Counting Blessings, Hoping for More

In honor of the new year, I decided to take a moment to look around Isla Vista and count the things everyone has to be grateful for. It’s a particularly nice time to experience the beauty of the place, with the streets empty, the parties nonexistent, and the students gone, gone, gone. Of course, they will come back, but for now, the area is quiet and peaceful. The sound of sirens and distant screaming is just an unpleasant memory.

First of all, I.V. residents can be grateful for the lovely new look of El Colegio Road. Driving down the street is now a pleasure. The street is wider and more attractive. Even the sidewalks and bike paths have taken on a new luster. You can run down the beautifully landscaped paths, or ride without worrying about uneven pavements and other such difficulties. There is even a native plant restoration area on the corner of Los Carneros Road and El Colegio that will be a sight to be seen as it becomes more established. Who knew that a new road could change things so much? No longer will visitors to I.V. get the idea that it is a neglected and abused town. The first view will be one of a well-manicured area. I’m not one to praise superficial beauty, but I think that in I.V there is a fine balance between “keeping it real”—or retaining what makes I.V. special—and letting the squalor obscure the beauty.

Now when people come into I.V. their first impression will be a good one. They may be less likely to come into it with the idea that it is an area to trash and party in. One can only hope.