De notre envoyé special aux Etats-unis :
De Glendale, j'ai pris la route de Santa Barbara et je me suis arrete juste a l'entree de Santa Barbara, a Montecito, tres précisément.
Là, le Biltmore m'ouvrait sa terrasse.
Le service est tres accueillant, et les serveuses y sont jolies. Des parasols protegent du soleil (quand il y en a , ce qui n'etait pas le cas aujourd'hui). La cuisine y est bonne sans etre extraordinairre, ; les clients sont decontractes : short et t-shirts . Aujourd'hui les clientes n'etaient pas belles. L'endroit vaut pour l'ambiance, feutree, souriante, un peu suranne, un peu au-dela du temps , loin des realites de la vie quotidienne.
L'HISTOIRE
The Santa Barbara Biltmore (also known as the Biltmore) opened in 1927 as part of the Biltmore Hotels chain. Now styled as the Four Seasons Resort—The Biltmore Santa Barbara, it is a luxury hotel located in Montecito, California. Its landmark Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and gardens are on the Pacific Coast just east of Santa Barbara in Southern California, in the U.S.A.
The architectural design of the hotel and outdoor garden rooms is a masterful synthesis of the Mediterranean Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival and Moorish Revival styles of architecture. It was designed by architect Reginald Johnson and landscape architect Ralph Stevens in 1926-1927.[It was a $1,500,000 enterprise built by the Bowman-Biltmore Hotels Corporation of New York City, with a 5 March 1927 groundbreaking.The 'Coral Casino' and 'Butterfly Beach' are adjacent to the Biltmore.
Four Seasons Hotels bought the Santa Barbara Biltmore in 1987, later renaming it the 'Four Seasons Resort Santa Barbara.' In 2000 Ty Warner acquired ownership of the hotel through his Ty Warner Hotels & Resorts, while retaining Four Seasons as the management company. A historically-sensitive major $240 million restoration and services updating followed. The historic 'Biltmore' name was added back to its moniker soon after as the 'Four Seasons Resort; The Biltmore Santa Barbara.' Since its 1927 opening however, the hotel has continuously been known simply as 'The Biltmore.'
Fred William Stringer, produced ornamentation and murals for the Hotel. He was doing this in England, moved to Canada prior to 1920, then was brought to Southern California to do backdrops, sets and theater ornamentation for the fledgling movie industry. Stringer also did similar work for several hotels and theaters in the Los Angeles area.
Sources : wikipedia
