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Kanpai Sushi is one of the best three top sushi restaurants that I've had in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County.
Over the weekend, we walked into Kanpai Sushi in Shell Beach for dinner without a reservation for two on a whim (kids were at a last minute kids' only event). The only reservations available left on Kanpai Sushi's website were 8PM and later so we decided to take our chances and walked in around 6:15PM to see if there was room at the sushi bar, which usually required no reservation. Luckily, there was room at the sushi bar which we could see right when we stepped up to the hostesses.
The hostesses greeted us and asked us is we had a reservation to which we replied, 'no'. Then, she pulled up her tablet to look at the current table availability and said that we could sit at the sushi bar without any time limit. It was a no brainer. We said, 'yes'. To be honest, I always prefer sitting right by the sushi chefs to see them in action and hear their 'irrashaimase', which means 'welcome' in Japanese. I got to hear it loud and clear, at least 20 times that night.
After we got seated, a group of people came in and said they had a reservation for 9! It was already a full house so I think they just came in early to make sure they all rallied together on time. Usually when there's just a party of 2, like we were this night, it's much easier to find a seat. A restaurant could tuck us in a corner, at the bar, or at a reservation's table that ate faster than expected. However, I highly recommend that you get a reservation at Kanpai Sushi if there's availability online, even if you're only a party of 2.
Our waitress was very professional and efficient. She came around with our menus and asked us for our drink order. I decided to be adventurous and ordered the Joto from their sake menu. [I apologize and realize that 'Joto' means something vulgar in a different language and in a different country but this is the name of their Japanese sake and means completely different in Japanese.]
I realized quickly that drinking cold sake required more acquisition time on my part. Next time, I'll try to remember to order a hot sake instead with my sushi. I didn't really enjoy the Joto that much but I still finished it by the end of the dinner.
When it was time to order, I decided on a miso soup, rainbow roll and spicy tuna roll. My husband ordered the 9-piece Sashimi Plate Combo; the combo came with miso soup and a salad. I thought his meal was a better deal, but my portion size were awesome.
About halfway through my meal, I thought I may have ordered too much food but I finished it all anyway! I was so impressed with everything at Kanpai Sushi. The fish was fresh, the service was top notch and the atmosphere was fun and exciting! The menu is definitely pricey, but it's so worth it for the quality.
Kanpai Sushi Address: 2665 Shellbeach Rd., Shell Beach, CA 93449
Read My Reviews About Other Seafood Restaurants Nearby at the Beach:
Ventana Grill Review (famous Shell Beach restaurant that is cliffside in Pismo Beach)
DIY Sushi
When I was younger, I was more ambitious and hosted two different sushi parties. I would make sushi for everyone, but only offered two types as to not break the bank. They were shrimp tempura rolls and spicy tuna with shrimp tempura rolls. They were fun to make and my friends really appreciated it. You can now find sushi kits online that has every tool you need.
We had a movie date over the weekend in Downtown San Luis Obispo at The Movie Experience, also known as Downtown Centre Cinemas. It's centrally located and is part of a big shopping complex. What made this date stood apart from the rest was that I had an awesome dinner while we were watching the movie in the movie theater and my dinner is not hot dogs and popcorn. The movie theater doesn't blatantly say you can bring your own food and drinks to the movie theater, but it also doesn't say you can't. So, I ordered a California Burrito (that's my awesome dinner) from San Luis Taqueria online and picked it up 45 minutes later. We had already bought tickets online for a movie at 6PM at The Movie Experience.
Fortunately, San Luis Obispo Taqueria is only a block walk away from The Movie Experience, so we stopped in there really quick to pick up my burrito and then made our walk to the theater. I walked in there with the to-go bag in my hand and there were no questions asked. I'm originally from San Diego and that is where the California Burrito was first created so I'm so happy that now, California Burritos can be found practically in every major city in California. San Luis Taqueria did it justice. It had the fries, the carne asada, sour cream, quacamole, pico de gallo and all the flavors wrapped tight in a very authentic tortilla. I made sure to get a small container of salsa from the salsa bar before I left the place when I picked up my burrito because without the salsa, it would not be complete! I devoured that burrito while watching the first half of the The Flash.
