Santa Barbara Stole my Heart...Once I Got There

I was lucky enough to get sent to Santa Barbara on a very long overnight.  I knew about a week in advance that I would be going to this beautiful beach town on the west coast, and I excitedly went online and started to research the things to do in this southern California town.  I made my list and then counted down the days that I would soon be there.

It wouldn't be natural for me to arrive in one piece with all the bells and whistles.  My trip began by going to the town of Springfield, IL.  It's a quaint little town (and I hope to share my thoughts on it later in another blog post), but it was not setting well with me this time around.  A few weeks earlier I had started to get sick and was coming down with a really bad cold of some sort, or possibly a sinus infection.  It was so bad that my ears felt like they were going to burst every time I went into the sky.  Which is a lot, with my new career.  Arriving in Springfield on this hot August day the plane decided it was done.  The air conditioning unit went out on the plane.  So, my pilots and I sat.  We sat for two hours in a very hot and humid plane.  Finally they (the mechanics in Chicago) told us that we needed to ferry the plane back to Chicago.  That means we had to fly the plane back with no passengers.  My captain was a real gem and told me that he would like me to fly up front with them in the flight deck.  Score!  What he didn't tell me was that the plane would be unpressurised and there would be no air.  This flight from Springfield is a whopping 30 minutes, but on this particular day, and particular time it was THE LONGEST 30 MINUTE FLIGHT of my life!  I couldn't even enjoy the fact that I was sitting in the flight deck having one of the best views.  First of all I was sweating like a pig who just got done breeding, and second of all my ears were in the most excruciating pain that I was about to pull a Van Gogh and cut off my ear(s).  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity - seriously time has never gone so slow in my lifetime, we landed.  Thank goodness!  However, for me, it was several more long minutes until I was able to regain strength in my ears.  After parking the plane and shuttling over to a new plane I asked my Captain if that flight was a little bit odd?  He said, "Oh?  Did you notice your ears popping?"  Did I notice my ears popping, DID I NOTICE MY EARS POPPING, DID I FREAKING NOTICE MY EARS POPPING!!!  Well, let's just say I was hoping for a crash landing to put me out of my misery!  (Just an FYI none of that was said out loud.)  Because there was no air conditioning unit we had do fly the plane at a lower altitude, making it, like I said earlier, unpressurised.  Therefore, it really messed with our ears/head/whatever else goes berserk in our body with pressure.  As we are all dripping in sweat we hopped on our new plane, which happened to be larger, and I was now the first class flight attendant.  Just what these high paying people want to see, a flight attendant who is dripping in sweat and is possibly adding salt to their margarita via my forehead!  Gross!  Surprisingly, all the passengers were just happy to be on their flight and did nothing but complement me throughout the flight.  I mean really, what else are you going to say to the flight attendant who is sweating like a pig and then running around like a chicken with their head cut off?  Hmmm?

Three hours later we were finally done for the day and staying the night in Springfield.  One day closer to being in Santa Barbara.

The next day our journey to Santa Barbara began early.  We had to fly back to Chicago, then on to Madison, WI, through Denver, CO, and lastly into Santa Barbara.  Because I was with a Denver based crew I was getting a new pilot in Denver.  According to his crew picture this captain looked about my age and was very handsome.  I was super excited to pick him up.  After a two hour layover in Denver the time had finally come to meet this captain.  Time stood still when we met, and our gazes locked - I'm not sure the feeling was mutual, but I was in love.  I had met the man of my dreams.  His stature was strong, his head was full of hair, and his eyes...his eyes were like the color of a tropical blue ocean on the coast of Fiji.  I had found my blue eyed lover whom I would spend eternity with.  Ohhhh, how my time in Santa Barbara was going to be even more magical.  We would land, we would walk to our hotel shuttle talking about the plans we were going to do that evening, he would invite me to go to dinner, we would hit up some tourist attractions, then we would finish out the night watching the sunset together on the beach, and lastly, we would talk about our wedding plans...

