Arranging a family get-together for people coming from multiple directions can be challenging. A day in Santa Barbara proved to be the ideal location, however, not only for geographical convenience, but also for the broad range of available activities. With shopping, dining and touring, Santa Barbara has something for everyone.
We started with lunch at Santa Barbara Fish House. Everyone found something they liked, from ceviche to oysters and fish and chips to coconut shrimp, seafood pasta and an omelet.
Yeah, that last one was me. Fish is not my favorite, so I appreciated the brunch menu.
After lunch, we followed Cabrillo Boulevard past the pier to board the Land Shark. Part bus and part boat, the Land Shark takes you on a 90-minute land and sea tour of Santa Barbara.
The vehicle is as unusual looking as it sounds, drawing stares and waves from curious passersby. As we rolled through downtown, the tour guide dropped one-liners, pointed out the sights and peppered us with trivia about the town's history.
Bath Street? It's the cleanest street in town.
That mural overlooking the patio at La Paloma Cafe? It was the inspiration for "Three Amigos" and Steve Martin wrote the script there on the patio.
After 45 minutes or so, we turned into the harbor. The theme from "Jaws" played as the Land Shark descended the launch ramp and went from bus mode to boat mode.
Dodging kayakers, we motored over to the harbor's bait barge to get a closer look at the lounging harbor seals. They weren't as interested in us as we were in them, but patiently tolerated our gawking.
The captain exited the harbor and pointed the Land Shark toward the green quarter-mile buoy for more marine mammal watching. Five, maybe six, sea lions jammed together onto the flat base.
A baby on the edge caught the most attention from the passengers - first for its cuteness, then for its courtesy. Dangling its flippers off the edge of the buoy, it let loose a stream of brown liquid into the water.
The tour guide commented on how it must have been trained by the older buoy residents on proper pooping protocol.
The water was busy with all kinds of craft. Student sailors piloted small boats in circles. Kayakers seemed to be everywhere, while cabin cruisers and larger sailboats glided by gracefully. We navigated around the far side of the pier, and then returned to the harbor.
Our group split up after the tour, with some people heading home. The rest of us wandered through the Funk Zone, a lively district of bars, restaurants and shops roughly bounded by Cabrillo Boulevard and State Street.
McConnell's Ice Cream seems to be a mandatory Santa Barbara stop. We braved the long line, knowing the sweet reward was worth the wait.
Continuing down State, we walked to the end of the pier, finding a spot where we enjoyed the view, the breeze and the exuberant little boy fishing with his dad. They were having good luck with their crab net. As his dad brought the line in hand over hand and the contents came into view, he proudly announced every catch, shouting "We caught a crab!"
Not wanting the day to end, we decided to go for drinks. We landed at Santa Barbara Biergarten, a lively spot with intriguing taps and abundant seating. Somehow, everyone was hungry again, so we ordered charcuterie and pizza.
It turns out their crust is made with sourdough, which meant the gluten-intolerant members of our group could enjoy it. It was a pleasant surprise to end the day, and another reminder that Santa Barbara really does have something for everyone.
Eric Harnish lives in Castaic, where shark sightings are rare.

LET'S GO...
Santa Barbara Fish House fishousesb.com
Land Shark landsharktours.com
McConnell's Fine Ice Creams mcconnells.com
Santa Barbara Biergarten sbbiergarten.com