SANTA BARBARA — I recently consummated a May to September relationship in a Motel 6, and I don't care who knows it.
No, it wasn't what you think. My wife and I (separated in age by 364 days, if you must know) thought we could stand a weekend in Santa Barbara, but we wanted to keep it cheap. And so one day back in the spring, I called Motel 6--not just any Motel 6, mind you, but the original Motel 6, which opened in the summer of 1962 near East Beach, prime shore-strolling and volleyball territory.
For the Record
Los Angeles Times Sunday January 18, 1998 Home Edition Travel Part L Page 6 Travel Desk 1 inches; 32 words Type of Material: Correction
Santa Barbara--Due to a reporting error, a Weekend Escape story ("A Motel to Wait For," Jan. 11) described the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden as a 60-acre preserve. It is the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, and it covers 65 acres.
As Santa Barbara's reputation as a pleasant retreat has widened, the first Motel 6 has taken on another distinction. It is the most expensive Motel 6 west of the Mississippi: $63 per night for a double room in peak season. But by Santa Barbara's upscale standards, of course, this is a low number. And it apparently is no secret. The motel's weekends, the reservations agent told me on that May day, were booked up more than three months in advance. The next opening, he told me, was in late September. We took it. (May to September. See?)
The appointed Friday evening finally arrived, and Mary Frances and I headed up U.S. 101. First we alighted downtown for dinner on the upstairs balcony of the Zia Cafe, an old favorite of ours that looks down on State Street and offers New Mexico cuisine (I had the green chile chicken enchiladas) at no more than $9.95 per main course.
After dinner, we drove in confused circles for about 15 minutes along the Santa Barbara waterfront (I was sure I could find the place without actually consulting the address; I was wrong), and about 11, we pulled into the busy parking lot of our Motel 6. Yes, the light was on.
There were 51 rooms on two floors and a handful of independent budget motels up and down the street. There was a small fenced-in pool, elbow-shaped; lap swimming might require sonar equipment. Also, though its location is described in the Motel 6 directory as "beach," the property is actually separated from the sand and sea by two streets and a large Radisson hotel.
Room 122, ours, was bereft of character: bare walls, no shampoo in the bathroom, TV remote control bolted to a bedside table. But hey, $63 a night, and free local calls. And the place was spotless; the property was renovated less than two years ago. In the proper frame of mind (a few beers at dinner helps), the relentless standardness seems mildly magical.
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