The SB Post

Storm Watching in Santa Barbara

Posted On: Friday, Nov 11, 2011 10:55 AM

While Santa Barbara’s seasons may be more subtle than the snowy transition occurring in rest of the country, winter brings some impressive weather to our coastline. There’s nothing like hunkering down and watching a storm move across the Santa Barbara Channel, settle in over the Santa Ynez Mountains and soak the city in rejuvenating rain. We’re expecting a bit of weather today, and here are some great spots to watch the storm move in:

• Brophy Bros. Restaurant & Clam Bar – head to the Harbor, grab a seat at the bar and order up a bowl of famous clam chowder. Protected and cozy in the wooden restaurant, savvy sailors and soggy locals gaze out at the bobbing sailboats and the wind-whipping wrath of a storm as it churns the normally calm West Beach waters. 
• Cold Spring Tavern – this historic stagecoach stop has been a place for travelers to hunker down for more than 100 years. Low ceilings, a brightly glowing fireplace and comfort food that must have been invented on a rainy day (their specialty is to-die-for chili), makes for a perfect place to wait out the storm.
• The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach – jutting out over the sand and facing west, directly into the storm path, The Boathouse gives diners a front-row seat to the Pacific Ocean’s turbulent show. Just down the beach, surfers jockey for position at The Pit, and dog owners brave the wind for one more walk before the weather settles in.  
• Montecito Café - located in the Montecito Inn, this charming jewel-box café has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out to the posh Coast Village Road. Order a hot bowl of pasta, and watch Range Rovers rally through puddles and tony residents wrangle with their rain gear.