Obviously the first mission that I went to was Mission Santa Barbara. The mission is located in a picturesque neighborhood where many homes sit behind Mission Revival style sandstone walls or tall hedges.
At the front of the mission is a large lawn on which are a crucifix and a lavanderia.
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| Lavanderia water spout |
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| Lavanderia |
Just in front of the mission is a Moorish fountain, and the ubiquitous bell marker that can be seen all along the historic El Camino Real.
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| Moorish fountain |
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| Bell marker |
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| Wood structure of arcade |
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| Arcade doorway |
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| Mission church after 1925 earthquake. |
Behind the church to the northeast is the mission cemetary, where the Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island was buried in an unmarked grave. The novel Island of the Blue Dolphins was based was upon her story.
The other mission I visited was Mission San Buenaventura. This modest mission is located at one end of the old Main St. area in downtown Ventura.
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| 1912 |
The mission is fully modernized, and the grounds are now sites of both the parish school and church.
Heading east on Main St. is a promenade area open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The streets are lined with cafés, restaraunts, brew pubs, thrift stores, antique shops, book stores, and many other specialty shops.
The Beaux-Arts style Bank of Italy Building is now home to a cocktail bar and a restaurant.
The First National Bank Building is noted as the location where Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason series, dictated his novels from his third floor law office. The bottom floor is currently a restaurant, while the upstairs are still professional offices.
Street art around downtown Ventura.
