Change of Greenery BlogThings to See and Do in Napa Valley that's GREEN!

Conveniently located approximately 3-4 miles from the Napa Valley Marriott, I am proud to introduce you to our newest partner in crime, Silenus Vitners. Silenus Vitners is different and unique in Napa Valley. Instead of going to their tasting room to taste a particular brand of wine — here, it’s a variety! There are 12 vintners who create their wines here and/or get their grapes here at the vineyard. Their tasting menu changes every Friday! Tastings start at $15.00/pp. With The Napa Valley Green Card, it’s a buy one, get one free. You’ll be sampling 6 different types. Also, feel free to bring a picnic basket!

Silenus Vitners

They also have a Bocce ball court.

If you know how to play Bocce ball, please contact me. I want to learn!

Silenus Vitners

Silenus Vitners

Silenus Vitners

For those of you interested in riding the 25-mile Cycle4Sight ride, we have 4 ebikes left. We will rent these out for Cycle4Sight riders for $25 with registration. Registration is $50 and that includes beer, wine and goodies. See their website for more details.

The proceeds go to a good cause.

The ride starts at 9am from Justin Sienna High School, which is down the street from the Napa Valley Marriott on Solano Ave., so you’ll want to get your bike rental at 8:30am.

Here is the route.

Call me at 707-596-0499 for more details.

The $7 million dollar renovations at the Napa Valley Marriott has just been completed and I had a chance to see the new digs. I am happy to report that it looks pretty amazing… very chic and modern. The new restaurant, VINeleven, looks fantastic with a circular bar and a HUGE showcase wine fridge in the back. I was able to take a look at the blueprints last year, but no one can ever imagine the final look so this was a mighty surprise to see the new makeover. What I really love is the new Starbucks kiosk with prepared food from Executive Chef Brian Whitmer’s kitchen. So if you need a yummy picnic to put in your bike basket, this is the place to get it! Also grab a Starbucks from here before your bike ride if you need a pick-me-up!

Other things that I love about this new 4-star hotel is:

- The open restaurant with TVs and booths
- The circular bar
- The two seating areas
- The pool and the large doors that will eventually open up so people can mingle outside
- There’s a concierge lounge as well that I haven’t seen finished yet, but it looks very “VIP-ish”. Hopefully I’ll post some of those pictures soon.

One of the sitting areas by check-in

The "lounging" area

Little stands for your drinks

The circular bar

The wine fridge behind the bar

All the employees who I’ve talked to so far all have high energy about the new renovations.  The vibe is definitely there. So there are some key points that I would like to mention about this property that some people may not know about.

- There is an abundance of parking! No valet parking necessary… which I love. I know there are quite a few hotels where there is no parking and you MUST valet park (I will not name names here) but I find it quite irritating when I am forced to valet park because sometimes I don’t have the patience to wait 10 mins more or less for them to find my car and PAY for it. Especially San Francisco where you HAVE to pay usually $50+.

- If you have an electric car, there are car chargers across the street!!!! There are 2 designated spaces (if not 4) at the Park N’ Ride. I had written a post about it before, but it got lost through WordPress updates. I’ll write it again soon!

- The VINE Bus Route is also across the street! It can take you to Downtown Yountville, Downtown St. Helena, Downtown Calistoga and everywhere in between. Yes, it actually does stop at wineries that are along Hwy 29 such as Mondavi and BV. So if you are on a budget and are limited on time to see a couple a places, this might be your best best. Just an FYI, it’s $1.35 per ride and the few times that I’ve been on it in a year, it’s never been packed… once I was on it by myself. Oh yeah, just a head’s up — each bus has bike racks for two so you can take our electric bikes up north to Calistoga and hit up the wineries that are off the beaten path.

- There is a hiking and mountain biking park that is walking/driving distance from the Marriott. It’s alittle over a mile to get to. Unfortunately I’ve only been there once to bike ride and the views were quite stunning! 360 views to be exact.

- Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s across the street. Need I say more?

