A Californian's Guide to a Dreamy, Inexpensive Hwy 1 Roadtrip
From LA to SF, where to eat, shop, and sleep on the Central Coast
It’s April and I’ve spent 2024 in four countries: France (my home for now), Mexico (for a two-week experiment with a man I hardly knew), the US (California and New Orleans), and, last week, Croatia (yep, I went back).
I’m a digital nomad, guys! I live for this shit. I love my life. The only hard part is finding a man who’s as peripatetic and unencumbered as I am, who could bounce around alongside me — or be a place I can bounce in and out of (obviously less bouncing would be in order if I was in love).
(Cue that Sylvia Plath Bell Jar quote about fireworks: “That’s one of the reasons I never wanted to get married. The last thing I wanted was infinite security and to be the place an arrow shoots off from. I wanted change and excitement and to shoot off in all directions myself, like the colored arrows from a Fourth of July rocket.”)
So this little bouncing bottlerocket has some advice to dispel, and it’s about California, which I rightfully fell back in love with during my month-long March visit. I went from bottom to (nearly) top: arrived by walking across from Tijuana, and touched walls of snow in Tahoe. I mostly stayed in San Luis Obispo, which is the “home” I claim on the central coast, but I also did a roadtrip with the Mexico guy because I’m always gonna give that second chance, baby!!!! (And then promptly run away when it doesn’t meet all of my needs and expectations, because I’m a grown 40-year-old woman who knows exactly what her needs are by now.)
Look, I’m an avoidant, sure, but the Frenchman-turned-Californian I met up with in Mexico out-avoids me! Shocking.
Anyway, on to California, which is the ideal state for a roadtrip. And here’s how to do it, on the cheap: flexibility, and HotelTonight. Use the app to find unreserved — and thus heavily discounted — rooms each day. I’ve peppered in a few of my favorites below. Check the app as late in the day as possible, because the deals will get increasingly better. Just drive along until you want to stop, and use HotelTonight to find a deal.
(Or, you could camp!)
Los Angeles
Sorry, I have no idea what to do or where to go in LA. It seems to consist entirely of strip malls. And mall malls. Good luck getting around anywhere, good luck finding parking when you get to where you’re going.
We’re off to a great start!
Santa Barbara
I was born here, but I don’t know much about it anymore. My friends Carla and Michael of Idlewild Floral Co. (swoon) no longer live here. I’m out of touch. You can go to the “Funk Zone,” which is generally fun. Walk up and down State Street. Visit the mission.
Upon leaving Santa Barbara, this is the only time you want to not take the Highway 1 (which just goes along a lot of sand dunes, Vandenberg Space Force Base, and Guadalupe, and arrives in Pismo Beach). Instead, pick one of two other options:
The 101, which takes you along the Pacific ocean, then under a tunnel, where you emerge in the hills of the central coast. Stunning all around.
The 154, which takes you immediately into the mountains behind the coast. You’ll get incredible views on both sides. But it can be a little harrowing, this two-way mountain road. You have to be prepared for that! Another benefit of this option is that you can stop at Cold Springs Tavern for old-timey charm. You’ll then drive along Lake Cachuma, and come out along the back side of Santa Ynez and Los Olivos, two adorable towns.
Los Olivos
A good place for wine tasting. The hills around Los Olivos and Santa Ynez are filled with wineries.
Los Alamos
Los Alamos has turned into a one-street town populated with excellent restaurants. The Alamo Motel, a renovated vintage motel, is very affordable and some of the rooms have clawfoot bathtubs! For dinner, drive across the 101 to eat at the Skyview Motel (or stay; it’s also an affordable option). In the morning, grab breakfast at Bob’s Well Break Bakery.
Santa Maria
This is where I grew up! Drive straight through. Or better yet, drive around the eastern edge and avoid it altogether: you can take Foxen Canyon Road all the way from Los Olivos back to the 101, a.k.a. the “Foxen Cayon Trail,” full of wineries — many of which are featured in the film Sideways. But if you find yourself going straight up the 101, you might visit Presqu’ile Winery, just off the highway (and next to my old neighborhood), for a wine tasting.
If you want really good Mexican food, consider driving into Santa Maria proper for a brief stop at Casa Mañana.
San Luis Obispo
(Pronunciation key: “San Loo-is Oh-biz-po” or “San Loo-is” for short, or “Slow” if you’re abbreviating it to SLO. No one says “Es-El-Oh,” and “San Loo-wee” is wrong!)
I lived in San Luis when I went to college at Cal Poly and then again when I taught at Cal Poly. So it’s my adopted home. It’s truly a gem. (But hard to be single in such a small town.)
Get off at the Marsh Street exit, park, and meander through downtown SLO, which is bursting with coffee shops, boutiques, restaurants, bars, and, now, hotels. I recommend Granada Hotel, if you can find a deal on HotelTonight (it also houses a delicious bistro and the sexiest bar in town, Nightcap). I also recommend:
Novo to eat outside along the creek that runs through town.
Idlewild Floral Co. for dried flower arrangements and gifts (ideal for upcoming Mother’s Day, hint hint)
Len Collective for beautiful jewelry and gifts.
Sally Loo’s for brunch.
The vintage maximalist Madonna Inn for cocktails (or to stay, if your budget allows).