The Movie Experience (I can't get over how interesting this movie theater name is; so many unintentional puns) is not a large cinema but it has the best location that's smack in the middle of Downtown San Luis Obispo so there are many places to walk to before and after the movie. I really enjoyed the movie experience (see what happened?). Now, some of the seats are kind of torn but our seats reclined! This is the first movie theater that I got to sit in reclined seats so this was a real treat for me! The first few rows were reclined seats that you had to specifically pick from the chart when you bought your tickets.
After the movie was over, we decided to have a night cap before we ended the night, so we stopped in Eureka! I ordered the Farmers' Market Cocktail and thought my actual drink looked even better than what they had pictured at their bar. See the photo that I took of my drink below. Eureka! (exclamation point intended as that's their actual name) is only a block away from the movie theater and one block from where we parked so it was perfect. When we parked at the Marsh Street Parking Structure, we picked up our parking ticket from the machine as we entered in. However, when we left, the gates going out were all open so we didn't have to pay for our way out for some reason! Surprising, we had free parking for that night! I highly recommend parking at this very parking structure if you're planning on going to the movie theater in downtown. It may not be free to park every night but it's so close and convenient. If you'd like to map our adventure and see how amazingly close these places are from each other (about 1 block from each other!), here are the addresses of the places that we went on our movie date night below:
Marsh Street Parking Structure: 871 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo Obispo, CA 93401
San Luis Taqueria: 1032 Chorro St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
The Movie Experience (Downtown Centre Cinemas): 888 Marsh St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Eureka!: 1141 Chorro St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Movie Gift Basket Ideas:
Having a movie date at home is a very good way to spend time with someone you care about. Bringing over a gift basket with all the things that could make the movie night wonderful could be a sweet idea.
2025 Update: The Lucia Mar Summer Swim Program finally implemented an online registration and payment system for summer 2024! Therefore, the infamous long line to register your kids for summer swim offered by Arroyo Grande High and Nipomo High Schools was not required. However, enjoy reading my old story below about when I did have to get in line to register my kids for summer swim for the previous years. For summer 2025, they have implemented an online registration system again. We have been going to their swim school for 4 years in a row!
Old Story:
On June 2 (a week before the school year was about to end and summer break was about to start), I made it to the registration timeframe to register my kids at the Summer Swim Program between 5PM - 7PM that evening at Arroyo Grande High School. I was praying that my husband could get home from work earlier than anticipated so that he could watch the kids while I intended to wait in that traditionally famous line on the sidewalk of Arroyo Grande (AG) High School to register both my kids for the awesome swim school program. Thankfully, he did. I thought this would make it much easier for me to register them for their swim class. Well, I got in line there by myself at AG High and even arrived 5 minutes before the registration start time and there were already about 30 - 40 parents/guardians in line in front of me! Guess how long it took me to finally get to the front of the line and register my kids for their swim school this year?Click on this jump link to find the answer, quickly. I'll tell you a concrete answer as you continue scrolling down this post, but right now, I'm going to take you back to memory lane...because I've done this before, about a year ago.
Last Year's Swim School Registration Experience
Last year, I was in line for 1 hour and 45 minutes at Arroyo Grande High to register my kids for their Summer Swim Program and I even arrived at the school 5-10 minutes early before their posted registration time. I had both of my kids with me as my husband was working a night shift and I had no childcare. I didn't think it was going to take that long as it was my first time registering for them for this swim program. I thought maybe I'd wait an hour tops since I already filled out the online pre-registration forms! Well, I was wrong. My kindergartener at the time was getting antsy but as a friendly little guy, he made friends with a few kids who were playing in the grass. A few minutes later, my older son joined in. An unplanned playdate happened while I was in line! It's becoming quite a gathering! I'm glad the kids found a way to keep themselves busy, but I wasn't anticipating any of this. I didn't want to lose my spot while I was waiting in that growing registration line, so all I could do was holler from afar to my kids if they were doing something they were not supposed to do. Fortunately, I was in a line with other parents who understood and were not bothered by my loud calls.
