Very cute little library for Solvang. It shares the building with the Superior Court. It has a good…read morecollection despite its size, and they have a giant pterodactyl hung up in its childrens section.

We came to Storytime with Stephanie and had the best time! She was super enthusiastic and engaging…read morewith each child. I can tell she is super passionate about working with children and we cannot wait to visit again! Thank you for offering such a wonderful and special program for the little ones in our area.

This place never cease to exists. Since being a student to now, there is so much to offer for…read moreeveryone. And of course a tremendous resource for knowledge. I stopped in to visit the new exhibit showcasing local bee diversity. It was simple but so elegantly done. I'm always impressed with things here. Thank you Gauchos!

Yelp tells me it's National Library Week, so here's an updated version of my review of the UCSB…read moreLibrary, a truly wonderful resource. I wrote the original last year when we were still in the midst of a terrible drought. We got a lot of rain this last winter, but nothing like the storm I describe below. Back in the 90s I was a grad student at UCSB and had the privilege of doing research in this library. It's an outstanding resource and staffed with an incredibly knowledgeable and helpful staff. Five stars all damn day! Also back in the 90s here in Southern California we used to have wet winters. Hardly ever rains in these parts anymore. This story took place in 1994, in the middle of an absolutely epic rainstorm. The wind was so strong that huge decades-old eucalyptus trees were blown down all around campus. Roads running through the campus were blocked with these fallen behemoths. The rain was coming down in torrents. It was a full on El Nino type storm event. I had spent the morning doing research and left the Library a little after noon to walk to my apartment about a half mile away I was wearing my trusty REI raincoat. It has a huge hood that completely covers my head and has a bill that extends out to cover the top part of my face. With the hood on and bill pulled down you can keep your face dry but your forward vision is limited to the area just in front of your feet. I was on the path that led back to family student housing, with a backpack loaded with like 15 pounds of books I had just checked out. The wind was blowing so hard it made the rain look like it was falling sideways. I was walking into the wind as fast as I possibly could, staring at the ground and only peeking out from under my hood occasionally to make sure I wasn't about to run into anything. Since it was raining so hard, and had been for hours, the path was virtually deserted. Every time I peeked out from under my hood there wasn't anyone else on the path. I kept my head down and pushed on into the driving rain. Then the damnedest thing happened. I looked up and saw Professor Steven Hawking no more than five feet away, speeding directly toward me in his wheelchair. We were just seconds away from a head on collision. At the absolute last possible moment I jumped to the right, out of his way. He motored full speed right by me. Missed me by mere inches. It happened so fast there wasn't time to process the situation. I stood there in the pouring rain and watched him roll away. I couldn't move my feet. I was shaking with adrenaline. WTF????? I almost collided with Steven Frickin' Hawking. Now, you wouldn't know it from my profile, but I'm actually a pretty big guy. At the time I was 6'2" and weighed 220 pounds. I had a backpack with over 15 pounds of books on my back and I was walking at full speed. Steven Hawking was 5'6" and weighed about 137 pounds. And he had ALS. All the way home this loop played in my head: Oh my god, that was so close! Oh my god, if I would've hit him head on, I might have killed him . Oh my god, I almost killed Steven Hawking! In my mind's eye I could see the headlines, "World's Smartest Man killed by Village Idiot." When I got home I tried to sort it all out. I had so many questions. Like, first of all, what the hell was Steven Hawking doing in Santa Barbara? And what was he doing out in the middle of a torrential downpour with no attendants? I mean, wouldn't you assume he would have at least a caregiver or a gaggle of grad students around him pretty much all the time? Well, he didn't. He didn't even have a damn umbrella. He had to have been soaked. And then I started thinking about the moment I looked up to find him just five feet in front of me. He had to have seen me coming right at him for a long time before I noticed him, but when I looked up he was coming straight for me. The path was eight feet wide. He could have easily steered around me. But he didn't. He was coming straight at me. That was a startling realization. Immediately I pictured a different newspaper headline: "Village Idiot Survives Assassination Attempt by World's Smartest Man." Since I wrote the original review I found out what Professor Hawking was actually doing at UCSB. He had a close relationship with the UCSB Physics Department and was on campus as a guest of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics. The Institute was launching a series of lectures to make Physics more accessible to the general public. Professor Hawking gave the inaugural lecture of the series at Campbell Hall. Mikey C says: Hey Hawking, I'm walking here!

I stopped into the Carpinteria Community Library since I was moseying myself to the burger joint…read moreacross the street. Curiosity struck. I wanted to know what it looked like inside. So I sauntered myself into the library. It's small in square footage but they sure do pack a lot into the space. Besides books, they have computer (laptops) for in library use by library card holders. There was a cozy children's book and activity area giving off homey vibes. The armchairs added to that vibe along with the architecture of the building. They even had a covered front porch with pub height tables and chairs. Comfy place to crack open your laptop to use the WiFi. Fun fact: the Carpinteria city library was established on November 10, 1910 and was the first county library in California. (Ohhh the 1st). That original building was on 892 Linden Ave. See I learned a new fact. I picked up that little nugget by reading the funky lettered carved wooden sign in the courtyard.

