Party City

This summer I am living in the infamous Isla Vista (IV). For those of you who do not know, IV is about 10 miles north of Santa Barbara and where most of UCSB kids live. It is also a notorious party town, especially for its Halloween festivities. Though I would have preferred somewhere quieter, this was the only area where I could find cheap rent for two and a half months.

Although I've seen or heard some of the parties here during the week, this was my first time I did not go home on the weekend. Even with half of the Santa Barbara kids home for the summer, these kids can still wreck havoc. I think I have seen bigger parties in the past four weeks than I saw in my four years at UCLA.

There is a pool in the middle of my complex (horrible idea), and thus far I have witnessed the aftermath of bikes in the pool, pots of macaroni and cheese on the ground, cans of Natural Ice, Popov, and other nasty cheap alcohol littering the stairways, and red solo cups everywhere. I feel bad, and actually embarrassed, as the maintenance crews clean this up every morning.

Fortunately my room is probably the furthest room from the pool/party area and I can hardly hear anything when I close my door. Plus, having a loud and nocturnal roommate my first year of college has conditioned me for anything.

[Photo of IV Halloween courtesy of Wikipedia]