Photos of Central Downtown Paso Robles at Dusk

I Love Downtown Paso Robles at Dusk

The sun is no longer bright and the signs of the businesses around the park are beginning to light up. People walk in the park because in summer and early autumn it's cooler than in the daytime. On this October 1 walk, even the moon was making an appearance. Below is a popular attraction, the Park Cinemas Theater.

Park Cinemas Theater, Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

Here's a slightly different view available as both poster and postcard from Zazzle.

Poster: Park Cinemas Downtown Paso Robles, CA PosterPostcard, Park-Cinemas, Paso Robles, CA Postcard

Parking in Downtown Paso Robles Around the Park

Good luck with that. The more popular Paso Robles becomes, the harder it is to find a parking place with a block or two of the park. At night on weekends it's almost impossible. Very few businesses supply parking, so most parking is on the street. I circled the park twice and even contemplated parking at the library and walking three blocks to get to Studios on the Park Saturday night. I finally found a place two blocks away on Park and 11th Street in a handicapped space (Yes, I have a placard) beside the park. As I walked toward my destination, I saw others still looking for a parking place.

Parking is scarce in Paso Robles on Saturday night, © B. Radisavljevic

An Old-Fashioned Sweet Shop

Got a sweet tooth you want to indulge while strolling around downtown? Try Powell's. Last time I looked it had all the candy bars and sweet treats the stores used to carry but are hard to find in stores now. I thought they'd stopped making them until I visited the Powell's SLO Sweets Candy Store.  Evidently the name is in transition. You'll find the store on the corner of 11th Street and Pine. It's in an historic building that used to house the Municipal Bathhouse around 1905.  Do you see the moon lurking behind the palm tree?

The Candy Store, © B. Radisavljevic

Pine Street at Dusk

There isn't room in this post to show you all the buildings on Pine Street between 11th and 12th across from the city park. I will show you these. As you cross Pine Street on 11th, you will be in front of the Park Cinemas. (Top photo) Walk west toward Studios on the Park and these are some businesses you will pass.

Red Scooter and Good Times (hidden behind tree) © B. Radisavljevic 

The Red Scooter is a deli open for breakfast and lunch. I've never tried it. After checking out their menu, I just may try it soon.  I've had lunch several times at the Good Times Cafe and been satisfied. It resembles a fifties burger hang-out. Or you could eat at the Paso Robles Inn across from the park on Spring Street for a more formal atmosphere. The food there is delicious. If you walk around the streets surrounding the park you'll find almost any kind of food you desire being served at one of the many restaurants on 11th Street, Pine Street, and 12th Street.

Walk a bit further on Pine Street past Good Times Cafe and you'll be in front of Pappy McGregor's Irish Pub. If you eat there you can choose sidewalk dining or eat inside. I've haven't eaten there since it was the Crooked Kilt years ago. It's only a few yards more from there to Studios on the Park -- my destination for the evening. I was not looking for food, but for a feast of art for my eyes.

Pappy McGregor's and Studios on the Park on Pine Street, © B. Radisavljevic

Souvenirs from Downtown Paso Robles

Clock Tower Downtown Paso Robles Postage




These are some other scenes you will find downtown very near the park. At Zazzle you will find even more Paso Robles designs. There are also more  product options for these designs. 

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Poster: Sidewalk Dining in Paso Robles, California PosterClock Tower Downtown Paso Robles PostcardPostcard: Superior Court, Paso Robles, California Postcard

The Paso Robles City Park at Dusk

Since the park covers two city blocks in the center of downtown, I will not even attempt to get all of it in this post. Its most famous landmark is the historic Carnegie Library, now the home of the Paso Robles Historical Society. Did you see the statue of Paderewski in front of it? Paderewski loved Paso Robles. We outgrew the original library and build a new one. Tour the new library here. It's across the street from the park and shares a building with the City of Paso Robles City Hall.

Historic Carnegie Library in City Park, © B. Radisavljevic 

The other structure most Paso Robles locals think of in connection with City Park is the bandstand. It's used for special events and for the summer concerts in the park. It's also where some teens hang out in the afternoon. I'll devote an entire post to it soon. But to close this post I'll just give you one shot of it. See how tall the trees are in comparison? To the left is a glimpse of our brand new playground. We will also devote a future post to that.

If you don't live in Paso Robles, what first impression do you get of it from these photos of our downtown?


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I Love Lantanas

Lantana in Bloom

Recently as I walked by the Park Cinemas Theater, I could not help but notice how tall the lantanas in their planters have grown this summer. I have always loved lantana's multi-colored flowers, but today is the first time I've ever seen their berries. Most lantanas I've planted have never matured enough to produce berries. This photo shows both the flowers and the berries.

The photo  below shows the berries, both green and mature, up close. If one picks the fully mature berries and digs the seeds out of them, one can then clean the seeds and dry them  for a couple of days. Refrigerate the dried seeds in a sealed container until you are ready to plant them.

They should be planted in spring when the weather warms up. Water well at first until established, and then water should be cut back to about once a week. Fertilizer is not necessary. Lantanas can also be propagated from cuttings.

Both birds and bees love lantanas for different reasons. The bees forage in their flowers and the birds eat the berries. Butterflies, especially swallowtails, also enjoy the flowers. The leaves are toxic to most animals, as are the green berries. The jury is still out on whether it is safe to eat the fully ripe blackberries.  I would not advise eating them.

In mild climates, lantanas can survive all year. They should be cut back each spring to promote more blooming. They cannot survive frost, as I've learned the hard way.

Zazzle Creators Love Lantana and the Critters That Love It.

Here are some of their creations.

Flower Collection - Lantana PillowMonarch Butterfly on Lantana Flower Coffee MugButterfly - Eastern Tiger SwallowtailClose Up Butterfly PosterLantana Garden Flower Yellow LabelLantana Flowers StickerLantana Flowers Poster,Print Poster

Just a Lazy Sunday and a Movie, The War Room

Though it was still a bit hot and muggy Sunday, I was able to spend a couple of hours on some serious writing, see that we ate a simple but nutritious lunch, and get a couple of things crossed off my to-do list. After lunch we managed to get to the 4:15 showing of The War Room at the Park Cinemas Theater.

I'm really not a movie person. I'd rather read, but we have friends talking about the movie so we went. The hardest part of the movie theater experience for me is having to sit through the previews of movies I would never want to see. At least today the previews were compatible with the movie we went to see, but I still did not enjoy having violence in my face.

The movie itself shows how prayer can change situations that seem impossible, such as the failing marriage focused on in The War Room. I believe the message of The War Room is an important one as marriages and families keep crumbling in America. I hope those in troubled marriages will see that there is an alternative to divorce that can actually heal marriages and restore the relationships that have been hurt by arguing and even betrayal. There is a way out of the hopelessness some couples feel when their relationship has deteriorated. There is always hope. If the movie isn't playing near you, you can get it here.

 War Room

When we got home, I opened the windows to catch the slightly cool breeze. I took the photo you see above of the sunset, and then I watered. It would be nice not to have to arrange my schedule around watering times.

How did you spend your Sunday?

This is where we saw the movie today. The postcard is available at Zazzle.
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