back in the 1970s Mother Nature was on the run and so was I ...I lived in Ventura on Poli St in an old three story apartment building with fantastic views..but it was a
dump..and I loved it. Drunks lived there and they'd stop in and tell me their troubles..I'd hear them moaning and crying all night..I was singing and playing guitar in restaurants and bars like the Founders and the Bandar...the old Country and Western place bulldozed in 2002..I had long hair and the old western redneck guys would look at me like I was a freak until I started playing songs they liked, then we were all cool and they were actually really nice guys once I got to know them..but boy they liked to drink alot! and the girls..ahh the girls!! oh..they were so damn friendly! Frank Sinatra would have been proud of me!Ventura was pretty cool back then...kinda run down but man we had fun. I remember the donut place off Main and the Top Hat hamburger joint as two places I went for something quick to eat..the Top Hat is a tiny building on the corner of E.Main and Palm streets and over the years became an unofficial landmark where they still shout out your order..it is a look at a simpler time..
fast forward to 2010 and the Top Hat folks were served an eviction notice from the property owners, who live in Carpinteria, name-a Watlings...the Watlings tried to raise the rent from $1800 to $5000 per month..now this is what ticks me off..I have no sympathy for people who buy property in an historic district (usually at deflated prices) and then cry about property rights when people want to save the buildings! if you don't respect the history of a town, then don't do business there! WATLING!! YOU HEAR ME?? Try that in Carpinteria and see what happens! You are a disgrace, boy!! Get off your ass and save the Top Hat!!
It is clear that the Top Hat is the hub of this part of the city! Ventura is still a cool and friendly place, even the dogs are more fun here....a hodgepodge of styles and businesses and people makes for a fun day.
E Ma
in Street at Poli by City Hall is a step back in time...most of the stores were full of shoppers, working class families, bikers, punks normal folks..all blended in quite well together...lots of Thrift stores and excellent restaurants..a bustling main drag...Santa Barbara could learn a thing or two from Ventura..you can't cater only to rich people..and if you keep quadrupling rents, you will lose in the long run...small businesses need fair rent and tax breaks, not harassment...it is clear the little hamburger joint run by three generations of the same family means a great deal to many people...the saving grace is that it is located in an historic district and property development will be difficult..to the Top Hat..long may you run!
E Ma
in Street at Poli by City Hall is a step back in time...most of the stores were full of shoppers, working class families, bikers, punks normal folks..all blended in quite well together...lots of Thrift stores and excellent restaurants..a bustling main drag...Santa Barbara could learn a thing or two from Ventura..you can't cater only to rich people..and if you keep quadrupling rents, you will lose in the long run...small businesses need fair rent and tax breaks, not harassment...it is clear the little hamburger joint run by three generations of the same family means a great deal to many people...the saving grace is that it is located in an historic district and property development will be difficult..to the Top Hat..long may you run!
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