Santa Barbara County - California - page 1318

Montecito
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The well-heeled community of Montecito, just east of Santa Barbara, is like a hitherto-un-
known cousin who just inherited the family fortune. This leafy village in the Santa Ynez
foothills is not just home to the rich and famous but to the obscenely rich and the uber-
famous: it's the type of guarded enclave that would have incited revolutions in eras past.
Though many homes hide behind manicured hedges, a taste of the Montecito lifestyle of
yesteryear can be experienced by taking a tour of Casa del Herrero ( GOOGLE MAP ;
805-565-5653; http://casadelherrero.com ; 1387 E Valley Rd; 90min tour $20; 10am & 2pm Wed &
Sat; ) , a gorgeously well-preserved 1920s estate built in Spanish-colonial style and
bordered by strolling gardens.
Montecito's cafe and boutique-filled main drag is Coast Village Rd (exit Hwy 101 at
Olive Mill Rd). Dressed & Ready ( 805-565-1253; www.dressedonline.com ; 1253 Coast Vil-
lage Rd; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 11am-4pm Sun) are twin couture shops that cater to a star-qual-
ity crowd with flirty women's fashions by hand-picked designers. For breakfast or week-
end brunch, nab a table on the patio at Jeannine's ( GOOGLE MAP ; http://jeannines.com ;
1253 Coast Village Rd; mains $9-14; 7am-3pm; ) bakery and cafe, where from-scratch kit-
chen goodness includes challah French toast with caramelized bananas in Kahlua sauce.
From Santa Barbara, MTD buses 14 and 20 run to and from Montecito ($1.75, 20
minutes, hourly); bus 20 also connects Montecito with Summerland and Carpinteria.