San Luis Obispo – America’s happiest city.
Almost exactly in between San Francisco and Los Angeles, the small town San Luis Obispo can be found. It is even reachable over Highway One (more about iconic Hwy 1 here)!
This cute, little town offers a high quality of life and for that it got the nickname “America’s happiest city”. There is not too much to explore here but it is already worth visiting only to get to know this relaxing vibe here.
Bubblegum Alley
The Bubblegum Alley is a small side alley, which gets decorated with….obviously bubblegum…since the 1960’s. The brick wall is on both sides of the path fully covered in bubblegum. The walls belong to the block with the 700 numbers on Higuera Street. The covered walls are each 69ft (21m) long and 15ft (4,6m) high. By the end of the alley you can..who would have ever thought that…find bubblegum automates.
No one really knows how this became a thing. There is the assumption that some teenagers from the close by high school started that “tradition”.
In the beginning the government tried to keep the walls clean but as time went on it is just the floor that gets cleaned once a week and the rest gets just “accepted”. Once they tried to clean the entire area with spray by the firefighters. But a different result had occurred. Different than anybody would have ever thought of. All the bubblegum flew high up in the air and it started “raining” bubblegum in the surrounding streets.
The bubblegum alley in SLO existed before the one in Seattle, Washington, and counts as its example.
The wall belongs to the Top 5 of the “Germiest Tourist Attractions”.
733 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
SLO Brew
A great bar that we randomly entered and fell in love with. Not only can you get European beer here but there is also a great atmosphere and a wonderful patio next to the water.
736 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Just strolling through the streets
A great thing about SLO is that you don’t really have to spend any money here. Just relax and explore the city by feet. You can discover so many cute shops, cafés and restaurants.
This small town has a long history. It was founded in 1772 by Spanish Franciscan Junípero Serra, which makes SLO one of the oldest communities in California. Maybe you can find some hints of its age on your walk around town!
Fun Fact: San Luis Obispo has many secrets that haven’t been solved yet. Lots of mystery surrounds the “underground city”, or the series of tunnels that exsits beneath the city.
