|
news
'SLO' offers great
waves, lush scenery
--This is the
first in a series of travel stories that will appear through
the rest of the week.
By Alisha Gomez
On-line Forty-Niner
An extremely beautiful
town, San Luis Obispo is about 20 minutes from the ocean,
where locals enjoy good surf with high waves at Hazard Canyon
and ultra high waves at Morro Bay.
History is a very
prominent theme in San Luis Obispo. The mission in SLO was
built in 1722 by the Chumash Indians. The city prides itself
on its old historic buildings like the Old Mission San Luis
Obispo de Tolosa at 751 Palm St., near the San Luis Creek
downtown. Lush gardens surround the pathways for people to
walk through.
Make sure that
a trip to San Luis Obispo includes a Thursday night, where
a farmer's market boasts organically grown fruits, vegetables
and fresh cut flowers. Farmer's Market is held from 5:30 to
8 p.m. and starts on the corner of Higuera and Osos streets,
stretching for four blocks, ending on the corner of Broad
and Higuera.
Visitors should
also visit the Downtown Centre, where shops and eateries are
spread throughout a wide shopping area.
If you are interested
in biking and running, the Poly Canyon Road has a spectacular
view of the mountains and valleys surrounding the Cal Poly
campus.
The Laguna Lake
Park off Madonna Road offers lush meadows and winding trails.
The park is a great place to walk, jog or ride a bike.
The picnic areas
are equipped with barbecues and benches, and the park has
the beach on one side, so parkgoers can walk to the water's
edge and feed the ducks or sit on the dock and watch windsurfers
and boaters in the water.
Another historic
site to see is the Railroad Depot, located at the intersection
of Santa Rosa and Church streets. The Southern Pacific Railroad
Company built the depot, and is all that remains of the Ramona
Hotel that burned to the ground in 1905.
Many places are
available when looking for a place to stay. The Madonna Inn,
located at 100 Madonna Rd., has 109 rooms, all decorated with
different themes. The inn also has shops, a café and
pastry shop, restaurants and a cocktail lounge. Rooms run
from $138 from $238, a night depending on which room is rented.
Another lovely
place to stay is the traditional Apple Farm. A combination
of Victorian charm and modern luxury, the inn features fireplaces
in the rooms and has an atmosphere of country coziness with
elegance.
The Apple Farm
restaurant has favorites like chicken and dumplings, spit
roasted chicken and prime rib on their dinner menu. The lunch
menu features hot and cold sandwiches, meatloaf and roast
beef. Desserts are a highlight of Apple Farm's with items
like hot apple dumplings, homemade pies, Apple Brown Betty
and cobblers.
San Luis Obispo
has plenty of good places to eat. Linnaea's Cafe at 1110 Garden
St. has a menu filled with all sorts of goodies. The café
offers teas, coffee, espresso, chai and a variety of exotic
hot and cold drinks. Their desserts include carrot cake, cheesecake,
bundt cake and the Chocolate Cloud along with fruit pies and
other pastries. Drinks and desserts are served all day long.
The breakfast menu includes waffles, fruit, yogurt, scones,
Linnaea's legendary coffeecake and rice pudding as well as
espresso eggs and breakfast burritos.
Linnaea's lunch
and dinner menus vary and are always delicious. Lunch, which
includes salads, soup, pita sandwiches, also known as an SLO
Roll, and is served until everything is gone. Dinner is prepared
in various themes and by various restaurants. Friday nights
are vegan cuisine.
No trip to San
Luis Obispo can be made without stopping by SLO Baked, located
at 763 A Foothill Blvd. What started off as a one-woman muffin
baker has turned into one of the best bakeries in San Luis
Obispo. SLO Baked, known for their muffins, was voted best
bakery in the New Times' "Best of SLO County Reader's
Poll" by the residents of San Luis Obispo and other central
coast communities.
For local nightlife,
SLO Brew at 1119 Garden St. becomes Club SLO Brew at night.
The regular restaurant has everything from Nachos de Sonora,
which is a mix of corn tortillas, black beans cheddar cheese,
black olives, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos and sour cream,
to burgers, chicken sandwiches and salads. The club features
live bands, which have included Weezer, Incubus, Papa Roach,
Green Day and Sublime. The place is definitely bumping with
students from Cal Poly SLO and a great time.
For reservations,
for the Madonna Inn call (805) 544-2040 or (800) 255-2040.
For the Apple Farm, call (800) 543-9666 or (805) 543-3000.
|
