# Coming to SB/SLO for TOC



## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

Think I have enough abbreviations in the title?
My wife and I are coming from Denver to see the TT stage in Solvang and then chill for a few days in Santa Barbara and SLO. 
I would appreciate any recommendations for good eats, good wine and any good bike shops. Thanks!


----------



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

Mootsie said:


> Think I have enough abbreviations in the title?
> My wife and I are coming from Denver to see the TT stage in Solvang and then chill for a few days in Santa Barbara and SLO.
> I would appreciate any recommendations for good eats, good wine and any good bike shops. Thanks!


The Los Olivos Cafe is always good. I believe it is on the TT route. The Hitching Post 2 is also good. (Featured in the movie Sideways, of course). 

As for wine, just down the street from Los Olivos is Beckmen Vineyards. Great, great stuff. Highly recommended. 

Go down Hwy 246 towards Lompoc and visit some makers of great pinot noir: Melville, Babcock, and Foley.

On Foxen Canyon Road, Zaca Mesa is hit or miss, but when they hit, it's really good. Up the road a little more is Foxen, which is a funky winery that makes great stuff, but rarely has the good stuff available for tasting. You might as well stop at Fess Parker, which is very touristy, but produces some quality stuff.


----------



## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

Thanks Mohair. I checked out the websites of some of your recommendations and I think you hit our style on the head. Any cool bike shops in the area? I've ordered some stuff from Cambria. Are they worth a visit?


----------



## offthefront66 (Apr 9, 2006)

*SLO Area*

If you are in the city of San Luis Obispo and you want good eats, good bike shop and good wine I would suggest the following"

Good Eats: Dinner...Korbel at Blue, Palazzo Giuseppes, Buona Tavola, Big Sky Lunch/Sandwiches: Gus's and High Street Deli

Good Juice: Talley Vineyards(in Arroyo Grande) but great wines and beautiful tasting room. They also support local cycling by sponsoring a local road cycling team as well as hosting a cyclocross event. Other places of note...Wolf Vineyards, Kynsi, Saucilto Canyon/Ortman Vineyard, Baileyana/Tangent.

Bike Shop: Hands down the best shop in town is Arts Cyclery. Great selection of high end road, mountain and all the latest cycling related goodies. They also support local cycling in many ways...been in SLO for many,many, many years. They also have just entered the online cycling market...to get a feel for them check out www.artscyclery.com

If you are going to be in Paso Robles for the stage finish let me know and I can guide you on the same....lived in SLO for 22 years.


----------



## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

I can't add much to the good recommendations already posted. I like Buttonwood winery. It's on Alamo Pintado between Solvang and Los Olivos. That road has a number of wineries, so a little tasting tour is possible. There is also a tasting room just south of Los Olivos featuring a big variety of wines from small wineries in the area.

If you go to the Hithing Post, get the ostrich steak. You won't be disappointed.

Paso Robles is a great suggestion. There are some nice restaurants in town. Zinfandel is the signature grape in the region, but there is a lot of good wine there. I prefer it to the Santa Ynez Valley, where Solvang is located.

JR


----------



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

JSR said:


> I can't add much to the good recommendations already posted. I like Buttonwood winery. It's on Alamo Pintado between Solvang and Los Olivos. That road has a number of wineries, so a little tasting tour is possible. There is also a tasting room just south of Los Olivos featuring a big variety of wines from small wineries in the area.
> 
> If you go to the Hithing Post, get the ostrich steak. You won't be disappointed.
> 
> ...


That reminds me. Right in Los Olivos, maybe 50 yards from the cafe, is the tasting room for Andrew Murray. That's really good stuff. He is also the wine maker for Oak Savannah, which is also good.


----------



## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

Thanks for all the great suggestions. We'll be sure to have fun in sun.......unless it rains again this year!


----------



## gambo2166 (Oct 20, 2004)

Matty's Tavern in Los Olivos is Great. Best bike shop on the central coast is Main Street Cycles in Santa Maria. www.mainstreetcycles.com . Bob Roll will be there on FEB 9th open to all to come and party with Bob.


----------



## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

offthefront66 said:


> If you are in the city of San Luis Obispo and you want good eats, good bike shop and good wine I would suggest the following"
> 
> Good Eats: Dinner...Korbel at Blue, Palazzo Giuseppes, Buona Tavola, Big Sky Lunch/Sandwiches: Gus's and High Street Deli
> 
> ...


Plus one on Kynsi Winery. good stuff. 

I also liked Lone Madrone out in the Paso Robles area. 

Laurent's Bistro in Paso Robles is a great dress up restaurant.


----------



## il sogno (Jul 15, 2002)

gambo2166 said:


> Matty's Tavern in Los Olivos is Great. Best bike shop on the central coast is Main Street Cycles in Santa Maria. www.mainstreetcycles.com . Bob Roll will be there on FEB 9th open to all to come and party with Bob.


Is that you on the left?


----------



## bobski (Aug 12, 2005)

Just bumping up this thread for information request.

So, my wife and I decided last minute to go see the TT. We found a room in Santa Maria, so we'll be driving into Solvang in the morning. I'm not very familiar with the town. Any suggestions regarding when and where to park if we want to hang around the start/finish area?


----------



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

It's not that big of a town. You'll probably come in on Hwy 246. You'll climb a small hill, and at the top is 5th Street. I'd recommend a right turn, then left on Oak. Find a parking space and walk a few blocks to the start.


----------



## bobski (Aug 12, 2005)

It looks like from your description that this is just street parking, so I should really get there early to find parking.

Awesome. Thanks for the info.


----------



## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

bobski said:


> It looks like from your description that this is just street parking, so I should really get there early to find parking.
> 
> Awesome. Thanks for the info.


There are no parking garages in Solvang, but there are a few public lots. Otherwise, it's street parking.

http://www.runsantaynez.com/pdf/solvang_parking_restrooms.pdf

Personally, if I were to watch the time trial, I would probably go up to Ballard Canyon Road, just off Hwy 154 where it meets Foxen Canyon Road. There's a short, winding hill there. You could stand at top, watch riders climb it, then walk 50 feet and watch them scream down the valley on the other side. I know that road very well from doing the Solvang Century for seven years in a row. The hill always hurts, but the valley road on the other side is very fast.


----------



## JSR (Feb 27, 2006)

Here is a link with specific traffic control information for race day in Solvang. 

http://www.tourofcalifornia-solvang.com/news/20090211.php

There are several lots in town. The largest one is on Alisal road. It's a small town, so you can walk from any of the lots with ease. There also appears to be a shuttle running from Anerson's Pea Soup in Buellton, which may prove useful if Solvang fills up.

Mohair_chair's recommendation to be at the top of the Ballard climb is a good one. I also remember grunting over that hill on a numbe of occasions after ~90 miles in the saddle. I've also done it fresh, and it looks a lot smaller in that condition!

I still haven't made up my mind where I'll be. The start/finish will surely have big screens as well as the festival. Los Olivos would be cool, too. Studying the map yesterday I realized it will be very difficult to get around near the course during the race. You can move between Solvang and Los Olivos (and the Ballard climb) by using Hwy 154. It will be virtually impossible to get in and around Ballard Canyon by car during the race. 

JSR


----------

