Upland COOPER MUSEUM Presents Walking Tour Downtown Santa Barbara Saturday June 16, 2012 Guided Tour of Downtown Santa Barbara This tour lets you experience the best of Santa Barbara without a car. Using Metrolink and Amtrak we will experience a full day of sight seeing and shopping in one of the most beautiful cities on the California coast.
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Santa Barbara is sometimes referred to as the American Riviera. Her beautiful beaches, majestic mountains and colorful culture make Santa Barbara a premier resort destination. Today we will explore the riviera without a car! Even though today s journey is a very full day you will have time to relax and view our journey from your comfortable seat onboard Amtrak s famous Surfliner. Lets start our journey with a little history. One of Santa Barbara s most cherished assets is its colorful history - a mix of Spanish, Mexican, Portuguese and American Indian influences blended with some filmindustry flavor. Santa Barbara visitors and residents alike still enjoy many gifts from it s past like the Spanish Revival architecture seen in the Santa Barbara Courthouse (which we will see today), archeological sites like the Chumash Indian ruins surrounding the Old Mission, and silent-era Hollywood lore from days when it was known as the backlot by the sea. Santa Barbara got its name from Portuguese explorer Juan Cabrillo when he happened upon the area in 1542. Before and after Cabrillo s visit, the Chumash Indians populated our coastline, cruising coastal waters and living off the land, until Spanish Franciscan monks arrived in the 18th century on their missionbuilding quest through California. The Franciscans built 21 missions in California, including Mission Santa Barbara, known as the Queen of the Missions. After coming under Mexican rule for 24 years, Santa Barbara became a U.S. territory in1846. In the early 1900s, the pre-hollywood silent-film studios set up shop in Santa Barbara, and more than 1,200 movies (mostly Westerns) were produced during a ten-year period. Legendary film stars including Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin made Santa Barbara their playground, and location scouts continue to feature Santa Barbara in modern-day movies. In 1925, an earthquake leveled much of the city, and Santa Barbara was rebuilt in the spirit of its heritage. The resulting Spanish Revival architecture can be seen in some of the city s most iconic buildings, like the Santa Barbara Courthouse, and is responsible for giving us the stunning skyline that you will see today. 3
Travel Schedule The following is our train schedules from Upland to Los Angeles Union Station, then to Santa Barbara Amtrak Station and return. You will be given all your train tickets at the Upland Station on the morning of our trip. We leave Upland Metrolink Station, train No. 351 at 7:28 am, be at the station by 7:00am. Arrive Los Angeles Union Station at 8:35am. We will then board Amtrak Surfliner train No. 763 (usually on track #9), departs at 9:05 am. Arrives Santa Barbara Amtrak Station at 11:40am. On our return meet at the Santa Barbara Amtrak Station no later than 4:20 pm. We will board Amtrak Surfliner train No. 1790 which departs at 4:35 pm. Arrives Los Angeles at 7:15pm. We will have dinner in Los Angeles before our departure to Upland. We will board Metrolink train No. 376 by 8:45pm. It departs at 9:00 pm, and we will arrive Upland Metrolink Station at 10:04 pm. Top Three Santa Barbara Attractions and How to Visit Them Car Free 1. Santa Barbara County Courthouse (one block from State Street): Take the Downtown Shuttle to the Anapamu Street stop and walk east one block on Anapamu Street. 2. Stearns Wharf: Walk, or take the Downtown Shuttle. If you take the shuttle it stops right at the foot of the wharf at the Dolphin Fountain. 3. Mission Santa Barbara: Take the Downtown Shuttle to the Anapanu St. stop. Then take the MTD Bus Line 22. It stops at the Museum of Art on Anapamu Street and opposite the Mission on Laguna Street. $1.75 each way, 85 cents for seniors. 4
MTD s Downtown & Waterfront Shuttles are sponsored by the City of Santa Barbara to provide frequent bus service along the busy State Street and Waterfront area. Downtown & Waterfront Shuttle buses (marked with the blue and black sailboat symbol, (see photos below) travel on State Street from Sola Street to Stearns Wharf. Fare and Transfers The Shuttle fare is 50 cents one-way. A transfer is available between the Downtown Shuttle and the Waterfront Shuttle. As you leave the first bus, ask the driver for a Shuttle Transfer. State Street Service Daily service every 10 minutes between 10:15am and 6:00pm (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend) Waterfront Service Daily service every 15 minutes between 10:00am and 5:45pm (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weedend) 5