- Wine Tasting from different wineries from 5-6pm in the lobby at the hotel for guests. From what I understand, they’re all different each night.

On top of everything that I mentioned, there’s also a pool, a spa, a fitness center and electric bikes. If you don’t know who I am, I am the “bike girl” located on the property (I am not employed by The Marriott, I am employed by Change of Greenery). You can find me behind the Napa Marriott Spa where I’ll be shooting visitors off on bikes to every direction. We have bike maps that go North, East, South and West.

This hotel really does have it all and honestly I’m thinking of staying here for my birthday next month. It’s going to be an amazing year at this hotel!

Also, I just got word that our electric bike riders can get 10% off of their rooms. It’s the Marriott’s Spirit to Preserve.

Email me at marriottoffer@changeofgreenery.com and I’ll email it to you.

If you are coming to the Napa Valley this weekend, I wanted to let you know that Robert Mondavi WInery is hosting the 23rd Annual Academy Awards Gala on Sunday at 5pm. There will be a super stellar of “Who’s Who” in Napa who is helping to put on the show….

From The Napa Valley Wine Train, Oenotri, LaToque, Auberge du Soleil, Annie The Baker (she makes the most AMAZING cookies) and about 15 others. For the complete list, you can check this article from The Napa Valley Register.

Funds raised benefit the CARE Networks HIV Programs at the Queen of the Valley Medical Center.

For more information, please see Napa Valley Academy Awards.

Go luck on bidding on the Change of Greenery Electric Bikes Rentals!

So you want to get to Napa Valley without a car, eh?

There is a relatively new kid in town, called the VINE 29 Express Bus, which is a Napa commuter bus that leaves 4 times in the morning from Napa Valley and 4 times from a Bay Area BART station in the early evenings (The El Cerrito del Norte BART station to be exact).

This route is actually ideal for Bay Area residents who want to get to Napa Valley for a quick weekend escape on a Friday evening and leave early Monday or Tuesday morning. So let’s say you leave your house in Berkeley around 3pm on Friday. You can take the BART to the El Cerrito del Norte BART station, jump on the commuter 29 VINE Express bus at 4:10 or 5:10pm, arrive in Napa in about an hour and then take it back home  Monday in the AM (from 4:40am – 8:22am).

You can find some great hotel deals around the new Park and Ride at Solano & Marriott stop such as The Napa Valley Redwood Inn, The Chablis Inn and of course, The Napa Valley Marriott. All of these hotels are walking distance from this stop and it is perfect to use this stop to jump on the 10N Bus ($1.25 per ride) to use for sightseeing on the weekend (St. Helena, Bothe State Park, Calistoga, etc)… but more on that in another post.

Napa Vine Bus

I was actually able to utilize the VINE Commuter 29 Express Bus, www.ridethevine.com, from San Francisco last week (San Francisco to Napa Valley). The total price is a whopping $5 each way and you can also snack on the bus! Here are some great routes to take along with some prices… This is of course for people who don’t want to spend $200.00 for a cab ride to/from Oakland or San Francisco Airports. It takes approximately 1.15 hours to get to/from Oakland Airport and around 2 hours to/from San Francisco Airport and that’s only if there is hardly any traffic! Plus, let’s not forget there is a toll on the way to Napa for $5.00.

From BART to VINE Napa - when you exit the BART station, go directly across to the island and find the VINE bus line sign

Park and Ride Solano & Marriott

FOR TRAVELERS:

If you are coming from OAK (Oakland Airport) or SFO (San Francisco International Airport), there are commuter buses on WEEKDAYS only. You will need to take the BART (our Bay Area subway) to El Cerrito del Norte BART stop.

