ISLA VISTA, Calif. – After two summer months of quiet streets, Isla Vista has come back to life.
The school year begins Thursday at UC Santa Barbara and the college community is filling up with students living in houses and apartments.
A student, Alondra Franco, is entering her senior year. “It’s just louder, you hear a lot more people screaming in the street, you see a lot more bodies everywhere and you have to expect to wait in line when you go somewhere.”
Elise Keller was walking down Pardall Road, preparing for her class, and saw the change immediately.
“I was here a few weeks ago and especially in the last few weeks things have gotten a lot busier. Restaurants are opening but were closed in the summer and it is much harder to find accommodation. That has completely changed.”
For business owners, they welcome the return, especially bike shops. They upgrade used bikes and sell new ones.
For those with cars, “Since people started coming home, there’s been no parking,” Maxine Borders said. She has also noticed other effects. “There’s a lot of trash,” she said, pointing to a pile of trash next to an overflowing trash can.
Alex Granados and a friend agreed. “We were both here all summer. It was a really quiet street all around for parking. Now it’s just busy and it’s nice to see everyone out and about.”
Seniors in particular can compare previous years with the current look and say it is less hectic.
Nadine Kurzke said: “To be honest, I like summer much better. It’s much quieter and peaceful and I really enjoyed it, not as many people and not as busy. But I’m also happy to see people coming back.”
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