I was born on my grandmother's 50th birthday so when I was an adult, we did the adult thing and went to dinner together. The Apple Farm was our restaurant of choice. From the moment you get out of your car (once you find a parking place), you will be impressed. The grounds are kept beautiful by what must be a full time landscaper. Flowers and greenery are EVERYWHERE. Once inside you're in one of the best gift shops in town. Holiday themes, apples, cookbooks, candy, jewelry.... A sitting area in the gift shop lets you relax and eat desserts ordered at the counter, read your recently purchased book, chat while waiting for your table in the restaurant, or just people watch. Everyone is friendly. I think it's part of their job description. I always had prime rib when I went to dinner but they have a great menu with a generous salad bar. Their cornbread is a must if you like it sweet. They serve it with honey-butter. I'm getting hungry thinking about it. Chowders, soups, hearty meals, great desserts - Oh, the desserts! I can't tell you how fat I'd be if I worked there. The entire restaurant is decorated with apple paintings and apple box labels. For those of you who remember when produce was delivered to the stores in wooden boxes, it will be a trip down memory lane. The inn part of the Apple Farm is very pretty. I had a paraplegic client when I was a home health aid who loved to stay there when he was in town. His wife would call me to go there and get him ready for his day. I laughed because everything in the rooms has a price tag on it. I thought that was unusual. You pick up the soap dish (very cute) and on the bottom is a price. I guess it's their way of letting you know if you like something a LOT, don't stick it in your suitcase (it's used you know) - go buy a brand new one in the gift shop. Why pay full retail for something dozens if not hundreds of people have already used. Creepy thought. I was impressed with the room decor. Pretty, country, relaxing. I believe their rates are on the high end but it's well worth it. If you're looking for a quiet night, get a room that faces away from the freeway (Highway 101 is right THERE). There's no loud bar nearby with thumping music until late into the night so people who have to get up early will appreciate a quiet night. Once a year a whole bunch of us (200+) would ride our Harley's there at 9 PM and they'd keep the restaurant open late for us to have pie and coffee. I think that was the loudest night of the year for them. We don't do that anymore though so no worries! When you stay at the Apple Farm you're close to the North County, the beach, wine tours, and so much more. California's central coast really is a pretty place to visit and the Apple Farm is about the best place to stay and eat while you're here.

The Madonna Inn has been around for almost 50 years. Sitting on the Madonna Ranch, it is known for its theme rooms, gaudy decor and over the top architecture, it is really a jewel of California's central coast. The coffee shop is known around the world for having pink sugar. Although that might not be such a novelty now, back in the 1960's it was very unique. It was actually the question to a Jeopardy answer once. Madonna Inn's bakery makes some of the areas most beautiful cakes for restaurant patrons, parties, weddings, and more. Their desserts are delicious. Theme rooms at the inn are fantastically creative. I remember visiting the jungle room when I was a little girl and I wanted to live there. Since every room has a different name and theme, people who visit regularly can experience an entirely different vacation each time. With names like; Fabulous Fifties, Cabin Still, Caveman Room, and so many more, it's no wonder I wanted to live there as a child! Be prepared; Alex Madonna let his wife, Phyllis, design all of the interiors and she loves PINK! The wine cellar is a favorite gathering place for local reunions, wedding receptions, parties, etc. The men's bathroom there has a waterfall urinal that attracts the curiosity of women and men alike and makes it a bit of an adventure for the men who actually need to use it. Monday nights is swing dancing in the dance area next to the bar on the main level. The Inn offers a gift shop, women's clothing store, coffee shop, wine cellar, restaurant, bar, banquet room, and a separate building for larger gatherings; the Expo Center, located north of the brood mare and foal pastures. Because the Madonna’s breed beef cattle and breed and train champion quarter horses, you'll see a rodeo arena, dozens of brood mares, foals in season, stallions, barns, pastures of beef cattle, and all of the things you'd expect on a working cattle and horse ranch. I used to ride my horse to the arena for practice and competitions so I have very special memories attached to the ranch itself. I boarded a horse next to the Madonna's property and had free run of their entire ranch. If they knew how many times I got tossed on my butt on the ranch when a horse lost its footing or bucked, they may have changed their mind about having me there! A steep road from the base of Madonna Mountain to the top takes time to hike but is well worth it for the views. I'm not sure if the mountain is still open to hikers but there used to be a sunrise Easter service on the top of the mountain every year. Phyllis used to have a Christmas tree of lights placed on the top of the mountain every December. I don't know if she still has them put up. The Madonna’s operate a limousine service! I'm not familiar with it but because we're in wine country, it's not a stretch to assume you could rent one out for a few hours and go on a tour. I invite you to come to my hometown of San Luis Obispo and experience Madonna Inn.

