I lucked out and arrived at the airport in time to catch the sunset.

It was a beautiful day in Santa Barbara, but it’s time to get on the road.

The barbecue was good – some nice brats with a German mustard called Lowensenf. It was a sweet mustard and it really spruced up the fatty, salty brats. Pick some up for your final grill-outs this fall – most of your friends have probably never tried it.

Also, the Black Lager from Guinness was pretty drinkable. It tasted like a toned-down version of the stout that went down smoother. Not a bad choice this winter – try it if you see it.

As it was with the old airport, I got through security in under five minutes. It’s one of the perks of traveling from Santa Barbara – arriving more than an hour before your flight is unnecessary. Even an hour is too much most times.

The new airport is really nice. It still maintains a small airport feel, yet now it has the amenities of a major city airport. Granted, there’s only one bar/restaurant and one coffee shop, but it’s better than it was before – at least there’s something beyond security (and it never gets crowded here, so no worries on that front).

I was just able to go to the bathroom after passing through security – something else you could never do before.

Probably the coolest thing is the glass Jetway. As you board the plane, you can see the mountains. I was told recently that this is one of only two airports in the United States to use glass Jetways, but I haven’t been able to confirm it yet.

I took some photos: