See how the other half lives ... in
exquisite style
Reprinted with courtesy of the
I've
always associated limousines with weddings and politicians, with ceremony
and solemnity.
But
in this land where everything can always be made fun, Spencer's Limousine
conducts a number of local tours -- all of which are led by the debonair
Spencer Winston, behind the wheel of a posh, leather upholstered limousine.
Always a sucker for the successful, I take Spencer's Rich and Famous Tour of Montecito -- perfect for out-of-town visitors, says wife and Spencer's Limousine partner Huguette Winston. But, I discover, it's a real eye-opener for locals as well.
The tour begins with Spencer at my door (in coat and tie but alas, no little cap) and a Lincoln stretch limousine idling at the curb. I slide into the sleek, cool interior. This limo, made by Da Bryan Coach (the premier limo builder in the U.S.) is called "black-on-black" (black exterior with black leather interior) in the industry, Spencer tells me as he takes his seat up front.
"That's
the most popular color right now -- even for weddings," he explains.
(Limo
colors, like everything else, run in fashion cycles; white became popular
in the '80s.) This Lincoln Stretch is truly long, but "stretch" isn't the
half of it. This six-passenger limo feels roomier -- and certainly more
elegant -- than my living room. Across from me, behind the driver, is a
seat roughly the size of a park bench, with little black leather pillows
on it. From my seat waaay in the back, I can access radio and air conditioning
controls, a divider that separates the passenger compartment from the driver's,
a 10-CD player, a lighted vanity mirror, the skylight and an intercom to
speak with Spencer. I keep looking for the control to open the compartment
for the sunken bathtub.
Spencer also points out a hidden TV that swings out from a rosewood cabinet and a bar stocked with vodka, scotch, mixers and soft drinks. For this tour, Huguette has also placed Martinelli's Sparkling Cider on ice with champagne glasses at the ready on the console in front of me. On a rosewood sill are fresh flowers. When it's a lady's birthday, Huguette makes sure it's a long-stemmed rose; she also customizes balloons and napkins for the occasion.
Spencer whisks me toward Montecito, where the Rich and Famous tour begins, all the while narrating the drive along the 101. He's definitely a pro at talking over his shoulder. Before the tour even begins, I see the town through new eyes. Santa Barbara definitely looks different from the back of a limo.
We glide from lane to lane with nary a bump. People in passing cars try to peer inside. I bring the window down just a few inches and wave with my fingers, and they go wild.
"We are now entering Montecito," Spencer interrupts my fantasy. He swoops off the freeway and pulls into a parking lot by the Andree Clark Bird Refuge.
"This property was donated by the Clark estate," he points. "The home of her daughter," he points to a rooftop poking up above trees across Cabrillo Boulevard, "is one of the largest private residences on the California coast.
"She only stays there a few days a year -- she has other residences, in New York and Hawaii."
Spencer adds that her name is Huguette, like his wife's.
"The Clark family was in mining, and they were among the movers and shakers in early Santa Barbara, helping to make it a beautiful place to live. Because of people like them, many people who can live anywhere choose to live here."
As we pull out, Spencer talks of Montecito billionaires and 30-year-old Rolls-Royces auctioned off with only 1,500 miles on them.
We pass the cemetery, and Spencer says, "Though I don't normally talk about cemeteries because it's a downer, I like to point out that actor Ronald Coleman, who owned San Ysidro Ranch in the '30s and '40s, is buried here and his headstone has a black curtain over it."
He turns to me and confides, "Old folks appreciate that detail."
John Ireland, he adds, is also buried there.
"Now we're heading into the heart of Montecito," Spencer goes on, "Population 10,000, with 5,000 homes. Now the fire department statistics show that the total property value of Montecito is estimated to be $2 billion -- and if you work out the math, that's an average of $4 million per house."
That gets my attention. I peer out the window at the leafy tunnel we're heading down.
"This is Hot Springs Road," says Spencer. "Tab Hunter lives on this road -- he was a very handsome actor in the '50s."
We turn onto Sycamore Canyon Road and he points out lavish grounds with three gates. "This was Andy Granatelli's -- 20 acres of prime Montecito real estate."
Beside the final gate, we pull over, and he indicates a tall green building -- the car museum Granatelli built.
"It contained 20 of the most exotic cars, including two Dusenbergs, valued at $1.5 million each, and a Pierce-Arrow."
At that moment the gate opens and I suck in my breath. A Granatelli heir in a Dusenberg?
Alas, it's the gardener on a riding mower. But we get to see that the museum is now refurbished. "It serves as a home to a famous designer. But he's only here two to three weeks a year."
He built his pool, however, to replicate that of Hearst Castle, "and the tile alone is rumored to have cost $1.5 million," says Spencer.
Next, we officially enter what was once called Old Spanish Town, or Shantytown in the '20s.
"The soldiers at the Presidio were paid with this "worthless land," Spencer explains. "Many of the titles are still in the old Spanish family names."
