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

A lot of our  bike riders are usually thrilled to know that we have a bike basket when they get their 2 wheels for the day. I believe we are the ONLY bike company in Napa that has a basket. I believe most others companies have a little zip pouch that is about the size of a cosmetic bag. Usually that will contain your bike lock  so that doesn’t leave you much room for many extras.

I’ve seen a pattern with our bike riders… it’s usually a purse or a small bag. Sometimes it’s an SLR camera kit and it’s also a place to put your sweatshirt when it gets warmer in mid-day in the day and to be re-used when it starts getting cooler.

A lot of people tend to bring a picnic lunch, so in this post, I’m going to tell you of some really popular places to grab some food before you meet me to get your electric bike rental.

Carolyn’s Top 5 (Not in any particular order really, but I go to these places and they are really good!).

1) Whole Foods - 3682 BelAire Plaza, Napa, CA – I really LOVE this particular Whole Foods. It’s on the opposite side of the freeway from The Napa Valley Marriott (where we are located). It has about 20 choices of fresh soups and stews, salad bar, meal bar, pizzas and more!

2) Genova Delicatessen – 1550 Trancas St, Napa, CA – This place is REALLY popular… so popular that sometimes you’ll have to wait about 10-15 minutes JUST to get your sandwich ordered! It’s best to fax in your order if possible, but if you’re coming from out of town, it might be alittle difficult to calculate the time of arrival. They’ve been around since 1926 and they have a variety of eats (and wine selection) to choose from! Make sure you get a side of raviolis. The best raviolis I’ve ever had!

3) Vallargas Market - 3385 Solano Ave., Napa, CA – This is walking distance from The Napa Marriott, so if you forgot your picnic sandwich, this would be a good place to bike before your trek. This is a smaller, organic, healthy family-owned market that has sandwiches to-go, a sushi, soup and salad bar. If you’re a history buff (as I am), you might want to check out this page about Vallargas and their history.

4) Monticello Deli & Catering - 1810 Monticello, Napa, CA – I actually had these guys cater a large picnic party last week and ordered the “Variety”. It had different sandwiches (veggie, ham, roast beef, etc). I had the ham and  it was awesome. My party raved about the sandwiches and kept asking me where they came from. My picnic package also included Italian pasta and fresh fruit. Everything looked amazing!

5) Safeway – 3375 Jefferson St. (but really, it’s on Trancas St), Napa, CA – For people who aren’t familiar with Safeway, it’s an old school grocery store that’s located on the West Coast and Central US. They use to have a Safeway in Texas when I was younger, but they closed down in Texas because they weren’t doing well there. Fast Forward to my move to California, they are here! Normally, I would NEVER suggest getting sandwiches from a grocery store as large as this one, but I eat these sandwiches like they are going out of style! $5.50 for a VERY large and meaty sandwich that they prepare in front of you. They have a sandwich bar similar to Subway, but they have BETTER toppings like artichoke hearts, slices of marinated mozzarella cheese. They also put an ABUNDANCE of guacamole on your sandwich if it calls for it. My favorite is the “California Dreaming” sandwich. If you have a Safeway card, you can add a side of soup for .99 cents, which makes it the best sandwich bargain. They also have free wi-fi while you wait for your food, so go ahead and get on your smartphone!

These places are within walking distance from Change of Greenery (or biking distance) with Monticello Deli being the furthest at around 2 miles.

Happy Picnicking and see you soon!

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 met the owner of The Cottages of Napa Valley and he told me that our ebike riders can picnic on their property. You can call them before heading out or ask one of Change of Greenery’s staff members to call just to make sure there’s no one is utilizing the tables. I actually got a tour of this unique place last week and it was gorgeous! When you rent an ebike from Change of Greenery, you can get 10% your picnic basket from Characters BBQ menu from the Napa Valley Marriott or get 15% off your food bill from The Red Hen Cantina. They are both on the way to The Cottages of Napa Valley… approximately 3 miles from where we are located… 1/2 way to Domaine Chandon!

The Cottages of Napa Valley

Please call (707) 252-7810 ahead in advance for availability!