Petaluma, California: A West Coast Road Trip Stop
If you’ve been keeping up with my road trip posts, I was last in San Francisco. My next stop which was Petaluma, which wasn’t very far. It’s only about an hour away from San Francisco without traffic. The reason I stopped there was to visit and spend time with my friends Matt and Dalila. Every time I have gone to the Bay Area the past few years we have missed each other and same when they come down to LA. This time around I was passing through and they were in town so they invited me to spend a few days just to hang out. I wasn’t in a rush so I agreed and had the best time with them.
When I was getting ready to drive over, Matt suggested rather than take the 101 over to Petaluma, I take Highway 1 which starts after the Golden Gate Bridge and is the scenic route. I’ll always try to take the scenic route. And every time I pass through the Bay Area and take the 101 I always stop to take a photo of the Golden Gate Bridge. I usually stop at the Presidio Park side but this time, I decided to stop on the Marin side.
TRIP PLANNING STARTS HERE
- Arnette’s favourite gear and gadgets for travel and daily life
- For more travel tips and other destination guides
- Follow me! Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
HELPFUL GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS
- Flights: Find a cheap flight using Skyscanner or Momondo. I like these two booking sites because they both search all websites and airlines around the globe including budget airlines.
- Accommodations: I use Booking.com or Tripadvisor to find the best rates on hotels. Hotels.com offers a free night after booking 10 nights
- Get up to $40 off your first Air Bnb stay by using this code!
- Travel Insurance: Having gotten sick on my travels in the past, I never travel without being insured. You never know when something may happen. For my round the world trip and extended long-term travel, I use World Nomads. For other trips, I have used Roam Right and they cover activities like extreme sports.
Have a look at my photos from the drive from SF to Petaluma:
I wasn’t the only one who had this idea
The view from the Marin side
I stopped to check out the view at Muir Beach Overlook
It’s worth the stop!
Another one
And another from another angle
Rolling hills in Marin County
After taking the scenic route and stopping a handful of times for photos, I made it to Matt and Dalila’s place. I got there in time for us to head out for dinner. And shocking enough, I didn’t take photos (I don’t always document every second of my life haha) or any kind of notes. I just enjoyed the wonderful company and conversation. I only drove through Petaluma quickly with my friends but it’s really cute there. It has a small town feel with a downtown area that looks like there are no big box businesses. I didn’t explore the town too much because I was trying to catch up on work and run a couple of errands while my friends were working. In the evening we went to a bowling fundraiser. Well…they bowled, I forgot my socks so I drank beer and cheered them on instead.
A Vintage-style bowling alley
Bowl-a-rama!
My Petaluma pals Matt and Dalila
I’m always happy to spend time with friends and especially with friends who I don’t get to see so often. I also enjoy stopping in random places that I would never pay attention to. I would definitely visit Petaluma again but next time add in some winery visits because Petaluma is officially in Sonoma County aka wine country.
