Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [339]
Nature’s Grill ( 805-643-7855; 566 E Main St; mains $6-10; 11am-9pm; ) Nosh on green cuisine at this breezy but busy grill and juice bar, where the menu is mostly vegetarian. Choices include salads, chicken and fish dishes, and a few hot veggie mains. Vegan options too. Order at the counter.
Cafe Fiore ( 805-653-1266; 66 S California St; lunch mains $9-13, dinner mains $9-29) With exposed wooden crossbeams, a concrete floor and lots of fancy throw pillows, Fiore’s is the most stylish place in town, packing in Ventura’s bon vivants, who sip cold gin while savoring contemporary Italian cooking, from pizza to osso bucco. Make reservations.
Jonathan’s at Peirano’s ( 805-648-4853; 204 E Main St; mains $9-32; dinner Tue-Sun) Jonathan’s serves Euro-Mediterranean cooking, from cioppino to paella; make reservations. Smaller plates from the same kitchen are available at the bar (dishes $6 to $16), which also has many wines by the glass.
Drinking & Entertainment
Anacapa Brew Pub ( 805-643-2337; 472 E Main St closed lunch Mon) Crafts its own microbrews and makes a mean pulled-pork sandwich.
Margarita Villa ( 805-654-7906; 1567 Spinnaker Dr) Seeking sunset views and tasty margaritas after a hard day’s hike on the Channel Islands? For an upbeat olé!, follow the señorita murals to this 2nd-floor cantina just east of Island Packers in the Harbor Village.
Weaver Wines ( 805-653-9463; 14 S California St) At this upbeat wine shop you can sidle up to the wine bar for a $10 tasting, loiter over a tasty cheese plate, or shop for a gourmet gift. In other words, follow the Weaver Wines credo: ‘Taste, lounge, shop’.
Zoey’s Café ( 805-652-1137; www.zoeyscafe.com; 451 E Main St) Tucked at the end of a brick-lined passageway, Zoey’s is a cosy indie bistro showcasing a wide range of live acts almost nightly – folk, soul, acoustic surf rock and comedy to name a few. If you dig fiddle and banjos, stop by for Thursday-night bluegrass jams. During the day, it’s a low-key café and coffeehouse serving salads and sandwiches. Try a chocolate-chip cookie – one of the best on the coastal California trail.
Century Theater Downtown 10 ( 800-326-3264; 555 E Main St) For movies and popcorn on Main St, stop here.
Shopping
Antique shopping along Main St is good too, especially for used-book lovers. Shopping maps are available at the visitors center. Here’s a sampling:
Bank of Books ( 805-643-3154; 748 E Main St) This bibliophile’s gem recently moved a few blocks east. In addition to the huge selection of used books on the 1st floor, there’s a basement filled with maps, magazines and vinyl.
Calico Cat Book Shop ( 805-643-7849; 495 E Main St) On the corner of California St and Main St, there’s a little of everything crammed into this tiny store. Includes sections on the Civil War, film and poetry.
Times Remembered Antiques Mall ( 805-643-3137; 467 E Main St) Civil War relics, wooden tennis racquets, Coca-Cola signs, Star Wars figurines, vintage cameras. As one hipster shopper remarked, ‘Dude, I seriously love this place.’
Getting There & Away
Greyhound ( 805-653-0164; 291 E Thompson Blvd) runs four buses daily from LA ($12, two to 2½ hours) to Ventura, and four from Ventura to Santa Barbara ($9, 40 minutes). Amtrak ( 800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com; cnr Harbor Blvd & Figueroa) operates five daily trains to Santa Barbara ($13, 40 minutes) and five to LA ($20, two hours).
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OJAI
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Tucked in a tiny valley only 10 miles long and 3 miles wide, scenic Ojai (pronounced ‘oh-hi’, meaning ‘moon’ to the Chumash) attracts artists, spiritual seekers and those ready to indulge in a little spa-style pampering. Ojai is also famous for the rosy glow that emanates from its mountains at sunset, the so-called Pink Moment. In fact, the scenery here is so stunning that Frank Capra chose the Ojai Valley to represent the mythical Shangri-La in his 1937 movie Lost Horizon. Bring shorts: Shangri-La gets hot in the summer.
For information, head to the Ojai Chamber of Commerce ( 805-646-8126; www.ojaichamber.org; 201