Laura Capps will be […]
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A deep dive into real estate’s incredible first half of 2021, and the trends it has kickstarted in Montecito
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