Review - San Luis Obispo Swap Meet

I finally had a chance to check out the San Luis Obispo Swap Meet last Sunday. It is held at the Sunset Drive-In Theatre, and costs $1 for walk-ins, or $2 to park inside. Since my feet are bad, and there were no close parking places outside, I opted for the $2 fee. There are about 7 rows of offerings, about 80% used stuff. About 5% is produce and plants, and the rest is new stuff.


I am hoping to get in there one of these days as a seller, so I asked a few people for advice, and took some pictures of some of the displays for ideas. Most people have their wares spread out on blankets or tarps. The "regulars" have tables and usually got two booths. The people on the perimeter wall used the wall as display space. The type of stuff I sell is not really represented at this swap meet, so I don't know if it would be worth it. The booths cost $20, $40 for produce booths. I think I will try it once, perhaps in November or December as I have some holiday themed items to sell.


The food options were interesting, two Mexican food booths (Tamales and Menudo) and the snack bar was also open. I got a hot dog, but was craving some freshly popped popcorn. I asked at the snack bar and they pop the popcorn the night before. When I bought my hot dog there was no popcorn left, so people must not mind it not being freshly popped. I ended up seeing a movie in town after I left the swap meet to get my popcorn fix!! Next time I will try the tamales, people were crowding their booth.



I was surprised that the swap meet allows weapons to be sold. There were several guns (some rifles and a pair of pistols) as well as various swords and knives. The latter may have been due to the Renaissance Festival being next weekend, don't know. All in all, people were in good spirits, check out the guy smiling in the plant booth!! Unfortunately for the sellers, the only thing I was tempted to buy were some dahlia plants.

Independence Day in Morro Bay

I have been here for almost 2 years and I was happy to have the chance to experience the Morro Bay Independence Day. Their flyer indicated that there are tons of activities all day long for families. The bike parade starts it all off, and down at Tidelands Park there are bands and games and food from around noon through the fireworks show at night. The city trolley had special routes to take people to and from the park for the fireworks show, and I took advantage of this opportunity to take the trolley (another thing I hadn't done yet).

I waited at City Park for the trolley to take me down to the stairs atop Tidelands Park. I decided that since there were food options down at the park that I wouldn't get the all-day pass, saving 50¢ on the trolley fare. But, many people used this pass and they went between the State Park and the Embarcadero and the Park all day long. When I arrived at the Park, I was surprised to see that there were hardly any food options for dinner people like myself. I don't know if they had more booths during the day or not, but I lucked out and got the last hotdogs from one booth. It was the only booth open that was selling protein, there was still some churros and other sweets. Next time I will go to a restaurant instead, I think, if I just do dinner there.

I walked through the park and was amazed at how crowded it was. People were set up in tents and on blankets on almost every inch of the grass. I was able to find a little patch of grass by the sound guys for the band. I enjoyed listening to the music and watching the dancers while I ate my dinner. I loved all the families that were out and about. Kids were throwing balloons and blowing bubbles, and later they bought some lighted swords to play with. Boy, that lady made a killing selling those lighted toys. She bought them for a dollar each and sold them for $3!! When the band was finished, there was a lady who sang a patriotic song (pretty badly if the truth be told) and then two guys set up for the fireworks to start at 9:00.

When the fireworks started I realized that I had selected the wrong place to sit. The roof on the bandstand totally blocked the lower fireworks. As soon as people realized this, many got up quickly to move to a better vantage point. I decided to sit it out. The show was nice, I especially enjoyed the ones with secondary explosions. There was one which the crowd really enjoyed, it was one of those waterfall effects, but it was set off so perfectly that the crowd literally caught their breath. I attempted to photograph the fireworks, but only a few came out. Most of them were simply "art shots"!!

After the fireworks, it was amazing how quickly and orderly people left the park. Luckily the stairs were one-way, and people were polite. Some people chose to walk up the iceplant on the two sides of the stairs. The trolleys were waiting at the top of the stairs, standing room only. The one I was on went to the State Park first, then went back to the stairs to get more people. The traffic was so bad on Morro Bay Boulevard that they decided to pick up more people instead of attempting the traffic on the way to City Park.

