On a recent visit to Petaluma, I finally went inside this gorgeous building and was glad I did…read more What used to be a school is now the local museum, and it's a must stop for any fans of films, namely American Graffiti, which was filmed downtown. The museum is free to enter, and has rotating exhibits on the main floor. Around the far walls, and continuing upstairs, are displays of the various times in the town's history, mainly focusing on eggs! I loved the movie display, with memorabilia and actual filming items from the class American Graffiti. The building itself is worth seeing, especially the glass window on the ceiling. There is also a research library for local history here, by appointment. They have a small book store with items of local interest. Donations are appreciated. This is well worth a stop!

I wandered in to this small museum downtown Petaluma. It was once the Libary. I went for the last…read moreday of Trans history. My friend Eli spoke yesterday, but I was unable to go due to a prior commitment so I went today and there was his picture among all the displays. How exciting! The rest of the museum was about history of Petaluma and there was a beautiful skylight on the ceiling. It may be small, but it's a fun little place to visit.

This review is just for the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma. The main SRJC campus in Santa…read moreRosa will be a separate review with 2 stars. I'm taking a series of courses that are only available at the Petaluma campus. It's a certificate program for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification. I started 2 weeks late as I didn't know the CCNA was available at the JC. The Petaluma campus admissions office rushed me through the enrollment and registration process. There was no wait as there is at the main campus. I started class the very next day. The parking was plentiful as it is a smaller campus than the main campus. I was at the main campus in Santa Rosa to see a counselor. After searching for a parking space for half an hour in the 5 story parking structure, I was told by a SRJC police officer my best chance was to park on Ridgway Avenue on the south side of Santa Rosa High School and walk 3/4 of a mile to the counselling office on Elliott. This is after I paid $55 for an on campus parking permit. The Petalauma classroom for the CCNA is spacious, modern, and set up egonomically with large monitors on swivel arms. The projection system is very bright even with the classroom lights on. Fortunately, even for a 4 hour long class, these amenities all make the experience an enjoyable class. Highly recommend the Petaluma campus if you have a choice in class offerings.

I'm not originally from the area and asked friends and colleagues which would they recommend, SRJC…read moreor College of Marin, Kentfield campus and some attended both schools. Hands down they all recommended SRJC. I started my first year at the Santa Rosa campus the Fall semester of 2011, as an older adult (with adult kids 22+) attending college for the first time. The campus grounds exceeded my expectation and looks like four year college. The resources (writing center, tutoring center) were very helpful. From 2012-2013, most my classes were at the Petaluma campus with a few classes up in Santa Rosa because of my choice of teachers. The Petaluma campus is smaller and easier to get around from one end of the campus to the other. Again, the writing center and tutoring center were outstanding. The tutors were helpful and patient. Just like anything else, students will connect with certain tutors depending on your learning style. I would spend an average of 90 hours a semester in the tutoring center. I'd do my homework, study for a test either by myself or a group of students with a tutor available when needed. The tutors got to know you and would always check in with you to see if you're prepared for a test or how you did. In my opinion, the Petaluma campus had more of a community feel. As a older adult the younger students were great to work with and I did not feel out of place. I noticed the Petaluma campus had more older students (30+) than Santa Rosa. I received my AA with highest honors and transferred to Sonoma State in Fall 2013. If it weren't for the writing and tutoring centers, I don't think I would have full comprehension of the subjects and a high GPA. I also made some great friends and met some awesome teachers. GO BEAR CUBS!!

My favorite bookstore in Petaluma!…read more Copperfield's operates as a well oiled machine and I feel lucky to have them in our community. Chester helped me search for books from my list and ordered one for me. I purchased a few other nonfiction and fiction novels that caught my eye. Downstairs is an amazing used section that can also be accessed from the alley if stairs are difficult. I found sale books (comparable deals to online vendors) and even walked away with a t-shirt that I will gladly wear. I could spend all day at Copperfield's!

Very large and convenient book store in downtown Petaluma. In fact you could almost get lost in…read morethere, whether it be lost because it is so big with an upstairs and downstairs and just simply lost in a bunch of books. Staff is also friendly and helpful with assisting you locate a particular book. Sonoma and Marin County residents are very lucky to have such multiple locations throughout.

I know it's just a small satellite campus and doesn't provide much more than classrooms to people…read morewho live too far from the main campus in Santa Rosa, but don't take it for granted. After 5 years now of CCSF and SFSU, a campus with clean well-kept bathrooms everywhere, classrooms with climate control and good ventilation, desks that don't look like they were salvaged from the Welcome Back Kotter set, and big rooms with plenty of elbow room for everyone seem like an amazing luxury to me. A lotta schools out there don't even have it half as good as the JC in general does right now. One major weakness is lack of food on campus but that's counterbalanced by being right next to a G&G and a bunch of different restaurants. Only downside is they pretty much expect you to have a car to get out here, the only bus service are spotty Sonoma County Transit and Petaluma Transit routes that don't run nearly often enough.

