Honeymoon Road Trip Part Two: San Luis Obispo!

After we finished our hike at the Pinnacles National Monument we set out for San Luis Obispo. We had each been there once but never really got to spend any time there. We were winging most of the trip as for hotels and itinerary, with just a few things/places in mind when we set off on our journey. Luckily, I am pretty handy with my iphone and ipad so we drove around until we found the area we wanted to stay in and searched for the best deals. We went cheap the first night hotel-wise so we could spurge on a nice dinner instead. We ended up finding a steal of a room at the Villa Motel, cleaned up and hit the town!

The motel was actually pretty cute and check out our sweet ride! My friends and bridesmaids decorated our cars the night of the wedding. People were honking and giving up thumbs up the whole drive down. I'm still trying to scrape it off my car though . . . 

We were just a few blocks from downtown and their old movie theater.

There was so much great street art everywhere we turned. 

Every electrical box was decorated! I won't bore you with all the photos, but here is our favorite one!

We finally decided on Sidecar to feed our hunger.

The jazz, Matthew-sized menu, and ambiance pulled us in, but it was the fried Brussels Sprouts on the menu that sealed the deal!

The decor was so us, with birds, antique light fixtures, homemade art, great photography and mismatched tables and chairs everywhere!

Complimentary truffled popcorn, yes please! I'm not a huge fan of truffles, or any mushroom actually, but it was definitely interesting and I loved the cast iron basket it came in. If only I'd brought a bigger purse!

The fried Brussels Sprouts were amazing!!! The plate was dressed with garlic aioli and balsamic reduction and they were covered in blue cheese crumbles. So good I recreated them a few nights ago! The entrees didn't disappoint either. 

We did some more exploring after dinner and stumbled upon Bubblegum Alley. I had never heard about it but Matthew sure had. We didn't have time to go learn it's history, but I think the wall speaks for itself. . . 

If you think some of the gum looks like condoms, you're right. There were a few mixed in there. It was kind of gross so I'll spare you those nasty photos!

Luckily Matthew had some gum so we could contribute. I am so grossed out here and trying my hardest not to touch anything but my own gum!

The next morning we checked out of our hotel early so we could grab some breakfast and visit some of the shops that were closed during our late night wandering. However, we noticed that there was a Veteran's memorial building behind our motel which meant it was photo shoot time! Whenever I stumble across a cannon on my travels I always make sure I stop and take a picture in front of it for my Dad, because I know he would make me if he was there. 

I don't usually find huge tanks though, score!

Matthew had been waiting until after the wedding to buy a new skateboard deck so we figured a honeymoon road trip skate deck would be special. This SF Giants inspired deck was a find and will always remind me of how they won their second world series in three years the week of our wedding! We will find somewhere to display it once Matthew is done with it. 

I loved Coalition, the skate shop where he got the board. Especially this TV frame, and the painting below. 

After a little shopping we decided to drive about 20 minutes to Pismo Beach where another hotel search began. 

To be continued . . .