I loved the experience, and saw where people set up for the best views. Next time I will try a restaurant view, unless I have a group of people who want to listen to the music. I was also happy that people were not smoking at the Park, expect one selfish guy smoking a pipe!!

Review - Restaurant - Hofbrau

I can't believe this restaurant was not already on my list!! Probably because I always go here and it wasn't a new restaurant for me. Every time my family comes to town we have to go there, it is easily our most favorite restaurant!! Their specialty is a roast beef dipped sandwich, but I tried their turkey sandwich today and was bummed that they use regular deli turkey. Their big thing is to slice off the roast beef for your sandwich while you watch, I guess I was hoping that they had a big turkey in the back room for my sandwich!! I had a cold turkey sandwich and a salad, I won't have the turkey sandwich again because their bread is best with the "au jus" dipping sauce. It was too dry without the dip.

I usually get their chicken strips with a salad (it comes with fries, but you can substitute a salad for $1.25) and a soda. I like that they have free refills on sodas, and that you can choose two items to go on your salad (I get carrots and beets). Their blue cheese dressing is good, not too vinegary, but I miss the sunflower seeds they used to offer at the condiment area.

The chicken strips used to be large and pretty meaty, with a yummy breading, but yesterday I had some and they were small and not as good. They offer two sizes, I get the small (which has 2 strips). I tried the french fries that came with my friend's fish and chips and they are crispy and tasty, no need for ketchup.

There are table and benches inside and some outside seating on a little deck overlooking the Rock, sometimes they have a heater going outside. There are also some public outside tables if those are full. I will definitely return to this amazing staple of Morro Bay, every time my family visits we have to eat there.

The Sunset Drive-In

After living here in SLO County for almost 2 years, I finally decided to go to the local Drive-In!! What fun, memories from my past came flooding back. I went the night that Toy Story 3 opened, so I assumed that the line would be long. I arrived at about 7:00 (the movie was set to start at 8:30) and the cars were lined up in two lanes almost back to Elks Lane. I turned off my car and worked on my computer while I waited for the gates to open. I wished that they had wifi for those of us who were waiting in line. People were playing with a ball up at the front of the line, and folks were walking around. I read somewhere that you can get pizza delivered to you in line while you wait (I assume that was from an outside vendor, though).


The gates opened around 7:15 and we moved slowly around the bend up to the gate. I laughed at the sign that read "Sneak-Ins $8.00 No Exceptions". Now that they have raised the price from $6.00 to $7.00 they should also raise the "sneak-in" rate!! I pulled in and saw rolling paved hills flecked with the vintage speaker poles. The white lines are painted and are used by the Swap Meet people on Sundays. I pulled into a spot, but had to move over because they put two cars between the poles. No problem, there was plenty of room for two SUVs between the poles, as long as the kids are careful when opening the doors.

As soon as I parked, I headed over the to the projection building. I liked the window that shows us how the film projector works. This building also houses the restrooms and the snack bar.

Of course I had to try the popcorn, it was great. The only negative was that they only offered the tiny salt that gets into the cracks of my lips and burns. But, the popcorn didn't really need any salt, I got a large with a free refill. The medium and large sodas can be refilled for $1.00. I also tried their hotdogs. Yummy. In fact when I returned to the snack bar between movies for my popcorn refill I got another hotdog!!

Before the movie started they ran some previews and some typical informational screens, including being considerate of others, not smoking, and to tune their radios to the proper radio channel to hear the movie. This sound feature worked great, they played a local radio channel first, and the screen allayed my concerns about running down my battery. I enjoyed watching the kids play around in their PJs, and people watching before the movie started. There were all sorts of people here, kids, adults on a date, teenagers, etc. I was surprised how many fathers were there with their kids, without the mothers!! One thing missing was a kids playground, that is something that I fondly remember from my youth. The kids prevailed, however, by creating their own play zone under the screen!!

I loved that it was a double-feature, and that you could bring in your own food if you wished. I also loved the vintage trailers that showed during intermission, but I couldn't watch them because I was in a crazy long line at the ladies room. After waiting for a LONG time, I decided to check out the outhouses by the gate, but only one of them was open and there were no lights. Luckily I had my lantern in my car and so I was able to use the outhouse!! I missed the beginning of the second movie because in addition to the restroom I had to get more popcorn!! I really enjoyed the rising moon beside the screen as I watched the second movie, too!!