Walking in to this library was a Blast from the Past. Not their past but mine. The smell of the…read morebooks, the sight of rows of orderly books and seeing a lady behind a large desk with cat glasses takes me back to lovely memories. I could spend a whole afternoon here (I wish there was an espresso bar). The library is small but has plenty book books in all topics. The helpful staff set us up with a library card and off we went with 7 books.

My mistake! I completely forgot about the other smallest library in the state of CA and possibly…read morethe entire country, and its right here in our own neighborhood. So, take a look at the photo I took and I'm sure you will agree.

Great weekend getaway when the city and fog are too much to handle! Only a 5 hour drive from SF…read more(through many a great wine valley I must mention) yet it seems worlds away. My recommendations: Leave early from work on Friday, stay at the Winemaker's Front Porch B&B in Paso Robles (3 hour drive), start the day off tasting a few in that valley and then head down to the Santa Ynez valley to continue the fantastic vineyard voyage (Kalyra is a fun & unpretentious winery). Get a room at the Harbor View Inn once you get into SB, enjoy the sunset & oyster shooters at Longboards on the pier, get dolled up and splurge on a dinner at Bouchon but enjoy a Creme Brulee martini for dessert next door at Epiphany. Sunday? Do anything you damn well please, from surfing in Ventura to visiting the renown Mission. Or don't do a damn thing! It's a great mini-vacay!

I'm from Hawaii, so when it comes to coastal town, I'm very critical. This place is the only place…read morein California (or from what I've seen, in US) that comes closest to Hawaii in beauty. The mountains are green, water is blue, sun is warm and sand so fine like Kailua Beach. There are plenty to see, do, or you can just do nothing and hang out at the beach... I love this place...

JMC proved beyond exemplary and knowledgeable. He patiently reviewed our issue, and provided…read morereasonable solutions to move forward. This visit was surprisingly informative and productive. We are grateful for the services and assistance provided by this outstanding associate. Your office is fortunate to have such a talented, considerate and supportive individual working with the general public. The help he provides to the lost by guiding them and navigating the nuances and intricacies of SS - is priceless. Thank you.

I owe them everything,I was living out of a minivan in the los padres and my benefits from where I…read moremoved from were cut a few days before Christmas and I hadn't obtained stable housing yet I had 238 dollars They didn't judge me being dirty or rough when I went in the security guard gave me water and calmed me down The worker took my info and in 15 minutes I had California benefits and was a legitimate California resident Since then I have gotten several slumlords busted ,saved some children from abuse,got my section 8 back somewhere else I have good credit money in the bank ,all my bills are auto pay a month in advance I'd still be homeless if it weren't for them and I love Santa Barbara in general Any negative reviews will be something you find in any ssa office anywhere they don't dictate any of it and there job is very stressful and I'm sure they are over case loaded like any other office Thank you for not judging me. You saved my life I don't care what anyone else says. They probably don't keep up with updates or understand procedure or the amount of changes on a regular basis even before trump and should be thankful even when things are rough or get messed up that they have any benefits at all. It's not a thing everywhere and California doesn't have the highest pay but it does have the best and most benefits and people tend to be knowledgeable about the job and at least try which is far more than I can say for personal experience in other states Also. there was almost no one in there there were empty seats short wait time you don't have to empty pockets or go through metal detector,most were older,not loud no babies Best ssa office I've been to aside my pleasant experience If you have issues just try and stay calm and get the right information. It may take a while , it's like that every where you go Thank you Santa Barbara ssa. If they were absorbing I'd had moved there with section 8 I love Santa Barbara. ,thousand trailsrv not so much. They don't deserve to be in that location If any park rangers see this ,thank you for being so kind I miss you guys and fixed my life,someone killed the cat though Everyone please be safe there To the ssa. Go take a long deserved coffee break. Who ever the main boss is it has been years since I was there. They still deserve some doled out PTO just because they put in the effort and you can Best ssa ever

Beautiful and relaxing place to visit. I first learned about comparative religion here as a kid,…read moreand it blew my mind! I love the gardens, the library, and walking here from the Ojai Meadows Preserve. Be ready to be quiet and contemplative when you're here.

This review is based on my trip there in November 2011…read more Wonderful esoteric and spiritual bookshop! It sits within the compound and grounds of the Theosophical Research Society, surrounded by gardens and fountains. I went in expecting nothing by Theosophical related books from Charles Leadbeater, Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey. Boy, was I wrong. They had tons of books and titles represent all faiths and traditions, from hokey New Age books on gems and angels to serious tomes on Tibetan Buddhism and Sufiism and everything in between, including some hard-to-find and out of print titles. I was very impressed and will definitely come back if I'm in the area again.

The Santa Barbara DMV, I'd compare it to the Lompoc one as well - there's virtually no line and…read moredealing with the service personnel, they're actually real humans and they talk to you and joke around. But they do mean business - you get in to get out.

worse experience ever. I was one of two people in there. The front desk lady with the mustache kept…read moregiving me attitude for some reason. Even tho I was being very respectful. She answered my question in form of a question and tried making me feel stupid and little. Unnecessary attitude. Even tho the gentleman that I was dealing with at the window did a wonderfull job, those other staff members needs to check their attitude.