Undoubtedly, the only thing remotely close to my "dream plans" was that him and I did walk to the hotel shuttle together, we did talk about what MY plans for the evening were, and then I awkwardly asked what his plans were.  I kick myself now because I wish I would have invited him along for my long afternoon/evening.  All I had to say was, "You are welcome to join me."  Six little words, and I couldn't do it.  We walked to our hotel rooms, and I kept hoping that we would change our clothes and then serendipitously show up in the hotel lobby at the same time.  Did not happen.  I even tried to linger in the lobby hoping that he might show up.  If you are still reading this, you probably are thinking I am the most desperate single Mormon girl ever.  Well, I am!

Santa Barbara was to be conquered with or without my dream man, and the time was ticking away.  I saddled up my new trusty stead, my cruiser bike, grabbed a free tourist map, and hit the bike lanes in this very friendly bicycle beach town.  It was all downhill to this darling Santa Barbara downtown.  My first stop was the Santa Barbara Courthouse.  It was one of the tallest buildings in downtown and offered up a beautiful view of the city from all sides.  After seeing the views, I wandered around, via bike, just looking at the beautiful buildings.  Within time my stomach was starting to make some noise, so it was time to quiet it down.  Being a huge fan of Diners, Drive-inns, and Dives, I had picked one of the restaurants Guy had eaten at in downtown Santa Barbara.  Mac's Fish and Chip Shop.  This cool little dive was right in the middle of downtown.  It had great bar seating looking right out on the main street.  I ordered me up some fish and chips, and had a seat right in front of the window.  The fish was awesome, best I've had in a while.  However, the chips let me down.  I couldn't even finish them.  I can't say this is my favorite restaurant, but the fish did win me over.  Following my meal I moseyed around downtown window shopping.

View from the top.

If anyone watches Psych this is the building they use in the show?
I guess???

Fish and Chips baby!

After my window shopping got old I realized that I am just minutes from the beach.  I can't come all this way and not go to the beach.  Hopping back on my bike, I headed down to the Santa Barbara Pier.  The beach was beautiful.  I can't remember the last time I was at a California beach, but it was nice to sit in the warm sand, bask in the sun, and people watch.  All the while I'm thinking, why couldn't I be doing this with my beautiful blue eyed captain?  All I had do was ask a simple question..."You're welcome to join me?"  As the sun was starting to set I realized it was time I headed back to the hotel.  Once I stood up and started my walk off the beach it registered that I had biked a very long way from my hotel.  I was at least a good five miles from it, and the whole ride to the beach was downhill.  Oh gosh.  I have to bike uphill five miles to my hotel...this ought to be enjoyable, said the out of shape gal?  I gathered my things, and started my trek up hill (not in the snow, thank goodness).  As I was a quarter mile up hill I suddenly became very grateful I was not with my handsome captain.  I did not want him to see me as a sweaty mess huffing and puffing up the hill.  With what took me probably 15 minutes to get downtown was now going on an hour to get home.  Sheesh, I am clearly out of shape!  Not to get off topic, but it's a good thing I get out, explore, and walk around each area I end up staying overnight in.  This job could easily make a person gain weight.  Which scares me about the winter months.  Let's hope I get sent to sunny, warm, hot spots in the winter months so I can stay (kind of) active.

My trusty steed.  

California Beach.  Yeah buddy!

Just as the sun was beginning to set I had arrived back at the hotel.  I took a few minutes to wipe the sweat off me before heading into the lobby.  'Cause you never know who might be in the lobby at the exact same time I am.  He was not in the lobby, but you never know!  With my stiff legs I walk to my hotel room and throw myself on the bed.  I think to myself, and wonder if my captain went out as well.  The next morning as we meet in the lobby to catch the shuttle to the airport my hunky blue eyed captain asks how my day was.  I tell him all the exploring I did, and when I am done he tells me, he had gotten a bike, and went to the beach also.  Then proceeds to say, "Why didn't we just go together?"  What the!  WHAT THE FREAK!!!  SERIOUSLY!!!  Who knew, all my sight seeing could've been with the love of my life.

We finished our trip in Chicago, and my captain and I parted ways.  I told him it was a pleasure to work with him, and that I appreciated how helpful he was, and that I enjoyed his pleasant happy attitude.  He shook my hand and told me it was likewise, and that he enjoyed his time with me.  I'll take likewise!  It may not be the "L" word I wanted to hear, but likewise is pretty darn close in my book.

The captain stole my heart, but not as much as the beautiful beach town of Santa Barbara.