SLO 2019.

We finally got to take Vivi to San Luis Obispo!  I'd been looking forward to this trip all year, especially since we skipped last year.  And while it wasn't as relaxing as I hoped it would be (kids), it was still a great trip.

The kids did so well in the car.  Like, miraculously well.  Day one was an 11+ hour drive, and they rocked it.  We already knew that Theo would be fine, he's done well on long trips his entire life.  We weren't so sure about how Vivi would do, but she also did amazing.  Didn't even need a screen until the last two hours!  I don't do much public bragging about my children, but I'm always tempted to gush how well they do on road trips, haha.

Theo wanted to go to the beach so badly.  He'd been talking about it for over a week leading up to the trip, so we knew we had to deliver pretty early on in the visit.  We stopped at our favorite spot in Cambria (after picking our our favorite donuts at SloDoCo), and it was not what Theo was expecting.  He was like, "where's the beach?!" and we had to explain that this place just had the rocks and the ocean but we promised beach the next day.

And the end result of our beach day was probably the best that we could have gotten.  He loved the beach and had a complete blast, but was also totally satisfied and did not need to return for the rest of our trip.  Yay!!

I think I might have been most excited to revisit our favorite places to get some video footage for our vacation video.  Our video from 2016's trip to SLO is one of our favorites and probably our most rewatched.

So here is this year's!  Yay for SLO and yay for happy and patient kids in long car rides.

SLO 2016. (where we ate)

Most of our eats happened in downtown San Luis Obispo, and one was in Morro Bay.  There are a couple of repeats from last year, and pictures this time!


Hofbrau, a repeat, and located in Morro Bay.  We visit this place every year, and with good reason.  The French Dip Roast Beef Sandwich is to die for.

Looks humble, tastes amazing.

After the meat slices and your choice of cheese are put on the bottom half of the roll, the top half is dipped into the jus before it's placed on top and then the sandwich is pressed for a couple of minutes. It is a miracle of meat and the best roast beef sandwich you'll ever have!


SLO Donut Co, our other repeat, and home of our first round draft pick for Maple-Bacon Donuts.  As was the case with Lamar's and the glazed donut, our search for the best maple-bacon donut started and ended here.  It's a little insanely priced at $3 a bar, but because we only get to eat them once a year, everything was justified.

And now, our downtown SLO eats for this year:

Old San Luis Barbecue Company: Normally for barbecue we go to F.McLintock's during Farmer's Market Thursdays, but we were not there on a Thursday this year and we wanted to try something new.  Old SLO BBQ is a walk-up window joint just a few doors down from McLintock's.  And it does NOT disappoint.  Without a doubt, order the Tri-Tip Sandwich.  We ordered one to share and I think secretly we both regretted only getting one right after we each took our first bite.  It is an amazing steak sandwich, and it was so good I didn't even think to take a picture.  We also ordered their french fries and garlic bread - good accompaniments to the sandwich.

El Matador: Good Mexican food, and their bottomless chips and toppings bar is a nice feature (don't assume all of the green sauces are non-spicy guacamoles though, poor Theo had his first negative experience with too-spicy foods.  the tears were silent, but big and fat.)  I ordered two carne asada tacos and they were delicious, non-greasy, and didn't leave me feeling twenty pounds heavier or sluggish.

Splash Cafe: This little place is right in between Pizza Solo (which we visited last year and enjoyed) and the Barnes and Noble (which we frequent heavily on our trips).  We ordered a cup of their chowder and their fish tacos (Baja style!) and both were very good!

But as I passed the other diners, I kept seeing all of these amazing sandwiches that people had ordered and suddenly regretted that I had somehow become completely blind to the sandwich portion of the menu.  So!  We went back another night and I ordered the Smoked Salmon Panini and it.was.so.delicious.  Regret instantly eliminated!!


And so, I officially bring our 2016 trip to SLO to a close.  Fin!

SLO 2016.

We spent the 4th of July weekend in our tried-and-true escape destination of San Luis Obispo, California.  Every time we visit we feel so lucky to be there, it's just the best place ever!  Here are some pictures:

Top: peeking into the closed Growing Grounds Downtown, a place I have passed by and admired from the outside for years but have never gone in.  Maybe next year!
Bottom: greens for sale at a little farmer's market in Morro Bay.  FANG!

A new-ish establishment in Downtown SLO, the Celadon House.  It is the most beautiful home goods store I have ever been in.  I couldn't not walk in and admire everything each time we walked by (which was a lot, we went downtown at least once a day each day of our trip!)

And of course, a visit to our favorite spot on the coast in Cambria.  It might just be the most photogenic spot ever, I take a bunch of pictures each time we go!

Lastly, a little video I made of Theo roaming one of our favorite parts of the country:

Until next time, SLO!!  We just love you.


UPDATE: I totally spaced and forgot a huge chunk of pictures I wanted to post.  Whoops!

