One of the places that my sister wanted to take the girls before she and Brianne moved back to Hong Kong was San Luis Obispo. Having spent some of her most memorable days there during her college years, Mimi really wanted us to take a walk down memory lane with her.
Always up for an adventure, the girls and I were more than happy to accompany her! We made this an all girls’ trip since Alan couldn’t take any time off work, and we wanted to drive down on a Thursday to enjoy the popular Farmer’s Market there.
Off we went, the four of us, cruising down 101 on a beautiful, lovely Thursday…we arrived 3.5 hours later to Apple Farm Inn, a charming Laura Ashley kind of property, to check into our room.
We arrived just in time for happy hour in the inn’s courtyard. Mimi and I relaxed with a glass of wine, while the girls sipped on apple juice. Such a great start to our trip!
After our short break, we headed out to take the trolley to Farmer’s Market in downtown SLO.
According to my sis, the Farmer’s Market on Thursday nights in SLO is “the” place to go, and during her college days, she and her friends looked forward to hanging out there every week. The vibe is definitely different than the Farmer’s Markets we patron around here. With booths that spread over 6 blocks, it is filled with energetic music, loud college students, and a ton of food stations!
The next morning, we woke up and wasted no time to indulge in a sumptuous breakfast at Apple Farm Inn’s restaurant, where I had one of the best muffins I’ve ever tasted!
Following the hearty breakfast, we drove a few miles to the campus of Cal Poly University, where my sister spent 2 of the most memorable years of her life. She took us all around the campus, showing us the pizzeria where she worked part-time, the computer lab where she spent many geeky hours in, the nearby apartments that she lived in, and even to a few of her old classrooms. The girls’ favorite part was visiting the empty classrooms, because they got to draw on the chalkboards and play “teacher”. 🙂
After the campus tour, we headed over to Pismo Beach and got in line for the famous clam chowder in a (toasted) bread bowl at Splash Cafe.
With their tummies full and content, the girls changed into their swimsuits. It was time to hit the beach, even though the temperature was only in the low 70s. None of us would get near the water as it was both windy and cold, so we found a sunny spot in the sand and resorted to sand-castle building instead.
We weren’t able to withstand the wind too long, so we decided to leave after an hour and head back to the inn to swim in the pool there instead. We made it back just in time for happy hour too, so my sis and I got to chat over a nice glass of wine while the girls played in the water.
We checked out the next morning and made our way back north, stopping to tour the amazing Hearst Castle with the girls. Our tour guide shared lots of great stories of the scandalous relationships that went on in the castle, which I found to be quite entertaining.
What a fun weekend getaway, thanks for planning this trip for us Mimi! 🙂
