Santa Barbera? (Santa Barbara, Vista, Isla Vista: university, living, restaurants)

[Wherewillitland]

My sister has visited the Santa Barbera area and at first spoke highly of it. Later on, I found out that she speaks highly of it as a visitor who was there just a few days and says she would never want to live there because its lame to be there for a long time. She says it was superficial and materialistic and only for the wealthy.

In your opinion, is she being presumptuous, or is it an accurate depiction of the place. Im trying to consider whether I want to go to University of California:Santa Barbera.

[Snort]

All "A's" in the town's name. Give us the name of the place where you live so we can compare how lame SB is to your hometown.

[Winston Smith]

You need to stay longer than a few days to make a judgment. There are people who would rather be "homeless under the fig tree" (a reference to the Morton Bay at the train station) in SB than living large in LA or SF.

Compared to big cities, Santa Barbara, at population 90,000 is a village. It can start to feel like a vest that's too tight if you like larger cities. Calling SB "lame" (whatever that means) falls short of any meaningful description. Santa Barbara has a lot to offer on a day-to-day basis. IMO, one of its true treasures are the hole-in-the wall Mexican eateries along Haley and Milpas streets. A city whose size and culture largely supports bicycle commuting is another plus. (I'm trying to go beyond the usual pluses of great weather and beautiful setting.)

There are a lot of rich people in the area, but one thing to note about that is you very often cannot judge who is rich and who isn't. Old-money SB tend not to flaunt themselves. They dress down (sometimes WAY down) drive unassuming and even old cars. Santa Barbara's "flashy and gleaming" are very often newcomers who have a lot more wealth in wardrobe and automobiles than savings.

[Wherewillitland]

Bronx, NY. The ONLY thing I like about this dump is that its close enough to Manhattan but I hate being in a crowded ugly subway everyday to get there. Im going to live in Brooklyn for my last year in NYC. Brooklyn is better than the Bronx.

Im basically looking for a smaller area for college that has alot of nature and outdoor activities but a vibrant culture and a sort of urban downtown with many foerign restaurants and stuff to do downtown. I would also want the colloge to have distinguished individuals that have different things to offer with a variety of interests. I basically dont want to be around ppl that are too shallow

[Snort]

A move from the Bronx to Santa Barbara?....You'll think you've died and gone to heaven.

[mono#9]

There are plenty of "distinguished individuals" at UCSB, but as an undergraduate, they will be difficult to get close to--the classes tend to be huge. I assume you will carefully avoid the "shallow" party atmosphere in Isla Vista, but even so, you're not going to find a little Manhattan in downtown Santa Barbara. You might be happier looking for something on the East Coast. You know--where all the deep thinkers are.

[Wherewillitland]

You are generalizing a little bit too much mono