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Awful or Awesome Results
updated: Aug 25, 2012, 12:00 PM

By the Dedicated Staff

Welcome to the first edition of Awful or Awesome. Our staff has selected some local structures that had you talking.

The chromatic gate has been a hot topic on the threads and it's had mixed reviews. But is it awful or awesome? It was close but 54% of Edhat subscribers voted it AWFUL.

UCSB built a fairly new entrance leading into their campus. 61% of you said it is AWESOME.

Cottage Hospital has been dominating our threads lately, but mostly about their new helipad. There's no doubt their new building looks like a resort but how did you vote? 84% voted that it is AWESOME.

The old Santa Barbara airport has been re-built and re-vamped into a shiny new one. 59% have voted the new airport as AWESOME.

The last and final picture is the new suicide barrier placed on the Cold Springs Arch Bridge along the 154. 69% voted that this barrier is AWFUL.

Thanks for playing and remember, this is all for fun, and Edhat doesn't condone or condemn the survey results. If you have a good idea for AA, please email Ed a picture to ed@edhat.com. Make sure the subject of your email says AA Pic. Looking forward to seeing your photos!

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

KDEF	2012-08-25 12:27 PM
It would be interesting to know how many voted in the awesome or awful pole, The problem I felt was that each structure has its merits and and faults, Also, the site of the structure is a factor,
COMMENT 312543	2012-08-25 12:37 PM
It would also be helpful if there was an "OK" choice. Not everything falls into categories of opposite extremes.
COMMENT 312546	2012-08-25 12:57 PM
Too bad EVERYONE cannot vote. I really hated it when I filled in all the dots, and then found out I was ineligible to vote. Tuh. Allow me to write in now and add my "vote" to use Chromatic Gate as an artificial reef. Also: I bet I could win the hands-occupied cellphone drivers' contest. As a pedestrian, those j**k*sses and inconsiderate scofflaws are easy to spot. (I'm too poor to subscribe.)
COMMENT 312557	2012-08-25 01:47 PM
Was in town a few weeks ago and the rainbow "arch" was gross. It was filthy. Hope someone cleans and paints it. I do like it.
COMMENT 312558	2012-08-25 01:47 PM
Suicide barrier does not block views at all and no one has plummeted to their death since its installation. How anyone could vote awful is beyond me.
COMMENT 312561	2012-08-25 01:53 PM
312558 might want to see an optometrist!
D8VANILLA	2012-08-25 02:04 PM
The deciding factor for me to be a "paid" subscriber, was the ability to comment after 9pm !!! Doesn't cost much and there are many benefits.
COMMENT 312571	2012-08-25 02:19 PM
It's an interesting sculpture that probably should be re-painted more often as it's pretty when it's painted and fresh and really looks neglected quickly with the salt air and oxidation in that location. Otherwise, I'm all for anything that is interesting and pretty. It doesn't have to have a red tiled roof to be considered pretty to me. I like where it is and what it is. I just wish it was kept up more often.
FIRST DISTRICT	2012-08-25 02:20 PM
KDEF is totally correct, as usual. I, for example, would be delighted to see 'The Chromatic Gate' if it were located out of Santa Barbara County.
COMMENT 312581P	2012-08-25 02:48 PM
@546, while it's fun to be able to vote in the polls, the true value of Edhat becomes clear in emergency situations. Over the past several years I got more information from Edhat than from any other local news source during emergencies such as the San Marcos HS lock down and all the various fires. That access to up-to-the-minute information is very much worth the price of being a paid subscriber.
COMMENT 312593	2012-08-25 03:31 PM
I filled them all in and then also found that it wouldn't accept my votes BUT the final results is EXACTLY what I put lol
COMMENT 312600P	2012-08-25 03:46 PM
LOL - I thought the placing of the vehicle in front of the Chromatic Gate was awful - and thought we (or I) were commenting on the picture.
AUNTIE S.	2012-08-25 03:46 PM
