Today on weekend meanderings, a quick road trip to San Luis Obispo and Avila Beach, the Pivot Podcast Live tour in San Francisco, favorite Thanksgiving side dish recipes, and more.
Happy Saturday, friends!
It’s time for the weekend post with Kim and Elizabeth, our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on.
Can you believe we’re less than weeks from Thanksgiving? More on that later.
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Let’s get into this week’s meander …
San Luis Obispo Getaway
Last week we took a little road trip to San Luis Obispo to visit niece Shelby. She moved to Avila Beach about a year ago and we miss her. We decided to stay at Hotel Cerro in downtown SLO which is about 10-15 minutes from Avila Beach. Jim hosted a work conference at the hotel earlier this year and came home raving about it and the surrounding area.
SLO is an incredible college town and many of my friends children attended school there. The hotel concierge told us that many come for college and stay for life. I get it!
SLO is about a three-and-a-half hour drive from us and it’s such a charming area we should really get down there more often. Now that Jim’s retired it’s easy to pick up and go mid-week … plus Hotel Cerro is dog friendly. That said, dog friendly and dog convenient are two completely different things. After checking we inquired about where to take the dogs to do their business, they pointed up the street and said there’s a patch of lawn about two blocks up. Turns out it a strip of lawn about three blocks away outside the First Presbyterian Church which was less than ideal when the dogs woke me at 3:45am asking to go out.
Hotel Cerro is a boutique hotel that opened in early 2020. It occupies two connected historic buildings in the heart of downtown. If you’re a points person, it’s part of Bonvoy’s Autograph Collection. The lobby is bright and cheery and matches the hotel’s contemporary, slightly western vibe.
The Oak Grill restaurant is connected to the lobby and serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
We upgraded to a suite located on the second floor with a lovely outdoor patio. And, yes, I packed my carry-on suitcase for our overnight. Jim packed a small duffle.
The patio was really nice, but could have used side tables for cocoa mugs and wine glasses.
The patio’s gate leads to a walkway connecting the two buildings also the location of a kitchen garden. The second building houses Spa Cerro where niece Shelby works as an esthetician. We didn’t visit the spa, and Shel wasn’t working, but it looked lovely.
Speaking of lovely, the rooftop pool!
Lot’s of outdoor seating areas with cozy fireplaces.
And cute red bikes available to rent.
We met up with Shelby and her BF Niko for dinner at Mistura, a darling Peruvian place with an incredible raw bar. It’s a three or four block walk from the hotel.
On the walk back we stopped at Feral Kitchen & Lounge for a nightcap. It’s got a very country house hunting weekend, library vibe.
In the morning we took the dogs out to walk and stopped at Scout Coffee across from the hotel for sustenance.
There are so many cute shops in this area that I’d love to explore like Habitat Home & Garden and The Cozy Patio.
We brought our coffee, cocoa and pastries back to the hotel and sat out on the patio with the fire going before packing up and heading to Avila Beach. Yes, I’m wearing socks with my Birks, don’t judge.
A word about my outfit, if we can call it that. A few casual pieces I reach for all the time, and – bonus – are perfect for a road trip.
- Madewell barrel jeans in the cargo style
- Quince fisherman’s sweater ( I own several colors)
- Birkenstock Boston clogs
- My favorite plane socks, because it’s cold in planes and in cars … and near the coast
- Oh, and these
cheapbudget friendly sunglasses have become a favorite - I brought my L.L.Bean mini boat & tote … it’s natural canvas feels more summer, so I tied a winter-ish scarf to the handle and it works … plus it feels coastal
Avila Beach
Avila Beach is an adorable beach town about a 10-15 minute drive from SLO. Shelby and Niko’s apartment is just a couple blocks from the beach. They can walk out their front door, around the corner, down the hill and there it is, the beach. They’re living the dream.
After checking out Shel and Niko’s cute apartment, we headed down to the beach stopping at Shel’s favorite coffee spot, Kraken Coffee Co.
We walked along Front Street, the town’s main street, lined with cute restaurants and shops on one side and the beach on the other.
Dog’s aren’t allowed on this beach (City Beach), it’s fine, our littles don’t enjoy sand in their faces and prefer the sidewalk.
There’s a dog beach just a little further north at Port San Luis. And, there’s a small park at the end of Front Street with lots of grass.
There are lots cute places to stay in Avila Beach and neighboring Shell Beach and Pismo Beach. Avila Lighthouse Suites is very convenient and right across from the beach. It’s very popular with families during Spring Break … and summer. I stayed there a couple of times when attending Kym Showers Life Coach retreats. As Kym would say, ‘so fun.’
Pivot Podcast Live
Thursday night we trekked to the City to see the Pivot Podcast live show at the Sydney Goldstein Theater. The theater is gorgeous, dating to 1927 with a neoclassical design. Our only complaint, the theater doesn’t sell food or drinks. Why?
Hosts Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway have been on a seven-cities-in-seven-days tour that wrapped last night in LA. Pivot is probably my favorite news related podcast and I rarely miss an episode (Tuesday’s and Friday’s). I think Kara and Scott are so smart and I appreciate their often differing but always insightful points of view as they discuss the topics of the day and interview interesting guests. With a little off color humor – usually courtesy of Scott – thrown in.
Anyway, the sold out show, recorded for an upcoming podcast, featured San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie as special guest. I’ve been following Mayor Lurie on social media and appreciate his efforts to grapple with public safety, drugs, and homelessness other serious issues that plague most of our big cities. At the same time highlighting San Francisco’s small businesses, reducing red tape and bureaucracy, supporting our tech companies and encouraging them to be more engaged in the communities where they’ve innovated and thrived. It was really fun to see him in person …I admire the energy and enthusiasm be brings to our beautiful and beloved City by the Bay.
When it came time to take audience questions, the first came from Debbie Brubaker … Scott’s 3rd or 4th grade girlfriend … which caught Scott by surprise. Apparently, in Scott’s just released book, Notes on Being a Man, currently #1 NYT bestseller, he talked about he and Debbie being the smartest kids in their 3rd grade class in addition to having crushes on each other. I haven’t read the book yet, Jim just started it so I’m waiting for him to pass it to me.
Kara’s been covering the tech industry since 1994 and her recent best seller Burn Book: A Tech Love Story is not only a memoir but a fascinating walk through the evolution of tech.
It was such a fun night, and the recording will probably be posted on the Pivot pod next week.
Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes
This week some of our favorite bloggers – including Kim & Elizabeth – got together to share favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. I planned to join them, but bailed due to our recent kitchen flood situation. Anyway, if you missed it, be sure to check out their delicious side dish recipes …
Cindy Hattersley Design – Vintage Cranberry Relish (her Aunt Dodo’s recipe!)
Classic Casual Home – Classic Zucchini Casserole & Howard’s Shrimp with Spicy Cocktail Sauce
Most Lovely Things – French Onion Mac & Cheese
Northern California Style – Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate & Walnuts
Pinecones & Acorns – Date Walnut Coffee Cake with Espresso Glaze
Last year I shared my Sweet & Savory Cornbread Stuffing recipe. I’ve been making it since the early 90’s and highly recommend.
Other favorite sides include Ina Garten’s make-ahead Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes that I’ll be taking to Thanksgiving dinner this year. And also Ina’s Green Beans Gremolata.
Best Hot Chocolate in London
My heart skipped a beat when I came across my two favorite words in one sentence, London and Cocoa … The Best Hot Chocolate in London.
Image: Italian Bear Chocolate via CN Traveler
Current Favorites ~
That’s what I have for you today. Last week I shared five new books I think you’ll love … and make great holiday gifts.
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