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

Check out this monthly forecast in Napa so you can get a gist of what to wear.

In Napa, it tends to get a bit chilly (50s?) in the morning when you get your bike, so make sure you dress in layers. As noon arrives, it starts to get pretty perfect (70s?). So bring a sweater and maybe some gloves. Remember, we are not open on rainy days.

Since we are not open until this Saturday – feel free to email us at reservations@changeofgreenery.com with your name, phone number, date and we’ll take a peek at our calendar for availability and ping you back. First come, first serve.

We will be swamped with phone calls so please use email. Thanks!

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!

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

Ever since I created that 27-mile bike loop, I’ve sent 16 ebike riders on that loop. It’s only been 2 days since it’s been on every since bike that we have in stock. I have to admit… it’s probably the most beautiful loop that I have created. An older nurse practitioner (in her 60s?) went on that loop with her 30ish year old daughter. Once you make that turn on Oakville Grade, you will see an amazing view of Napa Valley and when you coast down, your mind is just boggled (Do I brake or do I look at the breathtaking view?!!). Just for you future bike riders who are taking this loop, make sure you use ONLY pedal-assist! I know people tend to get excited over the throttle, but let me tell ya, I’ve had 3 ebike riders (out of 16) who winded up losing their battery power before making it back. The best way to maximize your battery life is to use pedal-assist versus throttling (Think of it as 30 miles vs 15 miles). Both will take you to a max speed of 18mph (but really it goes around 20).

Here is what this loop looks like:

Oakville Grade View

Oakville Grade View

Other things you’ll see:

Yup, this route is becoming VERY popular and pictures doesn’t do it any justice!! For people who don’t want to go through Silverado Trail to Oak Knoll Ave after The Oakville Grade, you can go south through the town of Yountville towards Napa. You’ll be able to make pitstops at any of the 5 partners, Domaine Chandon (2-for-1 bubbly tasting there) and onto a bike path back onto Solano Ave. and back to The Napa Valley Marriott. For the record, it’s approximately 6 miles from Domaine Chandon back to the hotel.

I just booked a party of 4 for later this month for guests (a beauty queen) staying at The Napa Valley Marriott and Spa. It turns out she has represented a southwest state! She’s a complete stunner! I can’t wait to meet her. I hope she’ll let me take pictures and post them on this blog. Stay tuned!

nascar sprint cup series

In other news, it turns out that next weekend, Napa will be packed due to NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Infineon Raceway so it should be a very packed Napa Valley on top of the GayPride Festivities! Make sure you reserve your electric bike before they’re all gone! Remember, you don’t have to be a guest at the NV Marriott to rent our bikes. Everyone is always welcomed here!

Are you thinking about coming to Napa? Well now is a good time to come! The weather has cleared up (if you haven’t heard, Northern California has forfeit most of this year’s Spring for the droughts we had in the previous years) and Napa’s “Sprummer” has arrived! The mornings here are absolutely perfect and the sun is shining bright in the afternoons! It’s a fantastic time to be outdoors (esp on a bike), out on a vineyard’s patio or sit by the window at your favorite establishment. I am lucky enough to be at The Napa Valley Marriott Hotel to talk to guests about their Napa journey (pre- and post-) as well where they are from. Traveling is one of my favorite things to discuss as I have traveled cross country. Despite being well traveled, I have yet to see a cherry tree until Saturday! Located by the entrance at The Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, I discovered these sweet edibles as I was walking along the property. Whoever planted these cherry trees is a genius because cherries are sweet and so is staying at The Napa Valley Marriott!

A "Sweet" entrance to your stay!

Cherries at The Napa Valley Marriott

Yes I ate one and I am still alive! They weren’t ripe yet, but then again, would I tell you if they were ripe even if they were?

Come check these cherry trees out on Solano Ave. It is located next to the bike lane going southbound.

Happy Memorial Day!