After about 15 minutes in line, it felt like I was in line for a Disneyland attraction ride. All the parents were eager to get to the front of the line. There were a few familiar faces as most of us live in Five Cities. I started thinking to myself that it would have been nice if there had been a coffee cart of some sort selling coffee while I waited in this slow moving line. Then, 30 minutes later, I thought to myself that it would be nice if they had a couple of food trucks here selling tacos as it's around dinner time and I'd enjoy having dinner while I waited in line. Well, there were no food or drinks for sale. The only table that was collecting money is the swim school's table that sat right inside the entrance of the pool area. I think they missed an opportunity for some food sales. There were probably close to 50 parents from a glance and I think at least half of them would appreciate some sort of place to get snacks for the kids. And you know, some of us came with kids so each order could be hefty. There were kids who were younger than mine who were getting super, duper antsy.
An hour later, I was still only halfway there from the front of the line. Oh boy! My kids were getting hungry and thankfully, I had snacks in my purse. My kids would find me to eat a couple of bites and then continued to play. My kids were having so much fun playing with the other kids, they weren't bothered if I had moved a couple of yards ahead. So, when the distance got too far, I did my loud holler to tell them where I was at. Because you know, from the waist down, I look like a lot of moms in this line.
I've got to say, even though I was only able to chit chat with a couple of the parents around me, I was impressed by this entire tribe. Everyone was patient and resilient. Sure, I heard expressions of annoyance from other parents that they wished that the program would allow them to pay everything online instead. However, I think I've narrowed down to the reason why Lucia Mar District's Summer Swim Program would like parents to pay in a physical line in person like we're still in the 90's and online tech did not exist yet. If you've dedicated this much time to get in line to register, there is less of a chance that the families would cancel their swim school schedule. That's what I think. What other reason could there be? There are so many softwares online today that they could partner up with to easily collect payment. The tech is there and inexpensive. But what they need is proven commitment from parents and kids for the summer swim program. It seems to work well for them because they've been doing it this way for so many years.
It's like rushing or pledging for a fraternity or sorority and they want you to prove that you are down enough for the brotherhood or sisterhood! Except this is: are you down enough for the swim school program and commit to your initial schedule!
I don't know for sure if this is the case, but I like to find analogies and I cannot find any other logic to this madness.
This Year's Swim School Registration Experience
You've scrolled this far down so I'm going to tell you right off the bat that I waited for 1 hour and 50 minutes this year in that Swim School Program line at AG High. Yep, it took even 5 minutes longer for me this time. Without having my kids waiting in line with me, it was easier, but it didn't make the line go any faster because it's not like the kids in line registered for themselves. It's the parents.
For the first 45 minutes while I was in line, I put my headphones on and learned about ChatGPT and how to test their API from a tutorial that I found from freeCodeCamp. I figured I'd make the best of my idling in this line and learned a bit about AI.
Just like last year, there were little kids who gathered in the grass to play with each other. There were some sighs and expressions of frustrations about how slow the line was and why can't we just pay online; but the parents stuck around. Some with even checkbooks ready in hand because the options as method of payments were: cash, check or PayPal. There were still no food or drinks for sale (another missed opportunity again).
Was It Worth It?
As I stood in line halfway through, I started thinking: why did I get in this line again? Is it worth it?
Since my kids attended swim school at AG High last summer, I can tell you from experience that this summer swim program is wonderful. I had enrolled them for two weeks. My kids progressed considerably more in those two weeks compared to the 3 months when they were taking swim lessons at the nearby swim school business. It's because when you sign up for a week at Lucia Mar Summer Swim program, you attend every day from Monday - Friday and that helps reiterate what they are learning. I was also impressed by how patient and professional the high school athletes were. From what I can tell, many of the swim teachers (if not all) are water polo players or are part of the swim team at AG High. It's good for little kids to find role models who are teenagers and what better way to see that first hand than if they are being led and taught how to swim by these kind and cool kids?