San Francisco BART Map

From OAK:

- Take bus shuttle (AirBart) to Oakland Airport BART. Don’t worry… they run every 10 minutes.
- Oakland Airport BART, take the “Richmond line”, which is either red or orange on the map.
- Get off at El Cerrito del Norte BART.
- The Vine 29 Express Bus comes at 4:10pm, 5:10pm, 5:55pm and 6:45pm. Don’t be late!*

Cost: $6.00 BART + $5.00 Commuter VINE = $11.00

From SFO:

- Take the SFO BART, located inside the airport, and any BART and head towards San Francisco. Make sure you get on the red or orange line before leaving Oakland. You have 10 chances.
- – Get off at El Cerrito del Norte BART.
- The Vine 29 Express Bus comes at 4:10pm, 5:10pm, 5:55pm and 6:45pm. Don’t be late!*

Cost: $9.05 BART + $5.00 Commuter VINE = $13.05

*If you’re late, find the Vallejo bus stop and take Route 80. They run every 30 minutes from 5:15am – 10:54pm Monday-Friday.
- Get off at York & Marin and find the VINE 10N bus line.
- The VINE 10N bus leaves every hour starting at 1:50pm – 8:50pm from this stop.
- The VINE 10N bus line stops at various places… but it can take you all the way to Calistoga!

This route also applies for EAST BAY RESIDENTS.

For San Francisco residents:
- Jump on a BART train and head up to Embarcadero stop
- Go the the Ferry Building and jump on the Baylink ferry to Vallejo
- Take  the Vallejo ferry, find the 10N bus line and it will take you all the way to Napa town > St. Helena > Calistoga.

Cost: $13.00 Vallejo Ferry + $1.25 VINE 10N bus = $14.25 plus your BART fare.

You can actually get to Napa Valley from Sacramento via Super Shuttle for $80.00 RT as well.

The Wine Train also has a fantastic deal for people who are coming from San Francisco if you give them a day’s notice for $45 RT per person plus cost of the lunch or wine tour package. Check out their website for more details.

Napa Valley Car Free

For more ideas on using NOT to use your vehicle, check out Napa Valley Car Free.

Not too many people know about this so please do share! See you around Napa!

Dogs in Napa Valley

Want to know what you can do in Napa Valley that’s different? How about renting an electric bicycle from Change of Greenery? Our ebikes go in excess of 30+ miles using pedal assist and we have 30+ different partners where you can make pitstops and get all these great incentives! Also, we provide roadside assistance should you get a flat and we also do wine and retail pickup from our participating green partners!

For the month of September and October, we are currently offering $10 off. Please use promo code “CRUSH” or you can call us directly at 707-596-0499 and tell us you read about our Napa Crush special! Also, please feel free to read our Yelp reviews!

We are located at the #1 hotel in Napa… The Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa!

See you soon!

I’ve gotten many hugs, compliments and gifts but this one tops it all:

Carolyn:

Just wanted to say another big, huge THANK YOU for all your help and amazing customer service at Change of Greenery.  My friends, Carrie and Julie, and I really enjoyed our day on the electric bikes and will definitely be back for another ride soon!   Change of Greenery provided us with a perfect way to tour Napa Valley at our own pace (but with much needed help from “pedal assist”), and we had an amazing ride!.   The added bonus of the Napa Valley Green Card was terrific, and definitely helped us map our way to the recommended wineries and businesses.  And, the retail pickup of our wine purchases was way above and beyond the call of duty but much appreciated.  I will definitely be back, and will be recommending Change of Greenery to all of my friends and clients!

It was great to meet you, please keep in touch if there’s ever anything I can do for you.  I have a million ideas running in my head about your business and how it can reach out more.  I will be sharing my experience with some of my industry friends and hope they will have an opportunity to check out the bikes and support your business.

Meanwhile – contact the folks at Balloons Above the Valley – ask for Kevin, one of the pilots and the one we had for our ride.  He mentioned that occasionally, they cross promote with other Napa businesses.  I will say from personal experience that Ballooning and Biking were the 2 main things on my agenda.  Their balloon ride and your bike ride were the PERFECT complement to each other.  I think you should contact them and see about doing some business together.  I can just see it…Balloon & Bike specials!

