Originally Posted by calamarichris

The Beach might be that way, but Ventura downtown, especially near Main Street by the Mission is great! Plenty of clubs, restaurants, coffee shops, hipster boutiques, and antique stores. There's a cool fountain and park (which can have homeless folks napping during the day, but it's hardly Escape-from-New-York.) Can't remember the name of the place, but it's upstairs with a nautical/aquarium theme--they always seem to have great bands playing and the dance floor crowds up pretty quick. "Paddy's" looks like an Irish Pub on the outside but it's a gay bar.
Santa Barbara is tidier, costlier, and more corporate-franchisey, but I prefer Main Street in Ventura, near the Mission.
And the little towns in between are cool too, and have cheaper rooms. We stayed in Carpenteria once and while it was quieter, there were still good restaurants and a brewery near the train tracks.
Or if you want to see some really nice restaurants and slightly swanker hotels, give Ojai a try. Nice riding up the hill from Ventura way too.