By Danielle Ames | CNN
San Luis Obispo — Wander through quaint downtown streets or visit retro treasures such as Sunset Drive-In Theater, and you’ll quickly understand why San Luis Obispo is nicknamed SLO — pronounced slow.
SLO has small-town charm. And for those in search of the original California dream, this paradise destination — only a short hop from vineyards and Pacific Coast beaches — offers plenty of postcard moments that hark back to classic Golden State tourism.
While it offers a window on the past, San Luis Obispo isn’t standing still. New developments and modern amenities give visitors to this Central Coast town access to big-city offerings.
Head to the center of town any day of the week, and you’ll find locals, visitors and SLO’s Cal Poly students flitting between cafes, old record stores, boutique jewelry shops, art galleries and big-name chains. They can grab a bite at one of the town’s many long-time restaurants such as Giuseppe’s Italian or Linnaea’s Cafe or try a new spot like Ebony, serving Ethiopian cuisine.
Downtown SLO is centered around Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, a Spanish mission founded in 1772. The state’s missions figure prominently in the formation of California, giving rise to cities including San Diego, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. On any given afternoon, you’ll find couples relaxing on the grass in front of the mission and kids throwing coins into its iconic bear fountain.
A collection of museums such as the History Center of San Luis Obispo County and the San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum is scattered nearby, making up the city’s cultural corridor.
Part of this group is the free-entry San Luis Obispo Museum of Art (SLOMA), which is undergoing a “renaissance,” as Executive Director Leann Standish puts it.
The building is decorated with an exterior mural that changes annually, featuring a different artist each time. The museum rotates exhibits through its three galleries, often coordinating show openings with its first Friday of the month events, which include wine, a DJ and “the sexiest crowd in SLO,” Standish says.
Reminders of the past
Mission in San Luis Obispo.
Around the block from the museum, a building on the corner of Palm and Chorro streets in the Chinatown Historic District offers a small window into another chapter of the city’s past.
It was here that a Chinatown neighborhood grew in the 1870s. In the 19th century, SLO was home to a significant population of Chinese laborers who helped build roads and railroads, but only a few buildings from the time remain. The most prominent is the historic Ah Louis Store, which celebrates its 150th anniversary this year.
The store, established by Chinese-American businessman and community leader Ah Louis (or Wong On), was at the center of life in Chinatown until about 1930, according to National Register of Historic Places documents, and it was home to Ah Louis and his family. The celebrated structure — a Victorian Italianate-style building — with its big red sign, plaster façade, long windows, turquoise accents and red …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
