California Coast Cruisin' - Highway 101

I have made the drive from the Bay Area to LA too many times to count over the last 15+ years (ever since my parents moved to Orange County, and accelerated when I married Wendy, whose parents also live in LA). Many years ago, I started taking 101 instead of the 5 - and it has made all the difference in how much I enjoy (or dislike less) the trip down to LA. People may say it takes longer (which it does by a little bit), but the trade-offs are so worth it - no traffic on holiday weekends, lots of good food, and lovely scenery from the rolling hillsides of farms and vineyards to the coastal towns and ocean views.

Here is a summary of some of my favorite places to stop from north to south:

- Paso Robles: Laid back town with a burgeoning food scene complemented by the wineries popping up in the area. My guess is that there are some good eats near the town square and that there is good Mexican food to be had in the area. We have only been to a couple spots so far: Panolivo is a nice place for lunch, 4 Hermanos had good tacos, Powell's Sweet Shoppe is a good place to get the sweet tooth fix, and Vivant is a nice place to pick up some cheese. It would love to explore it more.

- San Luis Obispo: Just because it boasts a really nice Splash Cafe location, we almost always stop in San Luis Obispo on the way to and from LA. The clam chowder is that good (plus it's essentially half way between Mountain View and Woodland Hills). But there are plenty of other reasons to stop in SLO, including a vibrant downtown that has a bunch of good places to eat and some shopping (i.e. small independent stores like Tails, a pet boutique, and Bambini, a children's clothing store, as well as chain stores like Barnes & Noble and Banana Republic).

- Pismo Beach: Before we discovered the SLO outpost of Splash Cafe, our regular 101 pit stop was the original Splash Cafe location right near the pier in Pismo Beach. Grabbing a couple bowls of chowder with toasted sourdough loafs and taking it down to the beach/pier was a great way to break up the drive.

- Santa Ynez Valley: We haven't had a chance to explore the eats here, but Chumash Casino is worth a pit stop if you have the time - it's only 8 miles from 101!

- State beaches along 101 between Gaviota and Santa Barbara: This is my favorite part of the drive - the hour long stretch where you can just stare at the beautiful Pacific Ocean. Stop and picnic (or just relax) along any of the state beaches along the way (Gaviota, Refugio, etc.) to break up the trip.

- Santa Barbara: Since Santa Barbara is so close to LA, we don't usually make a pit-stop there. But it has a lot of good restaurants and interesting things to do - and would be a perfect stopping point if we had to drive all the way down to Orange County. For just a pit stop, La Super Rica Taqueria is good for tacos. For a longer a visit, stroll along State St for the eats and shopping. On a weekend in Santa Barbara, we enjoyed these: Arigato Sushi, Pascucci, Ca Dario (best osso bucco I've ever had).

- Carpinteria: We've only stopped in Carpinteria once, but Linden Ave. is a nice little downtown strip with some interesting looking restaurants.