I whole heartedly agree with Krush

Jaffa Cafe, located on the northern end of downtown San Luis Obispo, is a great place for Mediterranean style cuisine. We often go there for a quick lunch or an early dinner. The place is no-frills, but very clean and welcoming. Also, the staff is always very pleasant and friendly. The menu includes Gyros, Falafels, Shawarma, and mouth-watering sides such as Baba Ganoush and Taboulleh, all made out of very fresh ingredients. All the meat is slow-cooked over an open flame rotisserie behind the counter, and they are all so wonderful!! I love to order a combination plate with Gyro meat and a couple of sides. Mmmmm... They also sell grocery items from the Mediterranean countries, and I love browsing them while I wait for my food. It is fun to try some "unfamiliar" food sometimes to see what they taste like... :) Oh, and don't forget to try their BAKLAVA!! Definitely one of the best I've ever tasted.

I am not much of a Chardonnay drinker, but I love Chardonnay from Edna Valley Vineyard in San Luis Obispo. It often shows up on our dinner table. Edna Valley, located in the south of downtown San Luis Obispo, is known for some great wineries. It was approved as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in the early '80s, and Edna Valley Vineyard is in the middle of this appellation. This vineyard is open to visitors throughout the year, and you can taste their wine at their beautiful tasting room. I have been to more than a few wineries for tasting, but this tasting room was undoubtedly the most beautiful I've ever seen. The back of the counter is a huge window, and you can have a panoramic view of the vineyards and the volcanic peaks of San Luis Obispo in the background. It was late November when we visited, and the scenery was in breathtaking gold! There is a small fee for the wine tasting. $5 for the regular lineup, and $10 for the slightly more expensive wines (reserve or limited wines). Whichever you choose, you can try 5-6 types of wine (I forgot the exact count) from the list. I tried the $10 one, and I enjoyed it very much. I loved their Chardonnay as usual, and also the blend of red (I forgot the name; I should've written it down...) was excellent. The attendants at the counter were friendly and unpretentious, very approachable for visitors who are not that "wine connoisseur" like me. The tasting room is beautiful, but their yard is also wonderful. While my friend and I were tasting wine, my designate driver (my husband) and my son had a great time throwing a Frisbee outside. (Maybe they were not supposed to...) I'd love to go back there again to taste more!

Novo is a charming restaurant in downtown San Luis Obispo known for its eclectic international fare. By looking at their menu, you can see there're Brazilian, Mediterranean, and Asian influences. The interior decor is exotic and eclectic just as their food, but we tend to request a patio table and dine outside. Their terraced patio overlooks a small creek surrounded by oaks and sycamores, and it is a perfect spot for lunch or early dinner. So here's what we had today: Moroccan Quail Salad "Semi boneless quail marinated with cumin and cinnamon, pan seared and finished in the oven, served on a bed of baby mixed lettuces with fresh grapes, creamy goat cheese & harissa (moroccan chilli sauce) vinaigrette" Grilled Salmon Salad "Charbroiled salmon with spring greens, roasted beets, french beans, vine-ripened tomato, crumbled bleu cheese, caramelized pecans, drizzled with raspberry vinaigrette" Brazilian Satay "Grilled skewers of beef, pork & sausage, with molho campahna (brazilian salsa)" Pumpkin Cheese Cake Very rich pumpkin cheese cake topped with cream accented with anise. Yum! Dark Chocolate Macaroon My son's favorite. I was too busy eating and forgot to take pictures of the food!! :(

This time the destination was San Luis Obispo, California.

San Luis is a small town located at the middle of nowhere, is exactly at the middle because you need to spend almost 3 hrs driving from San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX) to get there; there is a small airport served by United and American Eagle from LAX or SFO but the schedule offers is not their best and business required a different approach.

We arrived to San Jose around 10 PM and we spend few hours in the city because we were eating at a local Mexican restaurant called “La Victoria”, we found this place very well ranked at city search but it is not true, La Victoria is a small restaurant with a limited offer in its menu and quite ugly in my opinion.

 After this unpleasant start we decided to go to San Luis Obispo and we arrived there at 2:00 AM to our Bed & Breakfast lodge called Garden Street Inn which was way below our expectations. This “hotel” hadn’t any of the basic lodging services (e.g.: parking, front desk, TV, Internet connection, etc). Decorated with a very bad taste, this place was our home base for 3 days.

San Luis is very famous because this was the fifth mission founded by father Junipero Serra called “San Luis Obispo de Tolosa” and because is the home of a California Polytechnic State University. We finished our business meetings around 6 Pm and we decided to join a fabulous farmer market that takes place every Thursday on Higuera Street. We walked the whole market I we finished in a very nice French-basque restaurant called “Fandango Bistro” which called my attention because its flag of Euskadi (a Spain separatist region) and we were right when we decided to have a dinner there because the menu was awesome, specially the squids and the lamb with white beans!. We got into bed early because our next meeting was programmed for 4:00 am next day.

We finished our meeting and we went to Pismo Beach trying to get into the beach but the day was very foggy and only local surfers with a 3 mm neoprene suits were riding waves. We had a lunch at Brad’s Restaurant where we had a delicious Clam chowder and fish&Chips.

