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About 60 miles, plan
on an hour to one and a half hours depending on rush hour traffic.
1 Airport Drive
Oakland, CA 94621
(510)-577-4000
www.flyoakland.com
Before you leave the airport, be
sure you have $4.00 in U.S. currency to pay for bridge fare.
From
the airport parking lot, follow Hegenburger Boulevard and take the Highway 880
North exit, and merge onto Highway 880 North. You'll pass the cat food can shaped,
argyle-lined Oakland Coliseum on the right, and in a few miles, the downtown Oakland
cityscape. Now heads up! Several freeways merge up ahead,
so be sure to follow the signs to Highway 80 East, which also overlaps Highway
580 West. Don't take Highway 80 West or you'll end up on
the Bay Bridge to San Francisco. You're taking Highway
80 East past Berkeley for a few miles so you can get to Highway 580 East toward
Richmond and the San Rafael Richmond bridge.
From Highway
80 East, after you pass the Gilman Street exit, take the left-hand exit to Highway
580 East. You'll pass through industrial parks and petroleum refineries for several
miles until you reach the entrance to the San Rafael bridge. The toll is $4.00.
If you don't have cash, tell the toll booth attendant and you'll be directed to
pull over and walk to the office where you can pay with a check or a credit card.
After
the bridge, the road leads past San Quentin State Prison on the left and into
the city of San Rafael. You're still on 580 West. At the end of the highway, keep
left and merge onto Highway 101 North. After about 2 miles
on Highway 101 North, you'll reach the crest of the slope and come down the hill.
On the right you'll see the huge pink Marin Civic Center with the blue roofs,
designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. After another several
miles through the rolling hills of Marin County, the highway will flatten out
as you enter Novato. Look for the signs for Highway 37 East toward Napa and Vallejo.
Highway 37 also goes toward Sonoma. Pass by the Ignacio exit and take the Highway
37 East exit. For the 6 miles you'll be on it, Highway 37 is pretty much a straight-away
with one bridge over the Petaluma River and two sets of stoplights further on. After
the bridge, the first set of traffic lights is at a four-way stop in the middle
of flat, hayfield farmland. (Just for your information,
the road on the right is Reclamation Road, and on the left is Lakeville Highway
[Highway 116] to the city of Petaluma). Keep going straight
past these lights on Highway 37 East. Now up the rising
slope to Highway 121 to Sonoma and the second set of traffic lights. Stay in the
left-hand turn lanes and turn left. You'll pass Sears Point Raceway, then in another
few miles, three south Sonoma Valley wineries. Soon after
you pass the Sonoma Valley Airport, on the right you'll see some eclectic metal
sculptures at ArtForms. As you approach the gas station
and the deli on the left, and the stop sign just ahead, the road forks. The right-hand
fork bends to the right, and the left-hand one leads to a stop sign. Be sure to
follow the road as it bends to the right. You'll still be on Highway 121. (Just
for your information, if you didn't go right, and continued through the stop sign,
you'd be on Highway 116 which goes to the city of Petaluma or as another option
with an obscure sign, Glen Ellen). If you miss the turn
to the right, don't worry. Just continue on to the stop sign and turn right. Continue
for another half mile. You'll see a huge billboard on the right advertising a
local winery. Look for the sign that tells you Highway 12 to Sonoma (downtown)
is just ahead and look for the left-hand
turn lane. Turn left onto Highway
12 and follow it all the way into the town of Sonoma. This
section Highway 12 is called Broadway by Sonoma locals. About a half-mile after
the 30 M.P.H. turn, you'll pass Wedekin's nursery on the left, then in the next
mile, a set of stoplights and a palm-tree studded hotel. Further on is Sonoma
Valley High School on the right. The historic Sonoma Plaza is just four blocks
ahead at the T-intersection and the end of Broadway. return
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