Santa Barbara CA? | Imamother

yaelinIN

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 3:43 pm

My husband will be there next week through Shabbos and needs to find out about the SB community as well as an honest assessment of how long it would take to commute to Calabasas (or any LA/ValleyJewish community) within commuting distance (1 hour?). Kosher food, synagogues, learning? I've done some research and will be making other emails, but any Imamother help greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Yael

MaBelleVie

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 5:59 pm

I don't have any of the info that you're seeking, but I just wanted to mention that it's a really beautiful place. I remember the drive being a couple of hours from LA, but I may be wrong. Also, SoCal traffic is really unpredictable. . . We shopped at Whole Foods while we were there Smile

waterbottle

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 6:53 pm

Agoura hills/Oak Park community is a little closer to Santa Barbara than Calabasas, but not much.
There are chabads in Ventura and Santa Barbara but they aren't real communities.

Google Maps says Calabasas to SB is 1 hour, 10 minutes with no traffic. With traffic it could really be 2 hours... probably it would be okay going westward, but going eastward after work could be tricky

doctorima

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 7:28 pm

We were just in Santa Barbara and all of the other places that have been mentioned here a few months ago. As others have said, SB is simply gorgeous - make sure DH brings back pictures! Unfortunately, Jewish-wise it doesn't have much to offer, certainly not a weekday minyan and I'm not even sure about Shabbos. Driving to Calabasas took us 1.5 hours, but as others have said, traffic in that area can be horrible and unpredictable, so please leave extra time, especially anywhere close to rush hour.

Honestly, the Calabasas community is quite small, and if you're anyway driving that far, I'd advise driving the extra 45-60 minutes to spend a normal Shabbos in LA. As far as kosher food, you happen to be close to what is considered by many to be the best kosher restaurant in the US, if not the world - Tierra del Sur at the Baron Herzog winery in Oxnard, around 45 minutes south of Santa Barbara. The food there is out of this world, but it may be better to go for lunch, as dinner is quite expensive. In Agoura Hills, about 75 minutes southeast of SB is Pizza Maven, which is considered the best kosher pizza in LA. Hope this info helps, and feel free to ask any more questions you may have.

yaelinIN

Thu, Feb 07 2013, 8:15 pm

waterbottle wrote:

Thanks to all of you for the information!

If we lived in Calabasas wouldn't he doing a "reverse commute" (opposite of where everyone else is going - LA) or the traffic that horrendous no matter which direction he is going? I drove in LA a LONG time ago (and did go to Calabasas to visit a friend there), so I don't have a clear recollection of it all.

My husband is also a rabbi and we like to build communities so maybe that will make a difference as to where we live.

doctorima

Fri, Feb 08 2013, 6:37 am

Didn't realize you were talking about moving there, though it was only a short visit. While you are correct that in theory Calabasas -> SB would be a "reverse commute," we made the same mistake and everything seemed to be going fine until we were about 25 miles south of SB and hit traffic that slowed to a crawl for most of those 25 miles, and this was on a weekday morning at about 10:30. There are very few major roads in that are and a lot of truck traffic, so it's a recipe for problems, and if there's ever an accident or construction, forget about it. With the help of the GPS we got off the major highway for several miles, but it was still quite a pain and not a commute I'd enjoy making daily (though the views are beyond breathtaking). Also be aware that Calabasas is quite expensive and small, though kiruv-oriented, so it might be a good fit; I would recommend getting in contact with Rabbi Yaakov Vann, the Rav there. Also be aware that there's a Mesivta of LA (don't remember exact name) in Calabasas, which may be an option for learning. Hope that helps!