Travel by Train

From a window seat on the Pacific Surfliner westbound past Goleta, the appeal of train travel came quickly into view. We quietly rumbled past campgrounds, coastal ranches, and sandstone ridgelines above empty beaches before crossing the trestle over Gaviota Creek. Then it was into Hollister Ranch, the Dangermond Preserve, past Point Conception to Vandenberg Space Force Base — the whole of it among the most picturesque seaside splendor in all of California, if not the world. 

Our plan was simple: Leave the car at home; take the early train on a Saturday from Santa Barbara to Pismo Beach; spend the afternoon, evening, and much of the next day eating and exploring; then jump on the return train late Sunday. Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner runs daily between San Diego and San Luis Obispo, and no reservations are needed in the off season. Just climb aboard and the journey begins. 

After about two hours, we arrived in Grover Beach, the closest stop to Pismo, about two miles away. Around the corner from the station, we caught the city bus to our hotel.  

STAY

Off the bus two blocks from Pismo Pier, we walked to Sandcastle Hotel on the Beach (sandcastlehotelonthebeach.com). Our second-floor balcony provided long views along the coast and out to sea. As with most high-caliber oceanfront hotels, you can expect comfortable beds and a range of bathroom luxuries, from extra-fluffy towels and robes to various lathers and lotions. We left the balcony slider halfway open all night to let in the soothing rumble of steady whitewater. 

On the ground floor out front, The Deck bar and bistro opens early and features fireside and shaded seating. The hotel also provides towels, chairs, and sand toys, and there’s an outdoor shower near the top of the beach staircase.

DINE

On a lunch recommendation from hotel management, we made the short walk to Wooly’s (woolyspismobeach.com), at the foot of Pismo Pier. The downtown hub was bustling with young amateur surfers and their families in town for the U.S.A. Surfing West Coast Prime Series, a top-tier feeder event for international championship contests, including the Olympics.

We claimed barstools on the patio. Cool and partly cloudy, it was one of those breakfast-burrito-all-day kind of days, a want of salt and pan-fried eggs and potatoes eclipsing all other lunch options, of which there were plenty, including classic burgers, blackened albacore sandwiches, tacos, and a good-looking carne asada waffle-fry skillet. There’s also a dog menu (hotdogs, chopped chicken, beef patties) and water bowls on the patio — nice touch.

That evening, again at the foot of the pier, we started with crabcakes and charbroiled oysters with asiago at Oyster Loft (oysterloft.com). Those familiar with fine dining often welcome the psychological component of any upscale establishment. For example, the combined scents, flavors, and textures of Oyster Loft’s sablefish — also known as black cod on the Morro Bay commercial trawlers that haul it to market — ramp up considerably as your server reveals a technical understanding and genuine appreciation of the chef’s time in Japan developing the recipe. 

I typically prefer seafood, and I wanted that sablefish to highlight our dinner, especially after hearing its backstory. But then I tasted the Kurobuta pork chop, its tender bite smooth with creamed spinach and a black truffle applesauce. The chop’s bread pudding accompaniment slowly activated my sweet tooth, and with the table cleared, save for coffee and tea, we tied off our Oyster Loft experience with the vanilla bean crème brûlée, garnished with a balance of crisp strawberries and shortbread crumble.

The next morning at Surfside Donuts (surfsidedonuts.com) — next door to one of those strip-mall liquor stores that deals in beers and spirits as copiously as beach gear and barbeque briquettes — we injected ourselves with Stumptown coffee and a range of favorites, from basic donut holes and fritter twists to dirty coconut, old-fashioned, and maple bacon. Carrie, the shop’s owner, baker, barista, and bookkeeper, offers gluten-free options daily and vegan selections on Fridays. She also recently introduced Good Manners Monday, with a discount for kids who deploy those two simple phrases that can go a long way in this life and the next: “please” and “thank you.”

DO

Like most, if not all, Southern California beach towns, central Pismo is dominated by tourism and the businesses that cater to it. Santa Barbara knows this all too well. That’s why it’s often nice to break away from the bustling core and make for the wide-open outskirts. An e-bike can help.

Shoving off from Pedego Electric Bikes (pedegopismo.com), located a couple of blocks from the pier, it only took a few minutes to leave the downtown traffic behind. Northbound in the hills, the 900-acre Pismo Preserve, owned by The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County (lcslo.org) offers more than 10 miles of trails through oak groves and along the ridgelines. Nearby, next to a blufftop gazebo, a steep staircase leads to a beach with rocky outcroppings primed for tidepooling. In the other direction, the Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove is worth a quick visit, same with the nearby boardwalk to the dunes. 

A late checkout bought us more time to enjoy the sunny afternoon before boarding an afternoon train back to Santa Barbara. Happy not to contend with late-Sunday freeway traffic, from our window seats, we caught the sunset out beyond the Guadalupe Dunes as we crossed the Santa Maria River — our return ride not an end to our quick trip but very much part of it. You know what they say about the journey.

For more information, visit experiencepismobeach.com.