Located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles at the junction of Hwy-1 and US-101, San Luis Obispo (pop. 44,174) makes a good stopping-off point, at least for lunch if not for a lengthier stay. Like most of the towns along this route, San Luis, as it’s almost always called, revolves around an 18th-century mission, here named Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, which is said to be the place where Franciscan missionaries first developed California’s traditional red-tiled roofs. Standing at the heart of town, at Chorro and Monterey Streets, the mission overlooks one of the state’s liveliest small-town downtown districts, with dozens of shops and restaurants backing onto Mission Plaza, a two-block park on the banks of Mission Creek.
Besides the mission and the lively downtown commercial district that surrounds it, not to mention the nearly 20,000 students buzzing around the nearby campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Luis holds a singular roadside attraction, the Madonna Inn ($80–180; 805/543-3000 or 800/543-9666), which stands just west of US-101 at the foot of town. One of California’s most noteworthy pop culture landmarks, the Madonna Inn is a remarkable example of what architecturally minded academic types like to call vernacular kitsch. Created by local contractor Alex Madonna, who died in 2004, the Madonna Inn offers over 100 unique rooms, each decorated in a wild barrage of fantasy motifs: There’s the bright pink honeymoon suites known as “Just Heaven” and “Love Nest”, the “Safari Room” covered in fake zebra skins with a jungle-green shag carpet, and the cave-like “Cave Man Room.” Roadside America rates it as “the best place to spend a vacation night in America,” but even if you can’t stay, at least stop for a look at the gift shop, which sells postcards of the different rooms. Guys should head down to the men’s room, where the urinal trough is flushed by a waterfall.
Though the Madonna Inn has a huge, banquet-ready restaurant—done up in white lace and varying hues of pink—the best places to eat are located downtown, near the mission. Linnaea’s Cafe (805/541-5888), at 1110 Garden Street off Higuera, serves coffee and tea and sundry snack items all day and night; there’s also the lively, multi-culti Big Sky Cafe (805/545-5401) at 1121 Broad Street, and the usual range of beer-and-burger bars you’d expect from a college town.
Along with the Madonna Inn, San Luis has a number of good places to stay, with reasonable rates that drop considerably after the summertime peak season. Besides the national chains, try the La Cuesta Inn ($79–120; 805/543-2777 or 800/543-2777), at 2074 Monterey Street. There’s also the HI San Luis Obispo Hostel (805/544-4678), near downtown and the Amtrak station at 1617 Santa Rosa Street.
Also worth noting: Every Thursday evening, the main drag of San Luis Obispo, Higuera Street, is closed to cars and converted into a very lively farmers market and block party, with stands selling fresh food and good live bands providing entertainment.
For more information, contact the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce (805/781-2777), near the mission at 1039 Chorro Street, or pick up a copy of the free weekly New Times.
