This mission is often called the 'Prince' of the missions. It was named for the 13th century saint, the Bishop of Toulouse. The church is still in operation. The tile roof is the first of its kind used on the California missions. They used tile instead of wood or thatch because often they would be faced with flaming arrow attacks by the Indians. There is an excellent museum that contains a large collection of Chumash Indian artifacts and … [Read more...]
San Luis Obispo, CA – Downtown
Downtown San Luis Obispo (www.downtownslo.com) is a collection of numerous cafes + restaurants + brew pubs, clothing stores, sports stores, a few galleries, quaint shops, and reflective of a college town, quite a few stand alone bars. The downtown area is best seen by walking. Ditch the car along one of the side streets just outside of the downtown area, or one of three parking garages (Two on Palm Street and one on Marsh Street). Our … [Read more...]
San Luis Obispo, CA – Lodging
San Luis Obispo has a diversity of lodging - perhaps more then other towns of this size due to two factors; it is a touristy region and because Cal Poly is located here. Many of the properties are located on upper Monterey street and or in the south of town on Madonna Road. The cheapest lodging can be found during the middle of the week. Prices listed range from the lowest (the off season rates/single person) to the highest (holidays and … [Read more...]
San Luis Obispo, CA – Wine
PASO ROBLES WINE COUNTRY This region is rapidly growing and is starting to become very well-known. This area is an excellent alternative to the high priced Napa Valley. This region is situated about 20 miles east of the Pacific Ocean - about 30 minutes north of San Luis Obispo. Today there are well over 200 wineries in this region - one of the neat aspects of these wineries is that many are small and family owned. Often tasting is by … [Read more...]
Palm Springs, CA – Dates
Date Palms can be found in many locations in the Coachella Valley. Dates are among the oldest of the cultivated fruit in the world. Many of the dates in the Coachella Valley come from the Middle East including many varieties from Iraq. Three of Dave's favorite places to purchase dates are Hadley's Date Gardens, Shields Date Gardens & Oasis Date Gardens. The three listings below are retail outlets and all will ship dates via the mail. Visit … [Read more...]
Palm Springs, CA – Shopping
Downtown Palm Springs offers excellent shopping - lining both sides of Palm Canyon Drive. Many unique art galleries are located here along with other artisan crafts. Select shopping centers in and around Palm Springs are the following: Desert Fashion Plaza. PHONE (760) 320-8282 Gardens on El Paseo's (760) 862-1990 in Palm Desert Website: www.thegardensonelpaseo.com La Plaza is located in the heart of downtown and offers an excellent … [Read more...]
Palm Springs, CA – Art Galleries
Palm Springs has an excellent variety of art galleries located mostly along N or S Palm Canyon Drive - near the center of town. All galleries below are in the city of Palm Springs unless otherwise indicated. General Adagio Galleries exhibits a collection of Southwest American art and is well worth visiting. Many paintings as well as sculptures. Located at 73-300 El Paseo Drive in Palm Desert. Used to be located in Palm Springs. Established … [Read more...]