I researched all of the ballooning companies, and this one had the most personal service with amenities, experienced pilots and staff – they have the largest balloon in the world in their fleet, and they were the least expensive.  After experiencing it firsthand, I would definitely recommend them without hesitation.  Check out their website at www.balloonrides.com.  The people I dealt with were Kevin (pilot), Micah (admin) and Stephanie (admin).

Good luck, hope to see you soon!  And let’s do more business together!

*Maybe we’ll post some of our pics on your Facebook group page?

Best Regards,

Lori O.

*This was published WITH permission. Thanks Lori! You’re the best!!!

Oakland Raiders in Napa

Did you know that every year The Oakland Raiders (ya know – the awesome football team in The SF Bay Area) have training camp in Napa? They ALL stay at the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa every year as they play BEHIND the hotel. There are wooden fences so you can’t see them from the hotel, but if you rent an electric bike from us, you might be able to get a good view of them as I am sure the parking lots will be packed around the high school where they play. I also discovered a new spot… but it’s my secret!

I’m sure there will be plenty of parked cars at the field that they play at, so you just might as well rent an ebike from us, watch them play for a bit and whizz on over to Silverado Trail and check out Judd’s Hill Winery and Trefethen Vineyards!

The Raiders check into the hotel in about 2 weeks, so you may catch a glimpse of them around the hotel.  So book now before all the rooms are sold out!

Then, come reserve your ebike at www.changeofgreenery.com…

Bounty Hunter Ebike

Bounty Hunters Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ
975 1st St
Napa, CA 94559

http://bountyhunterwinebar.com/

Did you know that Bounty Hunters Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ is a Change of Greenery partner? You can whizz on your electric bike rental on your way to beautiful Downtown Napa and get a 2-for-1 flight tasting of The Bounty Hunter brand with your Napa Valley Green Card. It takes approximately 12 minutes by ebike coming from The Napa Valley Marriott, 3425 Solano Ave., Napa, CA 94558. The Bounty Hunters is an interesting restaurant with a few unusual items that I have never seen before… like this:

Wine Chilling Machine

Free Wine Chilling Service

One of them is their “Free Chilling Service” machine for wines. You’ll see this as soon as you walk through the doors.  It claims it’s “25 times faster than a refrigerator”. I didn’t put my finger in it because I thought it might come off. Maybe next time!

If you can make it for lunch they have a “Lunch Express” for a BBQ sammich, a side and a drink for $10. It was gooooooood! I ate it all!!!!!

Bounty Hunter Express Lunch Sammich Meal

The Return from Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park

I’ve never heard of the Bubbling Well Pet Cemetery until a private jet pilot had told me about it. He and his male co-worker made the trek last year and thought to himself, “I wish my family was here to see this!” Present day, he came back with his lovely wife and 2 beautiful daughters and off they went on the egreenery electric bikes. When they returned, the father had told me a funny story of how he passed up a 51-year old cyclist on a $6,000 Cannondale and one-by-one they all whizzed right past him on Atlas Peak Road. When the family took a break, the avid cyclist asked them how they did it and they explained that they were on ebikes. The professional biker laughed and said, “OH! I thought it was me! I thought I was losing my touch!” and they all laughed together.

I’ve never been to the Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park, but I heard there are many cyclists that make this steep climb. Here is their info:

Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park

Bubbling Well Pet Memorial Park
2462 Atlas Peak Rd
Napa, CA 94558

Google Map It from the Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa

They stopped at Reynolds Family Winery on Silverado Trail (the parents went tasting and the girls rode the ebikes around their property). Afterwards, they rode further north to Oak Knoll Road and back to Solano Ave to return the bikes. They came back with blackberries that they picked in the fields. I don’t know where they picked them at, but I think they’re growing in abundance in Napa because I see them hovering over my patio from my neighbor’s yard…

The pilot and his family checked out on Sunday (3 days after their bike ride) and saw me on his way out. He said his kids STILL couldn’t stop talking about the bikes! That’s what we love to hear!