Forever Grateful for Santa Barbara

If there is one word to describe Santa Barbara, it would simply be stunning. Gorgeous beaches, beautiful cliff top views, and lovely Spanish architecture. 

Santa Barbara holds a special place in our hearts. This gorgeous coastal town was where Kenz and I met over two decades ago as teenagers at an economics camp at UC Santa Barbara. My high school cross country coach encouraged me to attend summer camps rather than taking up a summer job. So I hopped on a plane and spent a week in beautiful Santa Barbara. Little did I know, I would meet my future husband here. A friendship blossomed and the rest is history! 

Where our Young Love Began

It is definitely worth spending a relaxed weekend soaking up the sun and beauty of Santa Barbara. Our friends, who are professors at UCSB, kindly offered to host us for the weekend. Unfortunately our tight schedules meant that we had to be back in the Bay Area for some family events. We took a detour on 101N from San Diego as I was determined to make a quick stop in Santa Barbara to show Lady Yeya where our young love began. 

The original plan was to arrive in Santa Barbara by late morning to have lunch at the Public Market, followed by some playground action at Kids World, apparently a favourite for local families. Time permitting, we would stroll down State Street to Stern Wharf and then make our way to UCSB. This did not go as planned as Lady Yeya had motion sickness at the start of the journey. We did manage to stop at Shoreline Park for a little picnic on the cliffs before heading to Goleta. 

Campus Point Beach

UCSB students are lucky to live in this stunning corner of California where they can surf, study, and sunbathe (and repeat!). Students living in the residential halls have the beautiful Campus Lagoon and Campus Point Beach at their doorsteps. It was here, on Campus Point Beach, where Kenz and I were in a deep conversation as ‘young, dumb, and broke’ teenagers. What were we talking about? That I cannot remember. 

So here we are. Nearly two decades later, we came back to the place where we met with our 5 year old daughter in tow. I am reminded how lucky we are to share the best part of twenty years together and now raising our sweet daughter together. On our next trip to Santa Barbara, we may renew our vows on the very same spot where we met many moons ago, right here on Campus Point Beach. 

So was the detour on 101N worth it? Definitely. We are forever grateful for Santa Barbara.