Things to Consider Before Waiting In Line and/or Participating in the Summer Swim Program
If you are flexible about which time(s) and week(s) that you'd like to register your kids for summer swim, then I say dodge this registration line and just come in person at their main table during their swim schedule. I even saw a parent do that on the first Monday of the summer swim program and she was able to get her kids registered 10 minutes before the start time of the next session.
If you are definitely getting in that famous registration day line so that you can make sure you get the spots you want, bring a beverage to drink in hand (non-alcoholic, of course because you're at a high school, man!)
Bring snacks or your dinner if you know you and your kids will be hungry while waiting.
If you are friends with other parents who are getting in this line, go together. It could be like a catch up session while waiting in line.
Bring headphones if you'd like to watch a movie from your phone while you're in line. It'll make it more pleasant like when you watch a movie while you're on a plane.
Pre-register by filling the registration forms online before coming there to pay. It'll make it easier for them when they are putting your kids' names on their schedule book/sheet. It may be a requirement before paying, as well.
On their flyer and website, they said that they don't issue refunds on paid registrations so be absolutely sure that you can commit to the swim session when you sign the kids up and pay for the summer swim program by Lucia Mar District. The locations include both Arroyo Grande High School and Nipomo High School pool areas.
I pre-paid for 2 weeks for my kids, not thinking that there is a possibility that they could pass their current level by the end of the week. That happened to one of my kids! Luckily, they were flexible with updating the level that they are placed for the following week, even for pre-paid registration, as long as there is room. There is currently no reminder system for parents to remember which session their kids are signed up for, so you just have to make sure you add it to your own calendaring system on your phone or at home.
On a sunny day, there are very little shaded areas at the pool area, especially in the afternoon, so bring a sun hat or cap.
Bring swim goggles for the kids as it helps kids see better in the water and give him more confidence as they are learning to swim!
There are benches for parents and guardians to watch their kids during their swim lesson session. Last year, AG High didn't have bleachers out so some parents resorted to bringing their own lawn chairs to sit at the pool area when all of the bench spaces were taken.
Every day during the weekday in the summer, Arroyo Grande High School's Pool has Open Swim in the afternoon for families to practice swimming on their own. They now call it Recreational Swim. You can buy a pass for that. It's only for 1.5 hours a day but maybe that is all the practice you and your kids need. It can get very crowded though.
Being outdoors can create such wonderful memories but it comes with a risk. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Don't forget to bring swim goggles for kids as it helps kids see better in the water and give him more confidence! Swimming is always one great idea to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise if you feel bummed out for any reason so they are always great skills for kids to have.
Posted by San Luis Obispo Mom. Posted In : Mom Life
I've gone to both Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo and there are some similarities and differences between the two.
Similarities with Planet Fitness Locations
All across America, every Planet Fitness uses the same logo, splashes of purple inside of their fitness centers and a very distinct brand. However, because every real estate space can be different, the lay-out and subtle details may be different.
I have the black card membership from Planet Fitness so that means that I can go to any Planet Fitness across the nation. I've even worked out on the East Coast while traveling and visited the Planet Fitness there with my scan code from my Planet Fitness app with no issues and no questions asked.
I did the same thing here in San Luis Obispo County and have visited both the Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo (city), which opened after the Arroyo Grande location.
Differences Between Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande and Planet Fitness in San Luis Obispo
Overall, I prefer the Planet Fitness at Arroyo Grande. However, here's a list of differences between the two:
At the Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande, I feel like the majority of the people who usually go there came to exercise with more focus. That means they are not on their phones as much while they are on the treadmill or chit chatting as much while lifting weights. On the other hand, I feel like 80% of the people on the treadmill at the Planet Fitness in San Luis Obispo, when I visited, had their heads down, glued to their phone in their hands while moving on the treadmill. I usually see less of that at the Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande. I felt like my motivation was affected as I was not feeling as pumped up when I visited the San Luis Obispo location.
