*published October 6, 2005
Santa Barbara may be full of beautiful homes on oceanfront property, but you pay for the privilege. I glanced through the real estate section of one of their newspapers and saw one ad for a house that was under $1 million. It was a condo for $750,000, described as a “fixer-upper.” If that sounds reasonable to you, you’ve got too much money.
I think Placentia is lovely, even without a beach. I like to walk my dog down past the Civic Center and stroll the shaded, winding walkways of Chapman Avenue. Bradford House sits so tall and regal on her manicured lawn that I must look at her when I drive by. And the Wagner House beckons me to put on a pretty dress and visit for tea.
Skimming the Santa Barbara weekly paper, I noticed that it was a fancy, stapled and glossy magazine. But it wasn’t full of information about their local schools or profiles of their community helpers and heroes. The articles were about the latest fashions and interviews with famous people. And the advertisements were mostly about how to transcend the latest fashion and fame by using various spiritual methods to center your chi and balance your life force.
Frankly, I’d rather know how to balance my checkbook.
In Placentia, our weekly newspaper tells us what our city is doing, from our schools to our roads to all of the people who volunteer to make it work. There are plenty of ads for our local churches, temples and synagogues, and advisors to help us along our spiritual voyage; but we also get information about how to be better parents and neighbors.
I don’t blame the Santa Barbara paper for giving their readers what they want. I’m just saying that I don’t think I fit into their demographic.
On my last morning, I stopped at a Starbucks for some coffee. It looked just my local shop, but the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different. Where I usually see parents and business folks rushing for their morning caffeine, I was drowning in a sea of spoiled twenty-somethings. As I waited in the long line, one of the cashiers began teasing the girl behind me about her new BMW, saying that she thought it was a Honda. Then she proceeded to bypass me and serve her friend.
I may have entered the store wanting a cup of coffee, but I left feeling like I needed a stiff drink. Instead, I pointed my minivan south on the 101 and headed back.
Placentia has been my home for over 20 years, and I like it. I like its tranquility, its proximity to shopping and freeways, and its overall friendliness. Santa Barbara may sparkle like a jewel, but Placentia is the oyster that you open to find a pearl inside.