<p>I’ll be going on a campus tour this week and was wondering what I should look for and do around the area. What are the students like, what are the points of interest around obispo, general atmosphere etc… Any tips appreciated :)</p>
<p>go to firestone in downtown slo, it’s awesome and full of students!</p>
<p>Try to be there Thursday night for Farmers Market downtown SLO. Great fun!</p>
<p>What part of the week will you be visiting? It’s finals week so I’m sure everyone will be studying, although I heard afterward they’ll be anxious to get out of there to begin their spring break. Hopefully, enough kids will still be around on campus to get a good feel for the energy. We’ll be visiting late Thursday and Friday, ourselves.</p>
<p>I’ll be there late wednesday and thursday, taking one of the general tours. I’ll definitely hangout around the town .</p>
<p>Farmer’s Market is from around 6:30-9:30 pm, I think. We’ll probably see you there and not even know it. 
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<p>lucylulu wrote:</p>
<p>I’ll be there late wednesday and thursday, taking one of the general tours. I’ll definitely hangout around the town .</p>
<p>I hope you both have a great visit and get a good feel for CP. Students will be studying, but they will also be hanging out and doing what college kids do. I am sure most kids will be leaving on Friday, so Thursday may be just fine. The weather will be gorgeous! My guess is that Downtown is always active somewhat. </p>
<p>Have a safe drive and I hope all goes well.</p>
<p>I’m going there next year, I love the city. Hopefully you are a girl… lol! They have a huge Forever 21 it is amazing. I also love Firestones. Especially the Tri-tip sandwich. Mmmm… there is a movie theater in the downtown area. Also some good stores like Bella B’s, Crazy J’s, Victorias secret… I think those are the names. There are some really expensive stores that have really cute stuff too! </p>
<p>There is this mountain, but I forget the name. Lots of people go hiking there. You can’t forget Pismo beach! Ride ATVs or go horseback riding. I guess I’m lucky having a sister with horses lol you probably won’t do that! There is a good seafood place, with excellent clam chowder. I can’t remember the name, but it is like “the pier” or something I want to say. I’ve only been in dorms on weeknights, people were just chilling in their rooms, doing homework, going on facebook, the usual. We went bowling too. Don’t forget to stop by the Cal Poly store to get some clothes :). Have fun and hope to see you next year!</p>
<p>Please go to Avila Beach. It’s one of the central coast’s great beaches. Check out the boardwalk and long pier. We prefer it over Pismo. Avila has this cool micro-climate where if Pismo Beach is fogged in, oftentimes Avila will be sunny. Unfortunately, I don’t think the Avila barn is open right now. It’s a fun agritainment stop on the road to A.B.</p>
<p>Apple Farm is a cool place for breakfast. So is the kitschy Copper Cafe at the Madonna Inn (expensive). Barnes and Noble shopping center has nice stores, theaters, etc. New Frontiers is a great whole foods type store. Get some San Luis sourdough bread, available at Costco and around town. Splash Cafe is supposed to have world’s greatest clam chowder (Pismo Beach and on Monterey St. SLO - just down the street from Apple Farm).</p>
<p>and not to mention the Cal Poly students themselves who are truly cool people.</p>
<p>We are going to visit in April. Does anyone have any hotel suggestions for people traveling with HS students?</p>
<p>Here are a couple threads to look at:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo/722996-hotel-recommendations.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo/722996-hotel-recommendations.html</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo/677054-where-stay-when-visiting-cal-poly.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/cal-poly-san-luis-obispo/677054-where-stay-when-visiting-cal-poly.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>quality suites and comfort inn are the best in terms of location and quality.</p>
<p>In our two previous trips which were both a combination of college visit and mini-vacations, we found the Pismo Lighthouse Suites a good place to stay and a very quick ride to SLO. Two separate bedrooms, one king & two queens. Also decent breakfast & games for the kids at night such as ping pong & badmitton.</p>
<p>We’ve tried 5 different hotels on Monterey St. near Grand. The one we keep coming back to is the Holiday Inn Express because of the free continental breakfast. You can have a big breakfast, skip lunch and then dine out mid-afternoon when the downtown restaurants are less crowded.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your suggestions.</p>
<p>We’re at the **Quality Suites **for the 2nd time since August and I HIGHLY recommend it. Within walking distance to downtown or free hotel shuttle. A beautifully appointed hotel and SO well maintained. WiFi. Pool, etc. Very friendly personnel. A 2 hour all-you-can drink Wine Reception in the evening. Full cooked-to-order breakfast in the mornining. Both complimentary. I’ll never stay anywhere else in SLO! Check out TripAdviser and read the reviews. I wrote one myself. Reasonably priced, too. It’s on Monterey St. and centrally located to the freeway, Cal Poly and downtown. We walked back from the Farmer’s Market last night at 9:45. Perfectly safe and a nice stroll</p>
<p>My husband just booked us at the Courtyard Marriott, but we can cancel. (They have good rates for Cal Poly visitors.) I will check out the Quality Suites. Has anyone reading this post ever stayed at the ewer Courtyard Marriott?</p>
<p>We’ve stayed at the Quality Suites 3 times and completely agree with 2Leashes recommendation. One of the best options in town.</p>
<p>We live in San Luis and have stayed at the Quality Suites while house hunting. Ditto what the others have said about it. Great hotel and perfect location. Walk or take the trolley downtown.</p>
<p>Courtyard Marriott is our newest hotel but it is on the other side of town next to the 101. You wouldn’t get a good feel of SLO staying there.</p>