On Saturday we decided to go to Carmel and Monterey and we spend most of the day at the fisherman wharf in Monterey which had a Turkish festival (Food, Music, Dances and souvenirs). We saw a beautiful Sufi performance as well as several Turkish bands playing Turkish music. We had our lunch at Isabella’s which I will recommend only to my enemies, this was the typical tourist restaurant with poor service, crappy food and high prices. I f you go there, do not try this restaurant.

We finish our trip at San Jose Airport waiting our fly to Seattle. Once the boarding process was complete, the Alaska pilot shared with us some good and bad news, the good news was that they were expecting a tail wind which would reduce the flight time from the standard 2hrs into 1:35 min but the bad news was that they discovered an oil leak in one of the engines and we had to wait until the maintenance guys reviewed the engine to make sure if the leak was because a previous maintenance or a real problem. I do not know why airlines share some information with their customers that is not actionable for us.

San Luis is a nice place to visit, has the perfect mix between history, nightlife, sun and beaches. Try it out …

What a pretty town, very good food and the people were so laid back ... very relaxing place to be

The Natural Cafe is delicious and healthy food! My personal favorite is the chicken enchiladas. They are made with brown rice, shredded chicken with guacamole and sour cream, mmmm yum!! I have been happy with everything I have ever gotten at The Natural Cafe!! I highly recommend it.

Linnaea's Cafe is a funky European style cafe in downtown San Luis Obispo. It is no longer owned by Linnaea, she sold it to her longtime manager Marianne earlier this year, but it hasn't changed. It still encourages local artists, by displaying their work every month. I've had coffee there 5 out of the 7 days a week for the 4 1/2 years that I've worked next door and the staff is wonderful! My only suggestions is to give yourself a little extra time when getting your coffee or lunch as the lines can be long and only one barista is making coffee at a time so they can be slow, but you are usually rewarded with a delicious cup of coffee and foam art! Lunch is provided daily and consists of a SLO roll sandwich, an entree, a special salad, green salad and soup. Their menu changes daily so you never know what you are going to get! The menu is vegetarian fare except once in a blue moon they do a tuna fish SLO roll. Breakfast is also served daily. You have a choice of espresso eggs, breakfast burritos, waffles, rice pudding, yogurt and various pastries.

I really enjoy going to this cafe. Actually, I regularlly go there. Don't listen to the dude below me. He has no idea what he is talking about. First of all, the Ranger cookie is the best cookie i have ever tasted, and i have tasted my far share. It is made of walnuts, chocolate chips, coconut, and oatmeal. soooooo gooooood. The coffee is pretty great too. If you are a hardened Starbuck's-er you might not like it. no enough sugar for you. But I think it is great, none of that burnt taste or excesivly bitter. It has two computers, really cheap to use. oh and by the way did i mention that she (owner) makes her own baked goods besides the cookies. Croissants, muffins, freshly baked. IF you are a biker, then i believe you get your order for free and a t-shirt but don't quote me on that.

So we headed out of San Diego today on our way to San Luis Obispo en route to San Francisco on Friday. The drive started out on a good note, except for the slow going on the 1 in the LA suburbs. After that, we kept to the 101 most of the route up. Due to time constraints, we only made a couple of stops. First of them was a place called Super Rica in Ventura. It's a little food joint that serves up some fresh Mexican food. And let me tell you, the food was delicious and very fresh. I don't even like corn tortillas normally, but these were the bomb. After that, we continued to Salvang. This place is a city where all of the buildings are in a Danish style, and I'm talking like windmills and the whole nine. It was like going to Copenhagen...very strange. Tonight we're staying at the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo. This hotel has 109 rooms, each of them uniquely designed in some motif. We have reservations for the Traveler's Yacht room. We'll let you know how the place went on the flip side.

Time to go home. I didn't realize on the way to Yosemite because we went there via Sequoia Nat'l Park, but Yosemite is really not that far away from where I live. From Yosemite, if you keep going southbound on Rte. 41,  then onto Rte. 46, you'll reach Paso Robles (north of San Luis Obispo) in 4 hours or so. I always had an impression that Yosemite was far away. This certainly motivates us to go back some time soon. Besides, we bought the annual National Park Pass: another reason to go back! 

School is off for my son, and my husband got a week off, so we decided to hit the road. Destination: not too far, but somewhere none of us have been to: Sequoia Nat’l park & Yosemite Nat’l park!

As usual, we started the day way too slow. By the time we pack and leave, it was already afternoon. Hwy 41 to Route 198. We decided to break up the drive and spent the night in Visalia.

Small cafe in downtown San Luis Obispo. Main reason we stopped here was because every other cafe seemed to be closed! The espresso wasn't too great, but they did have a thing called a "Ranger" cookie that was pretty good. It's an oatmeal cookie with chocolate chips, coconut, and cornflakes. Sounds like a weird combo, but was actually pretty tasty.