Driving Into Sonoma: Is 101 a parking lot during the week??

Cellar Rats (ITB)
1

Starting tomorrow I’ll be attending wine business classes at SSU and I’m trying to decide on the best route into Rohnert Park at 8am. I’ll be coming from the south east (Modesto), and I’ve hit major traffic on 101 in the past while visiting the area.

I’ll probably take HWY 12 out of Lodi to avoid the Bay Area gridlock, but then I’m not sure if I should take 80/37/101 through Vallejo and Novato, or if I should do 12/116 through Carneros - putting me on 101 in Petaluma, or just skipping 101 all together and hitting the backroads from 116 (Old Adobe Rd/Petaluma Hill Rd)… ??

My wife and I did the 12/116 trip this weekend for Barrel Tasting Weekend, and while it did avoid the major highways, I can imagine those back roads being gridlocked during normal ‘rush hour’…

Any advice from locals would be greatly appreciated! [notworthy.gif]

2

I travel to and from Stockton (Linden, actually) a lot.

Your options for major routes west really suck (580 FAIL), (4W FAIL)

My suggestion:

12W → 80W → 12W → 29N → 121W → 116W → Adobe Rd → Petaluma Hill Rd

101 really shouldn’t be too bad going north in the AM. But you never know, and I used to get surprised a lot at how bad it could be driving from Sonoma to west county early in the AM to sample, etc. And 37 West gets f-ed up every now and then, too. So, I guess I’d try out both ways. No traffic, I’ll bet 80W → 37W ->101N (there is also a shortcut on Atherton Ave from 37 → 101 in Novato) is faster, but the “no traffic” is a big IF, and is inconsistent on that route IME.

Are you doing the MBA program? Or just a couple of classes? That’s one hell of a commute.

3

I frequently drive from Cloverdale to Sonora and back. Without traffic the quickest route is the 120 to 205 to 580 to 680 to 780 to 80 to 37. However, during traffic, going through Livermore is impossible.
With traffic I take the 4 across from Stockton to the 680, then 780 etc. Taking the 12 often results in big back ups at Rio Vista. The 4 has its congestion, too, but I find it is usually not as bad as the 12.
The 37 is definitely preferable to going through Carneros. However, don’t go all the way to Novato. The next signal past the Inferion raceway is Lakeville Rd. Turn right at the signal and follow it into Petaluma.
As to the choice between 101 and Frates Rd/Old Adobe/Petaluma Rd, I don’t have much experience with that, but I’d choose Old Adobe just because it’s a direct shot, and if you go to 101, you’ll have to drive back through Rohnert Park to get to SSU.
Good luck.

4

Thanks Nate!

I’m doing the SSU Extension classes to help boost my resume. Moving into the wine industry is proving to be very tough, even though I have extensive Marketing experience in a different industry. The Extension courses are basically professional development seminars, but the topics are on-point and the single day per class format is doable for me - even though I have a full-time job and a three hour drive to get there.

Thanks for the help, this weekend will be tough - I have one class on Friday and then another on Monday… 5am roll-out and 12 hours worth of driving! [suicide.gif]

5

Dave- I could see the 4W through Brentwood with the new bypass, but through Antioch, Pittsburg, etc during commute into the city in the AM? Nightmare. That is one of the places in the Bay Area that is 100% guaranteed to be stop and go at that time. 4W @ Summerville

Maybe 4W → 160N → 12W?

I don’t know, Mike. There isn’t a foolproof way to head west in the morning into the Bay Area…heavy sledding.

6

Mike- I think SSU’s wine biz programs are vastly under-rated. A few of their professors are among the top of the wine biz field, certainly in the US. I have looked into taking some myself, or even the Wine MBA program.

I think it’s an excellent choice. Best of luck to you.

7

Thanks! The Wine MBA is definitely on my long-term list, but I’m hoping to find a job that puts me in the area first. Kathleen Inman was kind enough to point me toward the extension classes, which seem to be perfect for someone in my situation (fingers crossed).

