She's Our Babs, Good Old Babs, Santa Barbara Skies

 Today I did a small tour of Santa Barbara. I have driven through many times, and only stopped there very briefly a couple of times, like to powder my snout or get some iced coffee. I wanted to really explore the city, especially since I am a big fan of the show Psych. If you were wondering about my blog title, those are lyrics from a song that was in Psych: The Musical.

 My tour of Santa Barbara started at Stearns Wharf. It is a famous attraction, and apparently the best in Santa Barbara. Compared to the municipal wharf in Santa Cruz, and both Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 in San Francisco, Stearns Wharf is quite small.

 They do have amazing views of the city and the water from the wharf.

 This is at the end of the wharf where people fish. I didn't have the proper equipment for fishing, and there were rules against jumping off the pier. So I was unable to catch any fish this day.

 People were out on the water on various boards and watercraft.

 There were many boats docked in the marina. I really wanted to go look at them because I like boats, and would like to have my own one day. Or at the very least, rent or borrow one to take out on the water. Alas, many of these places are off limits to people who don't have their boats docked there.

 I love palm trees.

 Palm trees really put me in mind of California, especially the southern part of the state.

 It was lunch time and I was ready for some food. I went to Moby Dick which is a nice seafood restaurant. This shark put its head through the wall.

 And almost chomped mine off!!! Luckily, I got away.

 As what usually happens in seafood restaurants, everything looked so good and I couldn't decide. I could have ordered the seafood pasta, but I always get that and I thought I should try something new. The seafood roll also looked good, but it was served with fries and I just wasn't in the mood for fries this day. Shocking, I know.

 I was seated next to the window so I had a great view of the water. I do love being near the water, especially moving water because that is very calming.

 I've been on a raw oyster kick ever since I tried them in Reno in April. And since I was going to be on the coast, ordering them was a must.

 I also wanted a shrimp cocktail. These are expensive appetizers, and while it may sound like a lot of food, it isn't all that much once you remove the shell.

 The presentation of the shrimp cocktail here was really appealing. There was a bed of salad greens at the bottom of the glass, and there was a big wedge of cucumber.

 The oysters were served with the standard cocktail sauce. I am glad this one wasn't spicy, sometimes there is just a bit too much heat in the sauce.

 And how could one eat at a seafood restaurant, on the coast, and not get the clam chowder? This was fantastic, and possibly the best clam chowder I have ever tasted. There were big chunks of potatoes and I do appreciate that.

 I chose fish tacos for my entree. Yes, this is something I do get a lot, and I like to try new things. But, this was actually a seafood taco which had not only fish, but also shrimp and lobster, and tossed in a delicious sauce. I was very happy with my choice.

 The rice it was served with was fantastic. It might have been basil, I am not exactly sure, but wow was it amazing. I should have asked for the recipe.

 After lunch, I wanted to get outside and walk around. The fresh ocean air and the warm sunshine with cool breeze made for a lovely day. I saw this candy shop and of course I had to go in.

 They had the classic candy bins of gummies and sours.

 And some more of the mainstream stuff you can find anywhere candy is sold.

 And my favorite... salt water taffy! They had some flavors that I had never tried before, and it looked good. But I couldn't justify buying a new batch when I had my box from Santa Cruz in the hotel room. In the end, I bought a dark chocolate turtle which was fabulous.

 I love historical sites.

 There was an ice cream shop, but I was full enough from lunch and had chocolate to eat when I was ready, so I didn't get any.

 More palm trees! I looked at everything there was to see, and headed out towards my next destination.

 Psych is about detectives who work for the Santa Barbara Police Department. I thought it would be fun to stop by and get a picture. I believe that for the pilot episode, the exterior scenes of the SBPD were shot here. But from the second episode on, they used a set in their filming location which looks vastly different.

 The Santa Barbara Presidio was in the same area, so I stopped by for a minute to look for historical markers.

 I mistakenly thought this was the mission, as it had the same design, structure, and colors as the other Spanish missions.

 I think it might have just been a church.

 So I left the presidio and went to find Mission Santa Barbara.

 There was an El Camino bell on the church property.

 I got there after they had closed the tours for the day, but that is okay. I am going to say that I officially visited the mission because I did get to see the exterior and snapped a few pics.

 Their lobby was open and they had these models of all of the missions.

 This is a fountain they had in the lot in front of the mission.

 At the end is the actual church.

 There was some street art. I liked this piece.

 More street art, and the lawn area in front of the building.

 Here is the church. It looks vastly different from the other missions because the original was destroyed. It is still an impressive building, but one of these things is not like other.

I tried looking for the California registered landmark sign, but couldn't find it. It gives me a reason to visit Santa Barbara again. Well, there are many other reasons that I want to return, including a visit to the Susan Quinlan Doll and Teddy Bear Museum and Library, which was closed today. So that is something still on my list.