High Street Deli for the best deli sandwiches.
If you’re lucky enough to be driving through on Thursday evening, it’s Farmer’s Market! Go for fresh produce, snacks, and a tri-tip sandwich. You’ll likely see a crazy long line for the outdoor BBQ at McClintock’s. You don’t need to wait it in. The food at Old SLO BBQ is also delicious, or Firestone at the other end of Higuera. It’s all tender tri-tip, bread, and sauce; you really can’t go wrong.
Outside of San Luis Obispo’s downtown, there’s also Avila Beach, the local favorite for sitting in the sun or hiking, and a secret little path down to Pirate’s Cove Beach — get naked in the sun! It’s a nude beach! Pretend you’re in Europe!
Cayucos
A casual, beachy little town that feels like what California used to be, especially Southern California, before becoming overdeveloped. The Pacific Motel is a good choice if you want a hip, affordable place to stay.
Cambria
If you weren’t impressed already, this is where things start to get really pretty. Lush green hills with hardly any development, and the Highway 1 taking you right alongside raw coastline. Stop in the witchy town of Cambria to eat at Robin’s and shop for local gifts (sage, incense, abalone shells, crystals, etc.) at Sea + Green.
San Simeon
The storied, extravagant Hearst Castle is here, if you want to make a day of it. (I’d recommend spending at least a day or two on the central coast, before hitting Big Sur.) Eat at Seaside Deli (owned by my high school friend Tracy!), inside Sebastian’s General Store.
Big Sur
Yay, you made it to Big Sur! My favorite place on earth! It’s too beautiful for words, but Jack Kerouac’s might suffice:
“Big elbows of Rock rising everywhere, sea caves within them, seas plollocking all around inside them crashing out foams, the boom and pound on the sand, the sand dipping quick (no Malibu Beach here) — Yet you turn and see the pleasant woods winding upcreek like a picture in Vermont — But you look up into the sky, bend way back, my God you're standing directly under the aerial bridge with its thin white line running from rock to rock and witless cars racing across it like dreams! From rock to rock! All the way down the raging coast! So that when later I heard people say "Oh Big Sur must be beautiful! " I gulp to wonder why it has the reputation of being beautiful above and beyond its fearfulness, its Blakean groaning roughrock Creation throes, those vistas when you drive the coast highway on a sunny day opening up the eye for miles of horrible washing sawing.”
Kerouac wrote that in 1961 and now, in 2024, the road is falling in on itself. So check that the road is actually there before making your way up Highway 1. My preferred stops along the way are Limekiln (the beach part and redwood part), McWay Falls (I got engaged here at the age of 22! It didn’t work out!), and the Henry Miller Library (please do buy a book or tote to support the bookstore, which is housed not where Henry Miller lived but in his friend Emil’s place).
If you’re hungry, there’s Big Sur Taphouse and Deli, which has wi-fi (helpful, because Big Sur has no cell phone service) and a backyard patio (or maybe take your sandwiches to go?) and the renowned Big Sur Bakery. Then park and hike into Andrew Molera State Beach (you’ll have to cross a small river that might come up to your hips).
Camping in Big Sur is dreamy. My favorite spot is Limekiln, for the beach-and-forest aspect. I’d also recommend the newer, private campground, Ventana. I’ve dreamt for decades of staying at Treebones.
Carmel
You’ll emerge from Big Sur into the most beautiful town in California: Carmel-by-the-Sea. Here, I like to stay at the fairly cheap Normandy Inn: it’s always solid, especially considering its location on the main road of town and its proximity to the beach.
If you’re literary, you should see if poet Robinson Jeffers’ Tor House is open. I love him, I love his house, I love that he built this home and tower out of stone with his bare hands. (A poet and a builder, sigh.)
On my recent roadtrip, we camped outside of Carmel, at Saddle Mountain Ranch, which was very nice. When I playfully scooched my sleeping bag an inch closer to the Frenchman-turned-Californian’s, and he pushed me away, that was probably the straw that broke this camel’s back.
(As far as camels go, this one left the roadtrip parched for affection, tenderness, compliments, kisses, and joyful selfies — the kind of thirst you know will be easily quenched by a lover with less fear of intimacy, less avoidantly attached.)
Monterrey
I don’t know Monterrey well. North of Big Sur, I lose my bearings. But I found a deal on HotelTonight for Seven Gables Inn and was impressed with the room, the service, the view, and the otters. Monterrey is so moody.
Calistoga
Strangely enough, I went to Calistoga twice in three weeks (earlier in the month for Anna’s 40th birthday, then again on the roadtrip). Calistoga! One week I was laughing with my girlfriends and floating in a mineral pool, the next I was crying in a bathroom because the aforementioned man thought things were “going really well!” (and I, on the other hand, was walking on eggshells and feeling unadored, nay, hardly even liked).
Where might you stay if you wander into this little town? Indian Springs if your budget allows, but Brannan Cottage Inn or The Bergson are the cheaper options where I stayed on my two visits. I’d eat at Calistoga Inn, Restaurant, and Brewery. For a late night dive bar: Susie’s.
San Francisco
I have no idea. The journey was the reward. Have a mission burrito or something and enjoy the Bay Area.