San Luis Obispoa profile ofthe happiest city in the country

San Luis Obispo (Spanish for St. Louis, the Bishop) is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. The city, referred to local-ly as SLO or “San Luis,” is the county seat of San Luis Obispo County and is adjacent to California Polytechnic State Uni-versity (Cal Poly). As of the 2000 census, the city population was 44,174. The city is home to San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport which offers private and com-mercial air service to several major cities in the west. Amtrak provides daily rail service here as the terminus of the Pacific Surfliner line and a stop on the Coast Starline. Greyhound also maintains a bus termi-nal in San Luis Obispo. Public transporta-tion includes the city-

THE LOCATION

wide SLO Transit bus lines as well as the county-wide SLO Region-al Transit system. Ride-share encourages the use of the local pub-lic transit, as well as carpooling and biking. Cycling is occa-sionally used as a mode of transportation in San Luis Obispo. Bike lanes are maintained on a few of the streets and the number of bike stands are increasing, especially in the downtown area. Parking in the down-town area can be a chal-lenge for those inter-ested in finding a spot directly in front of their final destination. The city provides parking in three multi-story parking structures throughout downtown at: Chorro and Marsh street intersection; Palm Street between Chorro and Morro streets; on Palm Street between Chorro and Osos

streets. Street parking downtown is metered. The structures are free for the first hour and 75 cents per hour thereafter. Be-cause of San Luis Obispo’s location halfway between Los Angeles and San Fran-cisco, it has long been a stopping point for trav-elers. In fact, the word motel was coined here when the Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo was established in 1925. Since then, the pleasant year-round climate, pretty scen-ery, and well-preserved, walkable downtown have made the city a tourist destination in itself.

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Downtown San Luis Obispo is centered around the carefully restored Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, originally built in 1772. It is one of the best pre-served examples of Spanish Mission architecture and among the oldest buildings in California. Its bells are unique in that, unlike other California missions, the bell ringer stands in the bellroom with the bells when ringing the cadences. Another big tourist attraction is Hearst Castle, the vast estate of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, 43 miles to the north of San Luis Obispo. The Madonna Inn is another famous local landmark. Estab-lished by Alex Madonna in 1958, the inn is a famously eccentric building known for its generous helping of pink, wildly kitschy decor, themed guest rooms, and a waterfall urinal in a men’s restroom. The Fremont Theater is a historic Art Deco the-ater from the 1940s. It has appeared in many movies including a three second clip in My Blue Heaven.One famous tourist destination is Bubble Gum Al-ley. Since about 1960, people have been sticking their chewed gum on the walls of this alley located on Higuera Street, between Broad and Garden streets. Bubble Gum Alley has even appeared on national television. Another big attraction is the development of Edna Valley into a well-known wine region. Just south of the city, people can spend an afternoon wine tasting several wineries in the area with a very short drive. The wine region extends north beyond Paso Robles (30 miles north) and Santa Ynez (70 miles south). A field station of the Marine Mammal Cen-ter is located in San Luis Obispo to support sea rescue and beach stranding rescue operations for this section of the California coast. One of the main draws is Farmers’ Market, a large festival held downtown on Higuera Street every Thurs-day evening year-round from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.. About three-quarters of a mile of the street is closed to cars. Live entertainment is featured and local farmers and vendors sell goods and produce.

DOWNTOWN

View of Downtown from mountaintopPhoto by Lauren

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The Farmers’ Market was created in 1983 to make use of down-town streets blocked off to end a tradition of teen/collegiate cruising. Farmers and vendors were allowed to set up between bar-

ricades as a way to bring people back to the downtown area. Later, all traffic was blocked off, making the downtown Farm-ers’ Market one long “mall,” even rerouting part of a state

highway to accommodate the street closures. The Farmers’ Market

brought a great deal of revenue and has become internationally

known.San Luis Obispo has been home of several other events, including a stop on the way of the Olym-

pic Torch, the Tour of Califor-nia bicycle race, Cinco de Mayo

celebrations, as well as a long-standing Christmas Parade. A Mar-

di Gras parade that was well attended has been fraught with difficulties related to

crowd control and alcohol consumption. Debate about the cost of the parade, and the associated crowd control, continues.Mardi Gras has not been the only local event reined in af-

ter gaining acceptance. Cal Poly’s open house, Poly Royal, was held every April until a 1990 riot of drunken revellers, many visitors to town, caused damage throughout residential neigh-borhoods and the business district. The university cancelled

the event for several years before reintroducing a scaled-down Open House. While Poly Royal welcomed the community for hikes,

carnivals, “magic” shows put on by the Chemistry Department, and other public performances, the revamped version is de-

signed for students and parents. Jamba Juice, famous for its fruit smoothies, was founded in this town. Formerly called Juice Club, Jamba Juice is now a national chain. Although Juice Club was not a Cal Poly senior

project as some claim, three of the four co-founders, Joe Ver-gara, Kevin Peters, and Linda Olds did graduate from the uni-versity. Jamba Juice still exists at the original Juice Club

location: 17 Chorro Street #C.

FARMERS’ MARKET

Locals enjoy Farmers’ Market

Photo by Lauren

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By Lauren

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City ordinance prevents businesses of any sort (includ-ing fast-food restaurants) from constructing new drive-up or drive-through windows or services. Two branches of one local bank are the only locations in the entire city with drive-up service; their drive-up service existed before the ordinance became law. The dentist office on the corner of Santa Rosa and Pacific streets is one of very few commercial buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. A horse race on turf named the San Luis Obispo Handicap is run at the Santa Anita Park in honor of this city. San Luis Obispo was the first American town to ban indoor smoking in all locations, including bars and restaurants.

UNORDINARY ORDINANCES

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Coastal view from Cayucous

Photo by Lauren

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