Winery tour in a limo solves designated
driver problem in style
By DeAnne Musolf Crouch
Reprinted with
courtesy of the
ESCAPE ARTIST / DeAnne Musolf Crouch
6/24/00
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
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.