Seminar Logistics Petaluma

Detailed information for the San Francisco North Bay Area follows; rates are not guaranteed, this is what we were quoted when we inquired in January 2006.

AIR PLANE TICKETS: Before you book travel reservations, please confirm with our office that our schedules have not changed.

Transport

You will need a car to reach the seminar site near Petaluma. Cab travel is too expensive to be feasible from hotels to and from class and bus travel is not feasible. When you enroll, directions will be sent to you. If you want to share a car with other students let the office know and we will try to match you up but cannot guarantee it.

Those not renting the car can get from the airport to the hotel via shuttle (about $28) and cab ride (fare depends which hotel you choose). The shuttle is Airport Express, 707-837-8700 or 1-800-327-2024, which will drop you off in Petaluma here.

Ambience and Sights

Petaluma is a combination quaint “cow town” with up-and-coming yuppieville. There are great groceries (Whole Foods Market on Washington Street, Trader Joe’s on McDowell, Petaluma Market in the heart of downtown) and a lot of restaurant choices (Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Italian, Vietnamese, French, Mexican, El Salvadoran, Nepalese) within a ten or fifteen minute drive. People are usually on their own for breakfast; lunches are usually catered, with everyone putting in their dietary needs ahead of time and sharing the cost; dinners are usually off site in one of the local restaurants.

If you want to add some vacation time around your trip, Petaluma is close to breathtaking beauty in the wine country of Napa Valley and to pastoral and scenic beauty, with many wild beaches and lovely bed and breakfast places up the coast. One very fine beach is about an hour’s drive from the seminar site, through some very scenic hills. Harbin Hot Springs, near Middletown, is 90 minutes drive north of Petaluma, which affords a relaxing excursion in as little as 6 hours round-trip.

Accommodation

Most students choose the Motel 6 in Petaluma; it is clean and low budget. Those who want more atmosphere/upscale have been happy with the Metro Hotel in Petaluma, a bed and breakfast place on the south end of town. Both are a reasonable cab fare from the Airport Express Shuttle stop.

Motel 6 Petaluma – 707-765-0333 Rates & Availability

Metro Hotel Petaluma – 707-773-4900 Rates & Availability

Other possibilities in Petaluma:

Best Western Petaluma Inn – 707-763-0994

Dollar Inn – 707-793-9500

Quality Inn – 707-664-1155

Petaluma KOA for those who want to camp - 707-763-1492

You can also stay in the next town south, Novato, or the next town north, Rohnert Park. Novato is more expensive but more convenient in terms of what direction you are driving, and going against traffic instead of being in rush hour. Rohnert Park is not so many miles north but with traffic can significantly increase your drive times in rush hour.

Our recommended hotel in Novato is the Novato Oaks Inn, 1-800-625-7466 or 415-883-4400, which boasts a very good restaurant next door, Wild Fox, part of a “happening cuisine scene” in Marin County. The Marin Airporter shuttle, 415-461-4222, serves the Novato Oaks Inn directly from San Francisco Airport.

Airports

The bay area is serviced by 3 airports: San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC).

For those flying, use San Francisco or Oakland Airports. San Francisco is the main hub; Oakland is smaller and quieter but most people are a little daunted by the freeway drive from Oakland so we recommend SFO. Both airports have a shuttle service to Petaluma called The Airport Express 707-837-8700 or 1-800-327-2024.

Driving Directions to Petaluma

From the airport or points south
Take Highway 101 north, going through San Francisco (follow signs for 101 even in the heart of the city). Follow signs for Golden Gate Bridge. This is still 101 north. With no traffic, about a half hour after the bridge, you are in Novato; forty minutes for Petaluma; fifty minutes for Rohnert Park. It’s best to allow double that time for planning airport travel because of traffic uncertainty.

From points east
Follow the highway system to get you to the Richmond / San Rafael Bridge; as you exit the bridge watch for signs to Highway 101 north, and follow 101 as it passes through San Rafael, Novato, Petaluma, Rohnert Park in that order, exiting where appropriate. Follow directions for your place of lodging.

If you do choose Oakland Airport, your directions to get to Richmond/San Rafael Bridge are: Exit the airport precint and follow signs leading you right to 880 and take 880 northbound which will have signs to Oakland and San Francisco (as opposed to 880 south which will have signs to San Jose). Drive 880 north past Oakland city and port and past the Bay Bridge junction 80 to San Francisco.

The freeway number changes at this junction from 880 to 80. Stay in the centre lanes going north on 80 to Berkeley (as opposed to West on 80 to San Francisco). Continue past the Berkeley exit labelled "University Avenue", which is about a mile-and-a-half north of Junction 80.

Then half a mile beyond University Avenue, be prepared to merge right onto 580 signposted 580 to Richmond and San Rafael.

From points north
Take Highway 101 south going through Rohnert Park, Petaluma, and Novato in that order, exiting where appropriate. Follow directions for your place of lodging.