I was very pleasantly surprised by the town of San Luis Obispo, which we visited for the first time on our Central Coast trip last summer. First and foremost on our agenda was to see Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa (which I will be posting about separately) and then to see the "infamous" Bubble Gum Alley, which turns out to be a very, very narrow alley whose walls are covered, with no millimeter to spare, of people's used chewing gum. Oh yeah, baby. Yum. Anyhoo, it was fun and novel. Other than that sight to cause sore eyes, the town was beautiful (lots of trees, flowers, green spaces, & easy access to San Luis Obispo Creek), very walkable, dog friendly, and had a very laid back vibe. I would definitely come back here again.
7/29/15 Chorro and Higuera Streets
Garden & Higuera Streets with flowering Jacaranda trees and bougainvillea
Chorro Street
Mission San Luis Obispo
Mission San Luis Obispo.
The Mission and Mission Plaza are the heart of this town, which seems to have grown up around it.
Park near the mission
We had lunch at Luna Red at 1023 Chorro Street after visiting the Mission (within walking distance).
Luna Red's lunch menu
Avocado Albacore Tartare
Grassy Bar oysters with Chili-Lime Granita. We also had their Gambas al Ajillo and some sangria to down everything with.
San Luis Obispo Creek runs under the restaurant, with viewing areas and trails nearby.
View of Luna Red from a lookout point next to San Luis Obispo Creek.
San Luis Obispo Creek is easily accessible via steps and trails.
Some dude trying his hand at fishing off the creek.
Higuera Street
Bubble Gum Alley at 733.5 Higuera Street
Yup, this is a tourist attraction:
From wiki: "Bubblegum Alley is a tourist attraction in downtown San Luis Obispo, California, known for its accumulation of used bubble gum on the walls of an alley. It is a 15-foot (4.6 m) high and 70-foot (21 m) long alley lined with chewed gum left by passers-by. It covers a stretch of 20 meters in the 700 block of Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo. According to the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Business Improvement Association, the origin of the gum is "a little sketchy". Some historians believe that the tradition of the alley started after WWII as a San Luis Obispo High School graduating class event. Others believe it started in the late 1950s, as rivalry between San Luis Obispo High School and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) students. By the 1970s, Bubblegum Alley was well established. When shop owners complained that it was "unsanitary and disgusting", the alley underwent a full cleaning. The gum graffiti survived two full cleanings in the 1970s. In 1996, the BIA unsuccessfully attempted to have another alley cleaning."
Gil, regretting that he doesn't have any used bubble gum to contribute.
He wants to touch it, just like he wants to touch cactus spines.
History Center at 696 Monterey Street. Houses artifacts, records and collections pertaining to the history and culture of San Luis Obispo County
History Center
INFO:
Location: California Central Coast
County/State: San Luis Obispo, CA
Websites:
http://visitslo.com (Visit San Luis Obispo - SLO Chamber of Commerce)
https://sanluisobispovacations.com/index.html (San Luis Obispo Vacations)
http://www.lunaredslo.com (Luna Red Restaurant)
http://www.missionsanluisobispo.org (Mission San Luis Obispo)
http://historycenterslo.org (History Center)
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