SAN LUIS OBISPO: Taking It Slow in SLO
I’m just going to say it: we have ALL collectively failed San Luis Obispo. When I told friends this was one of the cities I was visiting, I kept hearing, “What’s San Luis Obispo?” Basically, it’s a cute little college town in wine country.
I shall henceforth be referring to San Luis Obispo as SLO since I was informed multiple times in San Francisco that locals call it /slo/.
Friends: I have been sleeping on SLO. YOU have been sleeping on SLO. We have ALL been sleeping on SLO, and I demand this disrespect stops NOW. Let’s talk about it.
Why SLO and How I Got There
I’d previously heard of SLO but couldn’t say I had any interest in visiting. The only reason I ended up going was that I wanted to take the Pacific Surfliner train along the coast since I can’t drive top-down on the Pacific Coast Highway. Also, in the original route for my trip, I’d planned to go to San Diego–the last stop on the Surfliner.
After schlepping my bags an hour from Oakland into San Francisco proper and grabbing a breakfast sandwich, I just barely made it to the bus (are you noticing a theme?) because Flixbus magically pops up wherever it wishes and doesn’t have any signage that denotes a bus stop. This was all I saw, and I stood there like an idiot until a street sweeper and another random lady asked me if I was waiting for the Flixbus, then informed me the stop was a block down and there was already a line.
For those unfamiliar with Flixbus, it’s a super cheap alternative to Greyhound or MegaBus. My ticket from San Francisco to SLO for a nearly five-hour ride was $17. Though the bus has outlets, wi-fi, and offers free movies (including selections from Disney), audiobooks, and games, it is NO FRILLS. There’s a bathroom…but the toilet doesn’t flush and there’s no sink…just a sanitizer dispenser. Like I said—they don’t even have bus stops! In Salinas, they put two people off at the curb of a Shell station and kept it moving. They put me off in a store parking lot! That being said, it took me where I needed to go.
What I Did
I’ll be honest…unless you’re ready to shop ’til you drop and eat all things, there’s not much to actually DO in San Luis Obispo. When I looked up the city on the Internets, the only attractions I saw were The Mission and Bubblegum Alley. I hit up these two places and also wandered around taking lots of pictures–most of them being of crazy huge trees.
- Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa: I was pleasantly surprised the find the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was open because I thought it was going to be closed due to COVID. It’s a beautiful building and I loved all the flowering purple trees on the grounds. I don’t know a ton about its history except that it was the fifth California mission founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1772.
- Bubblegum Alley: I know there’s something similar on a grander scale in Seattle (and that one came first). Bubblegum Alley is exactly what it sounds like, an alley covered in chewed-up bubble gum. It’s so gross–particularly in this Year of Our Pandemic 2021. Walking through, it SMELLS like pink bubblegum. Shudder.
Where I Stayed: Avenue Inn Downtown San Luis Obispo
Your standard motel, but I’ve got to say, staying in hostels and Airbnbs has made me SO appreciative of staying in a hotel/motel. No other people around, TV for background noise, I can leave my toiletries out…I feel like a rich bitch. This place was also great because I could easily walk to SLO’s downtown in about ten minutes and felt safe doing so alone.
Notable Eats
This is where San Luis Obispo gets a platinum star. I called my mom after each thing I ate because the food was that good. If I visit the West Coast again–and I really hope I do because I need to make it to San Diego–I will literally spend one or two days in SLO just to try more of the restaurants and drink all the wine.
- McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams – A Scoop of Banana & Salted Caramel and Cherry Cheesecake & Graham Cracker Crumble: This is literally the best ice cream I’ve ever eaten in my almost thirty-five years on the planet…and I eat A LOT of ice cream. I LOVE banana ice cream, especially when it’s paired with a salted caramel AND THEY HAD IT. I also got a scoop of cherry cheesecake & graham cracker crumble. And that was after the very patient–and enthusiastic–salesclerk let me sample a host of other flavors like eureka lemon & marionberries, sweet cream caramel brownie, and sea salt cream & cookies. The man earned his tip. I finished my scoops and thought about making a return visit for another round.
- San Luis Taqueria – Shrimp Taco: MY GOD, THIS TACO. (I also got a carne asada “super taco” but that’s the Poor Michelle to the shrimp taco’s Beyoncé.) I don’t even like shrimp tacos! Not even that, my mind–and heart–were SET on a burger and fries…but I figured, when in SLO… First of all, this flippin’ taco was filled with shrimp and only $3.80. The veggies were so tasty I was scraping them from the plate (and I just barely tolerate veggies). For the second time that day, I was ready to hop my greedy arse back in line for seconds! I’m going to dream about this taco for months and regret not getting three of them.
Overall Thoughts
San Luis Obispo was a breath of fresh air after Oakland and San Francisco. It’s funny how the places you’re most “meh” about end up being some of the coolest. SLO has a special place in my heart. It’s cute and quaint and feels like the perfect backdrop for a rom-com (squee)! It reminds me a lot of St. Augustine in Florida, probably due to the heavy Spanish influence. Come here to eat, come here to shop, come here to add your own nasty gum to Bubblegum Alley, but just get yourself to San Luis Obispo for a day or two. I promise you won’t regret it!
PS – I keep getting little signs from the Universe that I’m on the right track with my writing/this adventure! A life-size cardboard cut-out of Bob Ross and his pocket squirrel were peeking out of a candy shop display window I passed. Bob Ross and that pocket squirrel play a significant part in the relationship between the main character and love interest in the manuscript I’m currently working on called CATCHING UP WITH CHAOS.
Songs Added to the Playlist
Your girl’s got a playlist. Check it out here!
- “Highway to Heaven” – NCT 127: I knew this song had to go somewhere on the playlist if only because I had dreams of acting it out the video in the desert, haha. What’s cool about this song is the lyrics mention “Oh the 101, let’s see just where it goes” and we drove along the 101 to get to SLO.
- “Candy” – Robbie Williams: The perfect bubblegum, pop confection for Bubblegum Alley.
- “Walking Downtown” – Copeland: This song has always given me tingly-fairy-light-let’s-hold-hands-and-exchange-shy-glances-over-strawberry-ice-cream-cone vibes. SLO is the perfect place for those yearning looks with its strings of lights criss-crossing the downtown streets.
- “Take Care of You” – Copeland: This song is for the initial days and weeks after that first kiss when the ice cream’s long gone but you can still taste the strawberries on your lips and feel butterflies in your belly every time your phone vibrates.
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