| San Luis Obispo or S-L-O is a
Central California city situated on a river bank. A place where
history and contemporary influences meet, students who
arrive at the state university at Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo from larger cities tend to slow down upon arrival
in this college town. Home to a mission
and university, the city is filled with history and traditions that
students love. Take, for instance, the Farmer's
Market the meets on the streets every Thursday evening. It includes outdoor
barbecue tri-tip beef and chicken cooked over oak wood, farmers
market, entertainment and vendors selling wares.
Recognized as one of the original, longest running
California street fairs, other cities visit San Luis
Obispo to find out what they're doing right.
San Luis Obispo is
a shopper's delight. Because of the
college population, shops tend to carry youthful styles and
contemporary gift items. Ethnic food restaurants, Starbucks Coffee,
Barnes and Noble
Books and numerous smaller shops offer a casual atmosphere close to
the outdoors. Many of the businesses are built overlooking a river
which runs through town and it is there you will find the mission
and the San Luis Obispo Art Museum. Students mill around the
downtown, and at night, you'll find them at the proliferation of
clubs and bars that have increased in numbers recently.
Microbreweries, coffee houses and restaurants are great places for
live music, socializing and a mellow vibe in this town surrounded by
mountains and close to the Pacific Ocean.
While the city is
a college town, it isn't overrun by students. The local,
growing population loves to visit and shop in San Luis
Obisipo. Because its downtown is filled with
historic buildings, even Ross Stores is located in a
great building that has character, making shopping more
interesting. Walking along the downtown streets that
meander next to Mission San Luis Obispo and an historic
red brick Carnegie building that's now the San Luis
Obispo County Historical Building, both structures are
well worth visiting. While the mission is actively
used as a functioning church, it also is open to
visitors hoping to gain a glimpse into California's
past.
The historical
museum includes a small gift shop and several rooms of
displays that include a great section of Chinese items,
painting a picture of San Luis Obispo as a Chinese
settlement. The admission fee is minimal to this museum,
making it well worth your time to explore.
One more museum
within steps of the mission complex is the San Luis
Obispo Art Museum. Rotating exhibits and a seasonal
holiday gift store that sells affordable art & jewelry
during the Christmas season are several of its
offerings. One favorite annual event exhibit is the
Plein Air art exhibit hosted there, usually each
September. I caught it one year, but just missed it the
next, and was so sad. Artists come from throughout the
USA to portray the local landscape that lends itself so
well to paintings that are timeless and worth investment
for wall art.
A Mozart festival in July and
wine festival in September are some of the cultural events you'll
enjoy if you are in town during those times. San Luis Obispo (pop
45,000+) is 50 miles north of Vandenberg Base in a valley created by the
Santa Lucia
Mountains.
The city is best traveled by foot
or bicycle. More than 15,000 students attend California Polytechnic
State University. More than 8,000 students attend Cuesta Community
College. The Native American, Spanish, Mexican, French,
Chinese (see historical building),
Japanese, English and "Old Yankee" residents form a unique community
founded in 1772.
Leave your mark on
Bubblegum Alley or chew on something tasty at an outdoor cafe. If
you spend your last dime, catch a ride on SLO trolley.
|