When we arrive in Santa Barbara we will have lunch at Eladio s Restaurant. They are known for their Mediterranean style cuisine with a California twist. After lunch we will cross Cabrillo Blvd. and get on the Downtown Shuttle which will take us up State Street to Anapamu Street where we will walk one block east to the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. (have your quarters ready!) The Courthouse has been called the most beautiful government building in America. Designed by William Mooser III, the Spanish-Moorish style building was completed in 1929, after the 1925 earthquake ruined much of the city. It occupies a square block in downtown Santa Barbara. Gardens and lawns surround the courthouse. Believe it or not, this building is a fully functional courthouse where lawyers and judges actually handle judicial business! Civic events, performances and numerous weddings are held on the attractively landscaped Sunken Garden where the 1872 courthouse once stood. We will ride an elevator to the 85-foot El Mirador clock tower for unforgettable views of the city, coast and mountains. Other attractions include the Mural Room, Spirit of the Ocean fountain, and ornate tile work throughout the building. An information booth is located in the lobby and is open 8:30am to 4:30pm weekdays and 10am to 4:30pm on weekends. We will be here for about 45 minutes. Our next stop will be at the La Arcade Court. Walking west on Figueroa Street, just before State Street is La Arcada Court. It is a Spanish paseo and courtyard with exotic plants, trees, tiled fountains and an amazing collection of life-like bronze statues. It has a variety of interesting shops, galleries, restaurants and Cafes. (see photos below) 6
At this point you have two options. One is to go to the Mission, which I will explain next, or you can continue our with me onto State Street. For those not going to the Mission we will stop at one of the local Cafes for a rest and dessert stop. (see photo below) After our rest stop and dessert we will walk down State Street for just a couple of blocks. In this way you will be able to see what Santa Barbara has to offer. We will be looking for a Downtown Shuttle bus stop. These stops are marked with the blue and black sailboat symbol. We will take the shuttle all the way to Sterns Wharf. Below is the information for those going to the Santa Barbara Mission. If you are truly interested in this side trip there is a better time line that I can explain to you before we had lunch. The Santa Barbara Mission was the tenth of the California Missions to be founded by the Spanish Franciscans. It was established on the Feast of St. Barbara, December 4, 1786. Padre Junipero Serra, who had founded the first nine Missions, had died 2 years earlier. It was Padre Fermin Francisco de Lasuen, his successor, who raised the cross and made the first converts. The original buildings were unpretentious and made of adobe. Over time three adobe churches were constructed on the grounds, each larger than the one before until the fourth and present church was built in 1820. The third was destroyed by earthquake in 1812. The fountain in front was built in 1808. The earthquake of June 29, 1925 damaged the Mission church and friary considerably. Restoration work was completed in 1927 and the towers reinforced in 1953. Prior to the arrival of the Spanish, the land from Malibu to San Luis Obispo was inhabited by the Chumash Indians. The Franciscans taught the Indians agriculture. The principal products of the field were wheat, barley, corn, beans and peas. Orange and olive trees were planted and vines were cultivated. An Indian dam was built in 1807 to bring water to the mission via an aqueduct. Mission Santa Barbara had cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, mules and horses in great number. In 1809 there were 5,200 head of cattle and in 1803 11,221 head of sheep. The MTD bus Line 22 runs every 60 minutes on Saturday. Catch the bus at Anapamu St. right by the Museum of Art, just East of State Street. On your way back get off at the Carrillo St. stop and catch the Shuttle to the Wharf or Santa Barbara Amtrak Station. If lost the bus driver will help you. Keep an eye on the time!! 7
Once we have reached the entrance to Sterns Wharf (middle photo) you have the choice to explore the Wharf and/or take the Beach Shuttle along Cabrillo Blvd. (see map below) Keep an eye on the time. From the Wharf to the train station is a slow 10 minute walk. Remember no later than 4:20pm. at the Santa Barbara Amtrak Station. Our train leaves at 4:35pm. At the ripe old age of 130 years old, Stearns Wharf is still built primarily of wood and has weathered wars, fires, earthquakes. It has seen the harbor transform from a bustling port for cargo and passenger ships to a home for pleasure boats, a fishing fleet and whale watching tours. Stearns Wharf was built in 1872 to serve cargo and passenger ships. In the 1930s, gamblers boarded floating casinos at the pier, and during World War II it was turned into a naval installation. Now, the wharf has shops and restaurants and is visited by 5 million people a year, making it one of Santa Barbara s largest tourist attractions. 8