Santa Barbara Tourist Traps

On a hot summery day, walking along the warf, many would want to have a cool drink or nice ice cream. The Stearns Warf Ice Cream shop has coffee, cold drinks and ice cream, but please be warned, the ice cream is not only expensive, it is not good at all. The ice creams look like they have been ladened with loads of food coloring and taste very artificial. Probably not the best choice of ice creams considering there are so many places now that sell ice cream that is made of all natural ingredients.

While we were waiting to go on our Whale Watching excursion, I saw this boat go by. I had to think to myself, what would I see had I been on this boat? The boat didn't appear to be something so seaworthy of going out too far. Anyway, the best way to see Santa Barbara is to walk around town!

Unique Suggestions: Don't pay a whole lot!

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Whenever we go to Santa Barbara visit Stearns Wharf and enjoy the view of the ocean and coastline. We also visit the souvenir shops and sometimes dine at one of it's restaurants. If I am not eating at one of the restaurants I usually buy a post card or small souvenir to get my parking ticket validated. This is a total touristy thing to do but I can't imagine a trip to Santa Barbara without a walk on the wharf.

The worst experience I had in a hostel, was in Santa Barbara. The hostel next to the railway station doesn't look bad, but everybody who stayd there (those who succeeded to stay there) had horrible experiences with cockroaches, unfriendly staff and dirty rooms. In our case, the receptionist refused to check us in, because we didn't fill in the form completely (we couldn't fill in a plate nr. because we had no car....). Anyway, it was my worst hostel experience and I suggest everybody to keep away of this hostel even if it looks good from the outside!

Calling home from the US.. There are a few ways to call from the US to your friend and family at home..You can put money in pay-phones, call from your hotel, use your mobile or use a calling card..

Unique Suggestions: You can buy prepaid calling cards at shops, gas stations and newsstands these have usually a better fee but beware of hidden start up fees !

Fun Alternatives: We use a calling (credit) card it can be used from payphones, private phones and hotel phones (most hotels charge you for using their phone even when it's a free number). With this card you call a free number and then your card number after this you can call home at a much nicer rate you would get elsewhere. Just visit http://www.telegroup.com to see the costs, do compare these to other cards you know to see if they are cheaper (if you know one please let us know).
The card itself is free, no annual fees you'll only pay when you use it

Pretty much State St. is the main boulevard. It runs from the Pacific ocean all the way to Goleta(Don't Ask). Most places here are expensive but no body said paradise was cheap..:) Just use your best judgment and all is good.

I grew up in SB, so I can tell you objectively what are tourist traps...the Mission, trust me, it's not that exciting. The Harbor is nice, yet I recommend just hanging out Downtown. It really is the essence of Santa Barbara, with its cafes where you can sip lattes and watch the people go by and point out which are the tourists. (It's kinda cruel, but we all do it.)

State Street is the main drag in Santa Barbara. It basically has a ton of not-so-good restaurants and large chain stores.