San Luis Obispo, Solvang, Marina Park
The main reason San Luis Obispo made it onto the itinerary was so the drive back to Los Angeles would be cut in half. While there, a good chunk of time went to a visit to the Mission, which is a great place to learn about the history of the city. A few minutes went to Bubblegum Alley, which is really kind of disgusting with all the old gum, but fascinating at the same time. There’s a store right next to the alley that sells gum balls for anyone who wants to contribute to the still-spacious walls. Unfortunately, it was closed when we swung by 🙁
Solvang was squeezed into the trip as a means of avoiding rush-hour traffic on the way back. It was pretty quiet when we visited, and smoky due to a fire in Lompoc.
Food
Grocery shopping saved us about four meals, and although cutting costs is always useful, it’s also nice to see what local offerings each place has. We were able to indulge in local eateries three to four times and still stay within budget 🙂