Petaluma is a small town about 45 miles north of San Francisco just off Hwy 101. Once known as the Egg Capital of the World it has gone in a different direction. There are many dairy farms in the area now and less chickens. The computer industry has also set up shop in some areas of town. Petaluma sits on the Petaluma River which empties into San Francisco Bay. While boats use to travel to San Francisco to deliver eggs and other produce these days pleasure boats come up the river to park near downtown. You can get out of your boat and you are one street over from the main drag. The historic old downtown area is lively with lots of restuarants, gift and antique shops and people. There are lots of good restaurants in town and of all types. I once heard the restaurant count was something like 140. It was the site of the filming of American Graffiti and Peggy Sue Got Married plus there are other movies and commercials shot here. Orville Reddenbacker films his popcorn commercials at some of the Victorian houses on D Street. There is also an outlet mall in town where there are many factory stores with good prices. It is a great town to take a walk in and just window shop. You can walk along the river and nearby are micro breweries and restaurants. There is an old theater and McNear's Restaurant next door. A couple doors away and on the second floor is Old Chicago Pizza one of my favorites. If you are looking for somewhere interesting to go in the Bay Area this is a good choice. You are only about 25 miles east of Bodega Bay and less than 20 miles south of Santa Rosa. You can get to the Sonoma and Napa Wine Country in just a few minutes and the vineyards are appearing on the hills on the outskirts of Petaluma.
The photos show some of the old historic downtown area and the last one a newly developed shopping area near the river.
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