Sounds like route selection is a roll of the dice… I made it from Modesto to Napa on 12 this weekend in an hour and a half with moderate traffic and only a couple slow downs - but I imagine that weekday morning traffic slows that down considerably! Hmmm…

8

Sounds like route selection is a roll of the dice… I made it from Modesto to Napa on 12 this weekend in an hour and a half with moderate traffic and only a couple slow downs - but I imagine that weekday morning traffic slows that down considerably! Hmmm…

[wow.gif] [wow.gif] [wow.gif]

Motown to Napa in 90 min? It usually takes me at least that long from Linden! How fast were you going?

9

75ish on 99/I-5, then the speed limit with traffic on 12… No major slow-downs… I was surprised too!

10

Nate, I don’t have strong opinions on on the 12 versus the 4 getting to the 80. I do believe that the stretch from the 80 to the 29 is horrible.
If you do take the 12 across, I’d go down the 80 to the 37, rather than take the 12 from 80 to the 29 to the 12. The only exception might be if the 80 is absolutely not moving.

11

I’m sorry. Maybe I’m the only one. But this reminds me somehow of an Abbot and Costello schtick.

[blink.gif] [dontknow.gif] :smiley:

12

[quote=“Jacki Bessler”]
I’m sorry. Maybe I’m the only one. But this reminds me somehow of an Abbot and Costello schtick.
[/quote]

Sorry. I’ve spent too much time to listening to Dodger opponents’ announcers doing lame jokes about our back up shortstop.

13

Sorry. I’ve spent too much time to listening to Dodger opponents’ announcers doing lame jokes about our back up shortstop.
[/quote]

You have Manny on the field and they joke about Hu ???

14

I think I set a new record this morning… A friend who lives in Livermore told me that I should have no trouble at all taking 580 all the way through the tri-valley and east bay because I was planning on a 5 a.m. roll-out. Well I’m glad I took his advice - only one small slow down in Livermore, but I made the trip in two hours and ten minutes!! [highfive.gif]

I hit a bit more traffic on the way back, but it still took less time than 12 or 4 would have. I’m begining to think bay area gridlock is a myth! [berserker.gif]

15

Good on ya!

You get what you pay for with advice on a wine board :wink: . Shows what we know.

16

See, that’s what I’m talkin’ about! No need for a dizzying array of numbers to get you where you need to go.

How was the session?

17

One word of caution, though, too. Today was “Friday Light”. Monday could be worse.

18

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing…

The class was ‘Marketing Wine as a Luxury Item’, taught by Jean Arnold of Hanzell Winery. She was a very good speaker, very knowledgeable in the basics and/or classic style of Marketing. She was also very upfront about the fact that she was not on the cutting edge of technology-based marketing, but I felt like the class was too short as it was – so more topics would probably hurt more than it would help. The wine geek in me would have liked the class to be twice as long – if not longer, but we came away with tons of reading material which should cover the topics more in-depth. Coming from a Marketing background in a different industry (footwear), most of the concepts were not new. But the three-tier distribution system, government oversight, and a completely different customer base are complexities that I’ll need to wrap my brain around as I (hopefully) move into the industry.

Overall, I’d definitely say that it’s worth the price of admission ($150) – especially if you have a shorter drive!

19

Jean Arnold is a very smart lady and The Ambassador’s Club @ Hanzell is one of the best run wine clubs i belong to.

20

I guess I would opt for the 580 routine as well.

Having traveled from Oakland to Howell Mtn quite a bit, heading up 80 to 29 moves and is just fine. It’s once you get on to 29 North in Vallejo, it sucks. The lights are timed poorly and you can end up crawling through Vallejo into South Napa to catch 12.

Taking 101 North in the am is pretty easy…and since you are stopping short of downtown Santa Rosa where the traffic picks up that would seem to be your best bet.

Coming home that way is probably the way to go too…although it can take longer than the trip up.