We glide past some tiny bungalows. "See that orange garage? That was the site of Montecito's one-man jail," Spencer says. A few doors down, he points out a refurbished saloon, bordello, pool hall and another bar -- all resplendent in chic coats of Martha Stewart greens and creams. In the stone wall beside the old dance hall, the date it was built is inscribed.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel church, Spencer says, momentarily dipping into his architectural tour, "was started by two ladies in the '20s who didn't want to travel to the mission for Mass."
He slows as we pass Casa de Herrera, which is open to the public for tours "and is the best deal we've got going," the former Historical Society docent tells me. It's especially interesting with the 75th anniversary of Santa Barbara's big earthquake coming up on June 29th because the owner of Casa de Herrara finished the house and moved in the day of the earthquake.
We swing by the San Ysidro Pharmacy, "where Jonathan Winters used to meet Robert Mitchum in the mornings for breakfast," says Spencer, and the post office.
"I've met Jonathan Winters there a dozen times picking up his mail," says Spencer. "He'll engage you in banter -- zany banter."
One time Winters was with another couple when he asked Spencer's opinion on an Oscar-nominated film. After Spencer gave it, he was introduced to the couple -- Steven Spielberg and his wife.
Spencer slows so we can take a peek at the restaurant where Steve Martin is a regular, and the other that Rob Lowe frequents. Back in a residential area, we zoom past the modest former home of Dorothy Chandler (of the pavilion fame) on our way to San Ysidro Ranch. We circle past the stone Rose Cottage where John F. Kennedy and the future Jackie Onassis had their honeymoon. Groucho Marx was a regular here with his entourage.
"And Lawrence Olivier and Vivian Leigh got married right here," Spencer says, pointing to a garden area. "And at that time, they were the top of the heap."
In fact, he goes on, de Havilland's Gone With the Wind "was premiered in only two places: Atlanta and Santa Barbara's Arlington Theatre."
We head toward Carpinteria then, to take a ride past Clark Gable and Carol Lombard's former Cape Cod abode. Warren Christopher and Kevin Costner live nearby.
Heading back toward Montecito, I see lots of signs that say "Private Property" and big closed gates -- but I still get a tingle. It's almost more fun to imagine the rich and famous tucked away at home. But it's not always like this, Spencer says. One time, when pointing out the home of Michael Douglas, Spencer recalls, the gate swung open and Douglas pulled out in his Jaguar.
In magical Montecito, anything is possible; I sit up in my seat.
We cruise down Mountain Drive to peek at the palatial gates and sweeping drive of Kenny Loggins' old home.
The company drove Pedro Almodovar (director of the Oscar-winning foreign-language film All About My Mother) to his big night at the Oscars, and takes Jeff Bridges and his family out. He gave Gertrude Whitney Vanderbilt and friends a whirlwind tour of southern California, from the Getty to the wine country, and one of her companions said Spencer's gave the best tours she'd ever been on. And the six-year-old company is gaining a bit of celebrity itself: an article featuring the business appeared in the May 22 issue of Business Week's Frontier Magazine.
We pass Riven Rock and he explains the interesting story of the McCormick family, heir to the reaper fortune. Out in San Ynez Valley, he notes that Keifer Sutherland and Oliver Stone have taken up residence, and Noah Wyle (Dr. Carter on ER) just bought Bo and the late John Derek's ranch.
As we pass by, he mentions that the Montecito Inn was a favorite of Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle -- hence Chaplin's image on the sign.
Last, we pass Julia Child's new place, and her old abode at Bonnymede, then we drive in front of the Biltmore. Spencer stops by the Arco corporate retreat home, where Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip have hit the pillow on separate occasions. Just down the street is Cheryl Tiegs' home; I look but I see no sign of her famous blonde 'do.
As if on cue, we get an impromptu celebrity sighting of another kind: a pod of dolphins surfaces just off the beach. I get out to snap a picture; getting back in is a challenge -- the doors lock automatically.
"When you are in livery service," which is what chauffeuring is called, explains Spencer, "safety is one of the issues."
Because of that, Spencer has childproof locks on all the doors -- both to keep the curious out and to keep the too-boisterous drunk patron in while moving.
"The industry requires a limo when they show up for events," Spencer notes. "Otherwise, that would be like the secretary of state showing up in a Beetle.
If you go
The Rich and Famous tour lasts about 90 minutes and costs $99 for two people.
Spencer's Limousine & Tours also offers "livery service" to the Getty Museum (which includes a viewing of the PBS video "The Making of the Getty" for the trip down) and Hearst Castle. Spencer's Santa Barbara architectural tour and the Santa Barbara city tour are perfect for when you want to treat out-of-town guests to the highlights of our town.
There's also -- sigh -- a romantic tour (Spencer is keeping a running tab on the number of proposals: Butterfly Beach -- while Spencer leaves the car for a stroll -- seems to be a favorite) and a wine tasting tour, "so you can drink with impunity," Spencer smiles.