<p>Hey guys, I was wondering if you can share your logistics move-in experiences. Daughter will start a few weeks, we’re out of state (WA) and will fly through San Jose, then drive (rent a car) to SLO.</p>
<p>We will purchase a lot of the stuff locally, but I imagine there will be things she’ll want with her that would be too inconvenient to carry in our checked luggage. Can we ship stuff from here and pick it up there?</p>
<p>If so, any advice on what’s the best service to do this? I think the school is providing help, at least that’s what they say on the web site, but I wonder if you can share any experiences, good or bad.</p>
<p>You can purchase items at Bed, Bath and Beyond at your local store in Washington or on-line and then pickup at the store in SLO. There is also Collegeboxes.com that lets you can ship items ahead to your school.</p>
<p>If you have time after her drop off, return up the coast highway. It takes you through Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey and Santa Cruz. Hearst Castle, the Monterey Aquarium and the barren coast are worth it alone. Drove back to Oregon that way when we were at SOAR. </p>
<p>If you are on Facebook, there is a very active Cal Poly Parent page (open group) where people post questions like this and get tons of helpful advice.</p>
<p>It might be good to wait a few days when the housing arrangements are announced. The dorms are pretty tight and a triple will give you very little room. If you can wait to buy some stuff until after you arrive at the Cal Poly dorm and unpack, you’ll know how much empty space you are dealing with.</p>
<p>We rent a van when we come down. That way there is extra space, even though the gas mileage isn’t as good. Before we leave to return home, we gas up at the Costco SLO; the gas lines are always busy.</p>
<p>After you arrive in SLO, the place is crawling with people, so the local stores (Costco, Target, etc) are packed. You might consider going to some nearby cities for Targets or WalMarts, if Target SLO is too crowded. The local grocery stores will be fine.</p>
<p>Once you have her assignment you can have things shipped to her dorm address but she will have to carry it up to her room which could be inconvenient if she is on an upper floor. I second stopping at an out of town Target or Walmart … stores in Salinas or Paso Robles on your drive down will be less crowded and picked-over.</p>