Agree wholeheartedly 581. If you like Edhat - support it - best deal in town. BTW, I voted awful for the airport - outside's not too bad but the inside is HORRIBLE. So unfriendly for people seeing off or greeting passengers - I miss the old building where you could sit upstairs outside and watch the planes take off before and after greeting passengers. Ick - no grass or trees, cave-like area by the Coffee Bean/Tea Leaf, and of course, no restaurant or gift shop for anyone but ticketed passengers. Who the heck designed this atrocity?
COMMENT 312612	2012-08-25 04:20 PM
The Chromatic Gate is looking a bit tacky these days.
COMMENT 312629	2012-08-25 05:50 PM
I always thought the structure in front of UCSB would be better in front of one of Saddam Hussein's palaces.
COMMENT 312662P	2012-08-25 08:30 PM
That's the AIRPORT?!! I voted awful without even knowing what it was.
COMMENT 312694P	2012-08-25 09:43 PM
***** go to "pay for Edhat" in the left hand column: "DISCOUNTED PAID SUBSCRIPTION Use this form to subscribe to Edhat at the low rate of $13 for six months. This rate is intended for seniors, students, unemployed, and other people who want to be part of the Edhat community but can't afford the regular subscription rate." $2.17 a month--hope this helps?
COMMENT 312735	2012-08-26 08:00 AM
I was told the UCSB entrance was upward of $10 million. I still like it but the price tag might have swayed me into the awful with the airport. Airport/Awful. Those who voted awesome for the airport are probably friends of friends...
COMMENT 312737P	2012-08-26 08:07 AM
Geez. Somehow missed the entire contest!
COMMENT 312747P	2012-08-26 08:30 AM
The airport lacks interesting detail. The front entrance is so huge and white...reminds me of a spaceship. And the inside is so blah...especially the main lobby.l. The artwork that was chosen is fabulous but more is needed. And the seating is so industrial...ugh...the Spanish wooden benches are a nice touch...hope they add more...and more indoor plants.
COMMENT 312769P	2012-08-26 09:26 AM
For those of you that voted awesome, get out there and paint the damn thing!
TRINA	2012-08-26 09:51 AM
The Chromatic gate has always looked awful. The airport is "so-so". Cottage Hospital looks great. Memories of the views from the Cold Springs Bridge will suffice.
LOLA	2012-08-26 10:49 AM
Funds have just been raised to restore the Chromatic Gate. Hopefully, repairs will begin soon. It's here to stay as Herbert Bayer was a major artist of his day. Might not be everyone's taste, that's why we should have lots of public art, to please a diverse number of citizens, something for everybody!
COMMENT 312841P	2012-08-26 01:32 PM
Auntie S - I totally agree with you. PLUS there is NO information booth. At the end of construction, I was trying to find the administration staff - NOBODY knew where they were. Finally found them by calling - they are in a building over by the Elephant Bar. Can you imagine being in charge of that operation and not having either an information person and/or office space for at least one of your staff in that huge building. You're right, who approved this thing?
CHERPLAN	2012-08-26 02:47 PM
When I went to the Airport open house I was very impressed by the shops and the public art. Since I don't travel very often anymore that may be the last time I see the upstairs. When waiting for my son's arrival there I had to stand downstairs for over 30 minutes as I was not allowed upstairs. Is this my airport?
COMMENT 312961	2012-08-27 06:06 AM
awful.
COMMENT 377333	2013-02-22 07:01 AM
Chromatic Gate was a fine addition to public sculpture in the community. I think it's a sign of barbarism on the part of Ed Hat that they are incapable of talking about what its history is and why it's a good thing. If you were a little more history minded, you could write about the great debate on where it SHOULD be placed and who is Paul Mills (God rest his soul)... Next thing...try talking about another public sculpture like the wonderful King Carlos statue and see what happens. Public sculpture in this community is near impossible unless you do sea creatures...dolphins and whales tails...Santa Barbara I am embarrassed for you...but who cares?

56% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.