Miramar No More

Maureen Foster’s letter (“Nostalgia for a Santa Barbara Resort,” May 26) about missing the Miramar in Santa Barbara made me want to weep, as I do every time I drive north into Santa Barbara and look for the dear, familiar blue sign beckoning from the beach side just before the San Ysidro exit. Alas, no more sign, no more lolling on the beachfront deck waiting for room service to deliver the BLTs, and no more reasonably priced access to the ocean.

In its last year, I made a point to stay at the Miramar several times, and drove up just for lunch the week the dining room was to close, to dine before all the silverware disappeared as souvenirs.

Now, painful as it is, I always get off at San Ysidro and drive along the construction fence, where the old bungalows sit forlornly and the deserted beachfront buildings still face the gorgeous waves. It breaks my heart that so many loyal Miramar fans could have enjoyed her graces for so much longer had not greed been the driving force.

JAN BROWN

Van Nuys