Walrus Pee/Car -Free Father/Daughter Getaway

The last time my dad took me to the zoo, a walrus pee’d in its mouth then spit up into the crowd… spraying me in the face. I was 7. I haven’t been back since. But this year, 26 years later, my dad and I decided to take a car-free getaway to Santa Barbara to celebrate Father’s Day. In an attempt to get over my Zoo issues, we also decided to visit the Santa Barbara Zoo. It was a definite father/daughter bonding vacation. Thankfully there were zero walrus sightings.

Getting There/ Staying There

Santa Barbara started the car free cities movement, which is pretty apparent considering how easy going car free is. There’s the Amtrak to get there, and to get around you have your choice of Pedi-Cabs, easy access bike rentals (plus amazing bike maps), MTD Electric Shuttle making its rounds on a regular basis, and of course, walking which is not just easy but beautiful (and great exercise). Plus, if you declare yourself to be “car-free” many of the transportation companies, cabs, and even hotels give you deep discounts- so you’re saving money to boot!

My dad and I took the Amtrak from the overwhelmingly bustling downtown Los Angeles Union Station to the idyllically quaint downtown Santa Barbara station on State Street, just 2 blocks from the ocean. But our vacation didn’t start there. It started about halfway between LA and Santa Barbara as we were rolling along the track, the ocean to our left and mountains to our right- a perfect stretch of calm. Once we arrived, we jumped into a Pedi-Cab, essentially a bike-drawn carriage (and pretty much the most amazing green job for fitness buffs) and moments later arrived to the Simpson House, a five diamond bed and breakfast built as a Victorian estate in 1874 that is dotted with English gardens and makes you feel instantly at ease and at home. But one of my favorite parts was breakfast, where you sit down in the main home or garden, then you’re handed a personalized menu “Good Morning, Ms. House” with a list of several fresh made daily specials including local organic Warm Poached Pear with homemade granola or Santa Barbara Eggs with local avocado and fresh salsa… my mouth is watering. I have to stop with this description.

Eating There

Beyond the B&B breakfast, evening local wine tasting and Mediterranean hors d'Oeuvres buffet, and night time buffet of fresh made sweets, Santa Barbara is definitely not lacking in eco-minded food. Stop at a Farmer’s Market and you are sure to find chefs speaking with the local vendors about what’s new, what’s coming, and how many cases can they get to put on the menu that night. So… where to dine? We indulged at:

“Chef’s Counter” at the Wine Cask where the chef creates a tasting “experience” of local and farmer’s market ingredients like Baked Local Corvina (white fish) en Papillote with baby spring vegetables and Tom Shepherds wild arugula, each dish perfectly paired with local wine like Margerum Sauvignon Blanc from their wine-on-tap program, yes, wines poured from a tap as opposed to from bottles- a great way to save unnecessary bottle waste.

Julienne is known as one of the “hottest” tables in town by both locals and Angelenos (ever since the LA Times gave it an amazing review). The teeny tiny little off State St restaurant serves only seasonal ingredients farmed by California purveyors to maintain taste and quality. Plus it keeps the chefs constantly creative as their menu is regularly changing based on what’s fresh at the farm.

Drinking There… (it is wine country after all)

If you saw the movie “Sideways” you know all about the Santa Ynez Valley wine tasting region and its Pinot Noir. The area is also known for eco farming, including Biodynamic, Organic, and Sustainable Farming. My dad and I took the Sustainable Vine Wine Tour to the valley, stopping at Demetria (a biodynamic vineyard), Alma Rosa (owned by the Sanford Family- major players in the organic wine movement in the region), and finally Ampelos (Biodynamic, Organic and Sustainable) where we sat and had the most simply delicious sandwich and wine picnic in the middle of the vineyard (set up by the tour company). Good thing this was a Car-Free trip!

Playing There

Pleasantly dazed, my dad and I walked from our B&B to the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden, one of many xeriscape low-water demonstration gardens throughout Santa Barbara, this one though is massive! We picked up a brochure listing the hundreds of plants and flowers growing, each organized by ideal growing environment- shaded, sunny, flower borders, bulbs and ground-cover, to help inspire our own gardens at home.

Then, of course, the Santa Barbara Zoo, just for the sake of old funny memories. Turns out the Zoo prides themselves on being green too, composting 350 lbs of elephant poop each day, turning it into mulch. The water used for landscaping is reclaimed, there is a cell phone donation center in order to reuse needed parts which are originally sourced from natural gorilla habitats, and of course, recycling bins are everywhere. Beyond their dedication to green, the grounds don’t feel like a typical zoo with animals relocated to teeny quarters that seem more like cages than habitats. Instead, (except the bird area), the giraffes, gorillas and even flamingos have ample room to roam while still giving visitors lots of viewing area to not just see, but learn. Maybe that’s why the walrus back then was so upset!

So, maybe it wasn’t the wild eco adventure that my mom and I did repelling off a rock for Mother’s Day, but I think my dad enjoyed our father/daughter getaway. It’s always nice to reconnect. Hey... at least it was walrus pee-free (in addition to car-free of course).

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