There is a full body mirror in the locker room at the Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande in the Women's restroom. In the locker room of the Planet Fitness in San Luis Obispo, the mirror is wider but you can only see half of your body. I guess I'm self-conscious and like to make sure nothing strange is hanging out of my lower body. If you want to see your full body, you'll have to go in one of the dressing rooms that are across from the showers at the Planet Fitness in San Luis Obispo.
The Planet Fitness San Luis Obispo's shopping center has a bit more options for dining like a Japanese restaurant and an Indian restaurant, in addition to a couple of fast food chain restaurants. So, if you're planning on picking up lunch or dinner after a work out, the Planet Fitness in San Luis Obispo has more options.
The Planet Fitness San Luis Obispo definitely has newer treadmill machines, which I can put my phone in the center tray at an angle, and it'll stay that way. I like to listen and view music videos on my headphones while I jog and this was really nice. I can also put my phone on the center tray of the treadmills at the Planet Fitness Arroyo Grande but it doesn't stand up at an angle as well and would just lay flat most of the time. I could still watch the videos this way but it's just not at the best angle.
Similarities Between Planet Fitness Arroyo Grande and Planet Fitness San Luis Obispo
The Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande is located close to a Starbucks. I'm a coffee drinker so this makes it very convenient for me. The Planet Fitness in San Luis Obispo has a VONS located next door that has a Starbucks inside! They're similar in that they are both located very close to a Starbucks coffee shop.
There's a Carl's Jr within the same shopping center for both Planet Fitness locations in Arroyo Grande and San Luis Obispo, which I found very interesting!
Both Planet Fitness locations is located next to a grocery store, which makes it very helpful with running grocery errands right after a work out.
I enjoy going to the gym at both Planet Fitness locations in Arroyo Grande (AG) and San Luis Obispo, but I have a preference towards the one in AG because of the good work out vibe.
As I notice more things between the two locations, I'll continue to add to this blog post.
Your ideal work out session is very personal. Some people like to be outdoors to exercise, while others like to be alone. For working out at home, you can get a nice yoga mat, some dumb bells and just select a free exercise video from Prime Video from your TV. Working out options is aplenty, but you just have to make sure you get that motivation and the right exercise equipment that works for you.
Posted by San Luis Obispo Mom. Posted In : Fitness
Earlier this week in Pismo Beach, we stumbled on thousands of Velella, also known as By-the-Wind Sailor. They are so magnificent and beautiful. They're tiny and look like they have a sail on them. For the first time in many years that I've lived here, this is the first time I've seen them at our beach! I was so excited. They have little legs on them and eat plankton. In person, they look very purply blue but it was a cloudy day so they have this darker color when I took pictures of them. See my video short below to see better angles of a velella that I captured.
A few days later, we had a beach day and drove on the beach on the south side of Pismo State Beach from Grover Beach to Oceano. (Pismo State Beach encompasses Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, and Oceano.) These by-the-wind-sailors were washed up along the beach in multitudes! You could find thousands of them within a few yards. See the video short I captured while I was there.
2025 Spotting of Velella Velella at Pismo State Beach
While I was hanging out with my family to watch the sunset, I realized these Velella Velella came back. Here's a video that I recorded while watching the sunset with these by-the-wind sailors.
Being at the beach can so fun and creates wonderful memories but it comes with a risk. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Being outdoors is always one great idea to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise if you feel bummed out for any reason.
Posted by San Luis Obispo Mom. Posted In : Pismo Beach
Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
Some of the links are just useful local information that I'm sharing for free and some are commission-based products that may help me earn a small commission for each sale to upkeep with the fees of running this local blog.
Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
@sanluisobispomom