What is Isla Vista?

In Spanish, Isla Vista means “Island View.” To outsiders, it means skimpy outfits, warm natural light beer, and the biggest party of the year: Halloween. But to residents, Isla Vista means home. It is an extension of UCSB lecture halls including both I.V. Theatre and Embarcadero Hall. It is a collection of local shops and establishments, including food ranging from Little Asia to Woodstock’s pizza to Naan Stop and Freebirds. More than anything, Isla Vista is a contrast between parks so quiet you can hear your ipod playing from the headphones you left on the bench and parties so loud that everyone’s conversations blend into a collection of Dionysian drunkenness and childlike laughter.

Isla Vista is a mix between alternative kids hanging out at Java Jones and antsy kids waiting to get out of their lecture hall so they can get their favorite butter and cinnamon “Sex on a Bagel” special from The Bagel Shop. I.V. is a bit of a time warp; bikes are the primary form of transportation, bad 70’s and 80’s music blasts outside of Sam’s to Go and Blenders, and everyone seems to be happy. Homeless people in other cities are hooked on meth, ours are hooked on smiling and telling stories from their past. Competition here seems to be limited to the sign outside of I.V. bakery advertising for the cheapest sandwich. In one of the nicest towns on the West Coast with the unbeatable weather, lies a small park outside of Embarcadero Hall with a small windmill and a little lake for ducks. If you’re sitting on the mound enjoying your smoothie, a duck might approach you, not out of curiosity, but want of that leftover honey wheat roll from Silvergreens- the only place I know of that gives nutrition information of the food you order on your receipt.

Then there’s the not so quiet side of I.V. Topless boys on balconies yelling down to the tan skinny girls. Groups of Frat Boys running into the Keg Bottle market which seems to have the largest collection of liquor in the world. There’s the time a mad woman outside of Isla Vista theatre shouted “I am the Queen of England’s daughter” to a crowd of spectators. Then there’s the Sports “Nutrition” store for “fat loss, muscle gain, and general health.” They used to have an Ephedra Before It Sells Out (or becomes illegal) sign outside of their door. Isla Vista: in a town entirely run by twenty-year olds, what else can you expect?