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

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!

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…

One of the reasons why Change of Greenery Electric Bicycle Rentals & More was started was to get people back onto bikes in a fun and unique way! How about some team building for your company? How about a Scavenger Hunt in Napa or a mini-spin on “The Amazing Race” ? I’m  sure we can conjure something up for fun activities for your group and some fun prizes!

Anything creative, just holla! We have ideas and we have participating partners!

Napa Valley Gay Pride Week 2010

“You Can Leave Your Hat On!” LGBTQ Pride event is going on for one week from June 13 – June 20, 2010. You can purchase your ticket here. Proceeds from this event will be donated to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life on behalf of Team Unity League. Get a group of people together and rent electric bicycles in Napa and parade around town with the Napa Valley Green Card any day of the week for this special celebration! Already bringing a bike? No problem! Find a non-cycling buddy to ride with you and benefit from the card!

Ideas for an electric bike in Napa during this event:

Sunday, June 13 - Ride to Fuller Park from The Napa Valley Marriott for the LGBTQ Family Picnic and head over to Ceja Vineyards, Toolbox Wine Company, Gustavo Thrace, Mason Cellars, Taste at Oxbow for complimentary wine tastings and 2-for-1 wine tastings.

Thursday, June 16 – It’s Pride Night at The Chef’s Market – Ride Your Electric Bike and eat, drink and be merry!

Sunday, June 20 – Ride your electric bike to Bardessono for the “Ibiza Chill Out by the pool” after the “Recovery Brunch” at The Napa Valley Marriott Hotel and Spa, where we are conveniently located and see the gorgeous scenery along Solano Ave and make a pitstop over to Trefethen Vineyards, O’Brien’s Estate and Domaine Chandon for 2-for-1 wine tastings!

Change of Greenery’s electric bike rentals are $75.00 for the entire day and this includes a basket for all your goodies, a combination lock, helmet, roadside assistance and wine pickup. These bikes go in excess of 30 miles and we have 30 partners for you to choose from to get complimentary wine tastings, 2-for-1 wine tastings, a free piece of chocolate from Anette’s at The Public Oxbow Market and more.

Mention PFLAG and we’ll donate 10% to PFLAG North Bay.

Also note – anyone dressing like Cher will get a complimentary all-day bike rental!!

We want Cher on a bike!

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!