{santa barbara} TRAVEL Artists working on a street mural in The Funk Zone.
ON THE RADAR: THE FUNK ZONE
Santa Barbara
It may sound like a 1970s disco track, but Santa Barbara’s edgy new Funk Zone is the epitome of Zeitgeist cool.
TUCKED AWAY downtown, the artsy hipster enclave couldn’t be more different from the city’s sparkling southern foreshore flush with glamorous hotels, pretty, palm-lined beaches, yuppie yogis and reclusive A-list celebrities. In stark contrast, The Funk Zone is a gritty, scruffy, abandoned industrial hub that has undergone an unrecognisable transformation. The cheap real estate has made operating businesses viable for young artists, chefs and entrepreneurial winemakers, while the street art is so impressive it has its own Tumblr account. Like the rest of Santa Barbara, The Funk Zone has a chilled-out vibe — albeit with an indie edge. Wood carvers, ceramicists and surfboard shapers cruise through their open garage studios. Galleries, homewares, fashion and art supply shops sit between craft distilleries, boutique microbreweries and organic kitchens. The derelict warehouses, forgotten scuba shops and vacant sheds around the neighbourhood (off State Street) have led to a close-knit crew of creatives forging the next-gen community of cool. virginaustralia
EAT The hottest new restaurant in the area is The Lark, offering fresh, Southern Cali cuisine sourced from regional producers. Divided into ‘the ranch’, ‘the farm’ and ‘the ocean’, the menu delivers shared plates such as cast-iron-roasted broccolini and smoked farro with charred lettuce. The warm interior is made from repurposed materials including old church pews and a wooden communal table. The owners also operate the more casual Lucky Penny next door, which serves craft coffee and wood-fire pizza. Situated on the site of the historic Santa Barbara Fish Market, the eateries are part of the Anacapa Project — a boutique block that connects nine establishments. Meanwhile, the roaming Burger Bus offers ‘street food’ sourced from farmers
markets and local growers. It’s a low-key operation that once made a stop at Drew Barrymore’s wedding. DRINK Part of the wine-growing region that includes the Santa Maria Valley and Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Barbara is renowned for its abundant wineries and vineyards and is where a group of young trailblazers strips wine of its pretension. Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant is the brainchild of 30-something Brian McClintic, one of only 211 professional master sommeliers in the world. It’s the planet’s highest credential for a sommelier, with an admission exam so hard that the self-proclaimed ex-baseball ‘jock’ was the subject of the 2012 documentary SOMM. The affable McClintic hosts wine ▶
TAKE A SOUVENIR Santa Barbara boasts the flagship of Channel Islands Surfboards headed by Al Merrick — considered one of the best board shapers in the world. Bag some branded thongs, bags and board wax.
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TRAVEL {santa barbara} (clockwise from right) The Lark; Eric Railsback and Brian McClintic of Les Marchands; Guitar Bar; the hip Municipal Winemakers; Lucky Penny.
ART AND CULTURE Santa Barbara’s perpetual sunshine means that wandering at your leisure on foot, bicycle or pedicab (cycle rickshaws) is a pleasure — so be sure to check out the official Funk Zone Art Walk every second Saturday. There’s also a hop-on, hop-off electric shuttle that travels down State Street for just a 50 cent fare. The 10 blocks that comprise The Funk Zone are chock-full of diverse artist studios, galleries, workshops and on-site custom surfboard shapers. From woodworkers to ceramicists and painters to photographers, it’s a collective united by the spirit of creativity. Opening hours are leisurely and visitors are readily invited into workspaces.
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LITTLE BLACK BOOK Among the many resident artists is old hippie Greg Ray, who hand-makes timber tikis in the front yard of a tree trimming business, and Lindsey Ross who runs photo studio La Chambre Photographique, specialising in the unique wet plate collodion process (glass negatives). Galleries are everywhere, and some of the best works on view are at AMASS — the street art project that has seen more than 100 artists contribute to 18 large outdoor murals. Artworks rotate, so you can watch them come to life in situ. The experiential, alcohol-free Santa Barbara Guitar Bar is also worth a visit for its unique concept that encourages music lovers to socialise with like-minded guitar aficionados. Try out demo rooms, play with products such as ‘ecologically-minded’ guitars and get fitted with an instrument based on your body shape. GETTING THERE Virgin Australia operates direct flights to Los Angeles. To book, visit www.virginaustralia.com or simply call 13 67 89 (in Australia).
AMASS Gallery www.creative collaborationnetwork.net. Channel Islands Surfboards 36 Anacapa St; www.cisurfboards.com. Corks n’ Crowns 32 Anacapa St; www.corksandcrowns.com. Cutler’s Artisan Spirits Suite D, 137 Anacapa St; www.cutlersartisan.com. La Chambre Photographique www.lindseyrossphoto.com. Les Marchands Wine Bar & Merchant Suite B, 131 Anacapa St; www.lesmarchandswine.com. Lucky Penny 127 Anacapa St; www.luckypennysb.com. Municipal Winemakers 22 Anacapa St; www.municipalwinemakers.com. Santa Barbara Guitar Bar Suite A, 137 Anacapa St; www.sbguitarbar.com. The Burger Bus www.theburgerbus.com. The Lark 131 Anacapa St; www.thelarksb.com.
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Words: Carli Philips. Photography: Alamy, Macduff Everton
tastings, classes and manages the retail shop. Helmed by Dave Potter, Municipal Winemakers draws in the hip crowd. Its eclectic interior is matched by typographical bottles with cheeky names such as ‘Kick on Riesling’ and ‘Sweetness’. If winemakers are the new rock stars, then The Funk Zone is their stage. Corks n’ Crowns sells hard-to-find craft beers from independent brewers using traditional ingredients and methods. And Ian Cutler, a fourth-generation distiller, has revitalised his family’s heritage Cutler’s brand with the town’s first and only licensed micro-distillery since Prohibition. It’s a no-frills operation but has some of the best handcrafted spirits going round.