Bad planning on my part. Arrive SFO next Friday at 4:45PM. Driving from airport to Forestville. What am I in for, and are there any alternate routes you'd suggest? Online maps have me crossing Golden Gate and taking 101, which looks like the only reasonable option.

I suggest you have a nice dinner, then start your drive at about 8:00 and it'll be a breeze.

Will you be waiting for luggage of
just towing a carry on?

At best, you'll be leaving the rental car facility at 5:30-probably closer to 6:00pm. (The bulk of commute traffic ahead of you, unless there is an accident) Then you'll scoot over on 280 to 19th Ave, where it will be a bit of a slog, to the GG Bridge and up to Santa Rosa on Hwy 101
and the Hwy 12 interchange. This could take an hour to hour and half. Add another half hour from your turn-off onto 12 from 101, through Sebastopol and on into Forestville.

If things are truly bad on 101 North and it's a parking lot, you could hop on Hwy 1 at Mill Valley and take the scenic route north-not speedy, but quite beautiful. Probably best to stick with 101, anywho.

It's quite lovely here in Sonoma County
now, so hope your enjoy your stay.

R5

ditto dmlove's sentiment.
Don't jump on the freeway on Friday evening between 5 and 6 p.m. for the love of god and expect to just breeze on up the road. Have dinner in one of the peninsula towns or in San Francisco and minimize the frustration. If you're not looking for haute cuisine on this particular night, you could take 280 to 19th Ave. just until you see the Stonestown shopping center, then "dine" at the Olive Garden or similar there. I know, I know, but it's quick and decent and convenient. It that doesn't appeal, here are streets adjoining 19th Avenue that have reasonably priced restaurants on them (mostly Chinese and Thai): Taraval, Noriega, Judah. If it were a good friend of mine, I'd suggest they turn off Taraval to the Gold Mirror at 18th Avenue (old fashioned Italian) or to 30th and Taraval to have Korean food.

If you take razzledazzle's advice and get on Highway One, you'd be going up the coast until Route 116 joins One and then driving along the Russian River. You might want to factor in the fact that it's dark around 7:45 p.m. now.

Thanks for the advice. If it were just me, I'd have carry-on only. But with my wife and friend....not a chance! My hope was to make it to the exit on Hwy 12 and have dinner at John Ash & Co (assuming comfy travel clothes will at least qualify us for the bar area). But if it looks like gridlock, we'll stop and eat earlier. Good news is we're from Atlanta, so no strangers to traffic.

Fridays are rough with commute traffic. If you want to eat at John Ash, better call for a LATE reservation.

First thing:
John Ash is not off the Hwy 12 exit.
You need to continue on up Hwy 101-
past Hwy 12, then College, then Steele Ln/Guerneville THEN, River Road-the exit for John Ash.

Or are you going into Forestville prior to dinner ?

Second thing: If it's after 6:00 PM when you leave SFO, AND you take 280 to
19th to GG Bridge, even on a Friday,
IME, it won't be as bad as if you were actually leaving SFO at 4:45(unless there is an accident). If this turns out not to be the case-I will buy the first round !

Now, if you do want to stop early
I would like to suggest dovima's ideas OR cross the GG bridge and find the Buckeye Roadhouse right off 101 in Mill Valley. The bar has better acoustics
and vibe than the main-
http://buckeyeroadhouse.com

R5

Thanks, I mis-spoke on my exit. I am going to River Road exit as our inn is there, west of 101 (Farmhouse Inn). Guess I should just be happy that sitting in Friday traffic on vacation still has to beat sitting in Friday commuting-home-from-work traffic!

You could also swing off of 19th Ave just before the bridge, and go to the Marina District of Sf and eat there. I think there are several nice little neighborhood restaurants. This would be the street I think N. of Lombard