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State Street
It also was a short walk from our hotel to Santa
Barbara’s exciting downtown area, where we had
an appointment to taste some local wines. We
didn’t expect too much company, given the pan-
demic’s impact on retail and dining venues. But
we were greeted with a huge farmer’s market
sprawling for blocks along State Street. In the
pedestrian only area, masked shoppers eyed col-
orful produce and handicraft stands, or grabbed
a socially distanced table in the festive outdoor
dining rooms restaurants had added in response
to the pandemic. Twinkling lights and live music
added to the celebratory feel, more European
than Californian. There is talk of making the
pedestrian only arrangement permanent, a move
we’d happily endorse.
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