I will definitely come back to the Drive-In again, and will probably go to the Swap Meet one of these Sundays soon. I may even try to sell at the Swap Meet.

Review - Guadalupe Restaurants

Far Western Tavern (899 Guadalupe St. - Hwy 1)

This is a fantastic restaurant in historic Guadalupe. I have been there twice and was happy about the food and service both times. The decor is amazing, cowhide and mounted animal heads everywhere!! Yesterday, the mayor was dining, as were the "two richest ranchers in the area"!! We were greeted by friendly staff and service was wonderful. I had a slight substitution on the salad and it was perfectly handled, the last time I was there they had some trouble with this. The steak was not as medium-rare as I had hoped, but it didn't give me the hic-cups!! I wasn't sure what to do with the salsa, beans, and butter that was on the table, as there were no chips or bread served separately from the meals. I tried the pinquito beans, since they are a local specialty only grown in the Santa Maria area. I tried the home-made chips dipped in the salsa. One of these days I want to return for dinner and try the filet on polenta!!

Review - Atascadero Restaurants

Nuevo Mexico
(7109 El Camino Real)

This restaurant offers a wonderful lunch deal, if you order two meals and two drinks you get one of the meals for free. I should have taken part in this deal, but instead I ordered the fajitas, which I usually order if they are on the menu to test out the restaurant. The fajitas were good, although they were way too expensive for the amount of chicken I got. The tortillas were large, and I probably could (should?) have only made one fajita "burrito". They came with salad, so that was good, and they had free refills on the soda. I would normally have eaten all the chips and taken the beans and rice to-go, but I was dining with some friends and that would have been weird!! I might come here again and order one of the lunch specials. My friends got the enchiladas and they looked good.

Der Weinerschniztel / Tastee Freez (8950 Montecito Ave.)

This place is great!! They support the community and have good food. Their ice cream is nice and solid, for a soft-serve, and whenever I am in the area I stop by. I like their hotdogs, too. They offer some of the alternative sizes and styles, but I like the plain old hotdog with ketchup. I recently discovered their crispy chicken sandwich, which I order with just lettuce and mayo. The prices are a bit high, but their food is unique. One weird thing happened at the drive-thru, they didn't tell the person in front to park while their big order was being prepared. Instead, she brought out my food, and the food for the guy behind me, and we had to wait while the first car's food was being prepared. Unusual, but I just started eating, luckily I wasn't in a hurry. I like that they offer good coupons in the Sunday paper every once in a while, too.

Review - Grover Beach Restaurants

A.J. Spurs (1760 El Camino Real)

I have seen this restaurant off 101 many times, but finally decided to eat there while I was on the frontage road. The decor is decidedly Western, with stuffed heads lining the walls. The service is friendly (at least for me) and they serve meals with a pot of their beef vegetable soup. They offered beans and salsa, which they say you should mix all together with the soup for a taste sensation. I declined the beans and salsa, but the soup was fantastic. I should have ordered some of the beef, but the chicken Alfredo sounded perfect for that day. They allowed me to substitute tortellini for the fettuccine, which I was thankful for. They offer free refills on the sodas and their salad was good. There was so much pasta that I took half of it to-go. They even offer a dessert option (root beer float, scoop of ice cream, or a liqueur). I opted for ice cream, even though I was stuffed full.

The only negative thing I noticed was that the waitress seemed to treat the couple at the next table in a more "neutral" fashion. It was interesting because usually waitresses treat men on dates better because they know they will get a good tip. This time I fear it was due to the fact that the woman was Asian and the gentleman was Black. This is one of the problems I have found in this area, and coming from the diverse Bay Area I find it offensive. Despite this, I will definitely return here in the future. However, if I see this same treatment again I will not return and will certainly say something, perhaps on Yelp.com.

Follow-up: I just checked my receipt and found that they print the amount of possible tip amounts (15%, 18%, 20%) at the bottom. That would be great, if only they used the amount BEFORE tax!! They calculated the tip amounts based on the total bill, including the tax!!