I’m the first to admit, I was out of SLO as fast as I could be. Those last couple of months of senior year and the summer before college, all I wanted was to experience something new. But, now that I’ve been away for a year, and I’m well on my way to my second full year away, there are some things I miss.
In the long run, if we didn’t stay home to attend Cuesta College, Cal Poly, or work, a lot of us went to other schools in California or out of state. But, let’s be real, even though we wanted to get out, here are six things we miss when we’re away from home.
SLOdoco
I mean, who doesn’t miss the 15 minute drive into town for donuts at midnight. We made Buzzfeed's list for the Best Drunken Eats in College Towns, and we’re pretty proud of it too.
Cal Poly Graduation and WOW Week
Oh wait. Did I say we miss those things? I’m mistaken. We don’t miss them. We don’t miss them at all.
Graduation is the one day of the year you should not go anywhere, or if you have to, you should leave four hours before you need to be there. The traffic is ridiculous, and God forbid you want to eat out that night. Either make a reservation six months in advance or order take out. On second thought, just stay home. Stay home all day. It is not worth it.
And then there’s WOW (Week of Welcome). While retail locations love WOW Week, those of us who work retail hate it. There are people everywhere, and every one of them is an excited and stressed out first year or the parent of an excited and stressed out first year. I’ve been there, so I get it, but I have no interest in reliving it.
Due to Cal Poly's quarter system, most of us are home for at least one of these. In my case, I leave before WOW Week but return before graduation.
Tacos De Mexico
What us locals call Tacos De is the go-to lunch spot for just about every student at Morro Bay High School. It's packed around the high school lunch hour, but it's beyond worth the wait.
If you haven’t been there, please do yourself a favor and go. You won’t regret it. Just maybe not during MBHS's lunch hour.
Thursday Night Farmers’ Market
The Proximity to Nature
While I lucked out in Ithaca with gorges to explore and a view of Lake Cayuga from almost anywhere on campus, some weren’t so lucky. In SLO no matter where you are, you aren’t far from either the ocean or a great hike. Pictures of Sunrise Hikes up Bishops, are a regular occurrence on my Facebook timeline. Kayaking is a relatively easy task to achieve, and beach days happen on the regular.
Finding a location for senior photos is never hard with views like this!
Jamba Juice
This one is less tragic for those of us that didn’t go to “a land of no Jamba,” but for those of you, who like me didn’t do your research and ended up in a Jamba Juiceless area of the country, we will forever be bitter we don’t have our one true love. That being said, even those of you who do have Jamba around you, be honest with yourself -- is it really as wonderful as SLO?
Growing up in a college town taught us a lot. We’ll forever be thankful for that and so many other opportunities. Thank you, SLO, for all you’ve taught me, for all the beautiful views and hikes you have blessed me with, and the yummy food you’ve provided me. I miss you, and you’ll always be the place I call home.