Since the last time is attended a class at the Santa Rosa Junior College Petaluma campus was about…read morefive years ago and I must say it's still well kept. Grounds are very clean, they have solar panels, large parking areas and check in stations. They even have heater's on the ceiling when walking under an awning.

On a recent visit to Petaluma we stopped at the Visitors' Center mainly to see the arts center…read morenearby, which was unfortunately closed. However, we loved our stop here and recommend it as a first stop if you're visiting the town or greater area for the first time. It's inside the old train station and has lots of free parking right outside. Inside you'll find free brochures and maps for every activity you can think of. The two ladies behind the desk were extremely welcoming and happy to chat about where we were from and why we were in town. It's genuinely nice to be welcomed to a new place. They have some small items for sale too.

After all the stops we've made here we finally came by at the right time: they are open on Sunday…read moreafternoons. Need a local map? Or a brochure describing activities nearby? Or upcoming community events? This is the place for you! The two volunteers we met today were more than happy to tell us about their center and the town, even after we told them my husband's parents only live a few blocks away. They also provided us with an interesting pamphlet of D Street history. It's a wonderful visitor center, whether you're a local or just driving through. If you're nearby on a Sunday, stop in and ask for some fun, free info. Bring your electric car and charge it at the station in their private parking lot. And be sure to stop at the wonderful art gallery next door before you hit the road on your Petaluma adventure!

Officer Boyd and his team with Petaluma PD were outstanding…read more Unlike many police departments in Northern California, they were proactive and actually showed up to get the job done. They handled everything with the utmost respect and fairness. My hat is off to them. Thank you, guys!

They hired Forrest whitehall. This cop tased and broke a diabetics arm in front his 6 year old…read moredaughter. To which the city of Sebastopol had to pay 1.9 million dollars in the settlement. Why in the world would they hire someone like that, and how was he not fired.

Lots of details about this interesting corner of the Bay Area provided by our guide Dan G. He was a…read morewealth of information, pretty funny and as a local was able to share a lot of perspective on the islands changes. Great day trip and I wish we had more time to poke around.

Wonderful tour led by Jim. History + nature! A great morning spent on the island…read more For people who are looking to visit the Naval Museum on the island, it is no longer open, but this tour is operative and you get to see the naval chapel and walk around the area. I was originally looking for information about the museum and arrived at this page: https://www.mihpf.org/tours. I hope this will help you find their tour options and dates! All digitalized, no fuss. And it turns out I was the only who signed up for today's tour, and they did not cancel on me because of that. I really really appreciated it. One last thing, the money you spend on the tour goes into helping this foundation : ) Yay!

What a beautiful day to visit!…read more I like the free public parking! It's always fun to discover new places to eat and shop!

**FULL DISCLOSURE: THIS IS FOR THE POP UP DRIVE-IN EVENTS DURING COVID**…read more This is for their pop up drive-in events that the City of Cotati have been holding since Covid hit. It's held in the lot right off the freeway across from Peet's Coffee. I was fortunate enough to purchase an online ticket for the viewing of Hocus Pocus which was held on Friday 10/23/2020. $25 per car so if there are 4 or 5 people in the car it's still less than going to the actual movie theater (when they were open) at matinee prices. What was nice about this event was it wasn't on some huge plot of land or grass, it was just a small number of cars allowed (maybe 50, give or take). When you check in they hand you a piece of paper which tells you which radio station you need to have tuned in to listen to the movie. My suggestion is to bring a handheld radio with you instead of using your car radio especially if you have a weak car battery. They had Wingman food truck there selling some awesome wings!! Also, there was another vendor there (can't remember their name) and they were selling various prepackaged popcorn that they make with flavors from plain to kettlecorn and everything in between. Or you could just bring your own food & beverage & not have to worry about sneaking it in like the movie theaters. LOL The people who were checking in all cars were great. And when people tried to come in after the movie had started (the place was sold out so this would be people who had not purchased a car ticket & weren't on their list) these individuals quickly ran to the entrance to deal with them. Only thing was they really needed to tell these people while they were talking to them for 30 seconds to 3 minutes, to turn off their headlights as it was blinding several cars including the one I was in so it made it difficult to see the movie. This happened over a half a dozen times, which gets old. My suggestion would be to find some way to block the entrance so the cars are stopped before they get into the lot. Other than that I think it was a pretty good event and I'm sure previous events were just as fun. If these pop up drive-ins continue and they are showing a movie you'd like to see I suggest you purchase your ticket online through the City of Cotati and get out and see a movie!