In the summer, Isla Vista is perfect. The cool coastal breeze softens the heat rays bouncing off the asphalt, and the feeling of camaraderie among the college students who stayed in town for the three warm months is great. An un-crowded beach town during the summer — who would want to be any place else?
We all know I.V. is the opposite of light during the remaining nine months of the year. To call Isla Vista a densely populated unincorporated area is a bureaucratic buzz phrase that dulls the image of thousands of students packed into shabby apartments.
We all know about the house music that blasts from open-door parties on Del Playa where keg stands and Gaucho Ball last until the beer — or “plastic handle” vodka — runs out. We all know about the skinny-dipping, the shopping-cart racing, and the rooftop dancing. We all also know about the violent elements — the rapes, drug deals gone bad, and the tragic falls from the bluffs.