Santa Barbara: A Coastal City at Night
Hotel Santa Barbara
My coastal trip in 2021 continued with a couple day stay in some of my original stomping grounds of Santa Barbara, CA. My Mother and her siblings along my grandparents moved to the coastal town in the 1960’s. As a young child I spent a lot of time here, including attending first and second grade at Washington school up on the Mesa. My grandparents lived for about 4 decades before leaving in the mid-2000’s. Once the family moved away there was a few times I would pass through as an adult. This trip however was special. The re-occurring theme of this trip was being a sentimental journey. I was returning to the scenes of my childhood, I was reconnecting to the places that shaped my early youth. I did so alone, and in doing so I could just simply explore on my own time and take everything in. Although this method can be liberating, there are times when some simple company would’ve been welcomed. Even still, this trip was about coming to terms and reconnecting with my childhood. Capturing Downtown Santa Barbara on State street was one of my first real attempts at night photography, it was a wonderful and active time. This was a few days before Halloween on the weekend so it was busy with costume-wearing college students and young people, although there were plenty of families and tourists walking around as well.
The Arlington Theatre (Metropolitan Theatres)
An iconic fixture on State street is the Arlington Theatre. There were more than a few movies that I watched here as a child. Santa Barbara is home to that classic Spanish colonial revival style which provides stunning visuals both day and night.
As my night was winding down on state street, the crowds were still heavy at the surrounding bars. I had plans to get up early enough to catch the sunrise thee next morning, so I left downtown and started to make my way to my overnight camping spot high above the city. On my way there, I made sure to stop by the mission to take more night-time photos. Truly an impressive and beautiful building, the mission was lit up and it served as a quiet place for reflection before heading to camp for the night.
The Mission Cross at night