This could be one of my favorite pictures of Theo.  He's got both of his favorite things in each of his hands: his dad and his own fast food cup of water.

A wall we passed in Morro Bay.  Fashion bloggers take note: this is the hottest pose nowadays.

Theo's first encounter with the ocean.  We weren't expecting to stop at a beach so we were not dressed to get wet.  Luckily, Theo mostly ran away from the water (colddd!!!) on this occasion.

And then the next day, he was TOTALLY into it.  Hopefully one day I get to take him to the beaches we loved in Maui where the water temperature is perfect!

And here's evidence proving that I was, in fact, on the trip.  Theo wasn't really interested in taking a nice picture with me.  Also I absolutely photoshopped my legs in the bottom picture because they were blindingly white, and I don't want anyone to think I'm part ghost.

SLO 2015. (where we ate)

in San Luis Obispo:

• Pizza Solo: We shared the Valentina Pizza, which had sriracha, ranch, bell peppers, mozzarella, onions, and carnitas.  We really liked it, and if they add it to their regular menu (it was a special) I'd highly recommend it.  It definitely has heat, but it's not overwhelming.  It leaves your mouth very warm afterwards, so have lots of water on hand to temper that.
• Linnaea's Cafe: We stopped here because it was the easiest for us to stop right at the busy lunch hour with a baby in a stroller that wouldn't fit nicely anywhere else.  We had breakfast burritos, which weren't anything special, but they were good and easy in that moment.  I'm sure there's more to this place for coffee drinkers, so I wouldn't rule it out for those folks.
• Cowboy Cookies: Holy. Giant. Cookie. Ice. Cream. Sandwich.  It was huge, even for two (and a half) people.  It was certainly delicious, but we couldn't eat it as a sandwich, we had to dismantle it first.
• F. McLintocks: A favorite, we ordered the Thursday night Farmer's Market special.  Two different kinds of ribs, a meat kebab, two sides, and a piece of bread.  We eat it all and feel so full afterwards, but it is so worth it.
• Cattaneo Bros: A Hood family necessity, this is the only beef jerky we will ever eat.  We recommend the beef jerky end piece package and the beef stick end package!
• SLO Donut Co: We have been on a donut adventure as of late, and we've been trying out different places to compare to our current favorite donut shop, Lamar's.  This place's glazed donut and old fashioned didn't measure up to good old Lamar's, but we really liked their Maple-Bacon Bar.  The bacon was perfect, and although I felt there could have been a stronger maple flavor, we went back to pick up some more for our trip back to Phoenix.

in Morro Bay:

• Hofbrau: Their signature dish is the French Dip Sandwich, and it is perfect.  The Calamari Steak Sandwich is also delicious.  (This place is also where we gave Theo his first taste of lemon.  His sour face is amazing.)
• the Great American Fish Company: Get their Fish Tacos, and get them Cajun-style!

in Cayucos:

• Brown Butter Cookie Company: This was the biggest disappointment of the trip for me.  We got almost one of everything: The Original, Cocoa, Espresso, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Raisin, Snickerdoodle, and Lemon.  If I had to eat another cookie it would be the Original, but I'd never choose to eat one of their cookies again.  The flavors were just too dull for me.

in Cambria:

• French Corner Bakery: I ordered a Hot Chocolate, just because it had been months since I last felt chilly, and it will probably be a few more months before I feel chilly enough for one again. Jon bought a little flan which he enjoyed.  They had lots of cute little desserts and tarts in their display, and the space, though small, was very warm and welcoming.

SLO 2015.

Visiting San Luis Obispo (SLO) every August has become a sort of accidental tradition for us, and I am not complaining.  It was fun to take Theo for his first visit, and he got to meet his tai gung gung and tai nai nai (my mother's parents) finally!

One of the great things about SLO is that it isn't technically a coastal town, but the ocean is 15 minutes away.  It benefits from being crazy close to the ocean, but also from not being too close.  We introduced Theo to the ocean from three different places: Morro Bay, Cambria (both of which have been featured here before) and Avila Beach.


Morro Bay:

morro rock at sunset

Cambria:

our favorite place to watch (get soaked by) waves!

this year i noticed a ton of kelp deposited further in.  was it always there??

you can't tell because theo's sweater is covering his shirt, but we are all matching in this photo

Avila Beach:

family selfies.  famfies?

the sweetest face, he couldn't take his eyes off the water

The visit was, as always, a welcome reprieve from the heat (though I wish our current heat wave had happened while we were gone).  It's been tough unpacking cool weather clothes that I know I probably won't be able to wear comfortably for another three months... and so I've basically put it off.  (Somehow it always take me weeks to unpack after a trip)

Theo probably won't get to visit SLO as many times as I have, but hopefully he will get to go enough times to appreciate it like I do.  See you again next year (hopefully)!!