Santa Barbara is by far the biggest city we have visited since leaving San Francisco. After spending two weeks in the open-armed community of Morro Bay, I had come to cherish the genuine, friendly attitude I encountered from many a stranger. In fact, calling them strangers seems wrong in a way, for there was nothing but geniality felt between us. Often, we would be stopped in the street by some passing comment which would no sooner manifest itself into a fully fledged 45 minute conversation. People in Morro Bay care about each other, and put this human to human (a Buberian I-Thou type thing) before buisness.
My first impression of Santa Barbara squashed this capacity for genuine relationships among total strangers. After 60+ hours aboard Padelesha, I looked a little worn for ware as I stumbeled into the harbor mastor’s office to fill out the neccary paperwork to rent a slip. If my haggard, unbathed apearence didn’t tip off the office attendants that I was totally and utterly exhausted, maybe the fact that it took me no less than 4 trips back and forth between the boat and upstairs office to procure the necciary paperwork would.
“That’s your title, we can only take a current registration.”
But I have stickers on my boat. Can’t you just look out the window. Or look in the database.
“Its going to be 7 extra dollars for a key”
you mean an rf fob that I already have 3 of? can’t I just use on of the ones I already have?
“check out is strictly at 12, otherwise we charge you a late fee”
so that means I can take a few extra minutes to get my act together to leave the dock right?
“no, then we charge you the late fee.”
I have checked into my fair share of marina’s by this point, and not one of them has ever had a strict check out policy. I have stayed well after dark at some, dissapearing mysteriously in the night hours after our expected time of departure. Never once did these establishments even raise an eyebrow. A late fee? and a fee for an RF key I already have 3 of? can’t you see I’m beat? maybe extend a friendly leniancy? or at least unmask the professional smile and reveal at least some sort of sliver of humble humanity.
I suffered a bit of culture shock comming back to my home turf. The ever impersonal “buisness-as-usual” persona people put on for each other in cities. I grew up in this. I am a native inhabitant of this language and its many dialects. How easily had I forgotten the social dance of politeness.
Caving in to our desperate need for some personal hygeine I payed up and stumbled back to Padelesha in order to move her into her slip. Wandering around State Street later that day, in a sleep deprived daze, I couldn’t help but wonder at how new and polished everything looked. How many people were out flaunering about. I began to miss the close and personal smallness of Morro Bay.
The Mast and Mail 
ahh…come here to Costa Rica with us…the person-to-person thing is alive and well down here. Thank god for small communities! safe travels.