# Kalifornien Delivery



## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Settling in to a fairly nice Sofitel in Redwood City, Kalifornien. Upon arrival, a substitute for Rolf transported me to the Kalifornien delivery center where I took delivery of a beautiful 2009 Interlagos Blue M3 coupé.

The flight out was quite pleasant - and had Wi-Fi (see my article for a full report).

My itinerary includes staying in the area through Saturday, then going to visit b-y for the weekend, then driving down to Los Angeles on Monday.

The car is nicely equipped with the new CIC-based iDrive and the 6FL iPod integration.

Fotos to come.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

Early warning: possible rain this weekend. :bawling:


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

b-y said:


> Early warning: possible rain this weekend. :bawling:


http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=363997


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## L Seca (Apr 22, 2005)

JSpira said:


> ... driving down to Los Angeles on Monday..


How much time do you have? Let me know if you need some route suggestions.:thumbup:


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

L Seca said:


> How much time do you have? Let me know if you need some route suggestions.:thumbup:


I have most of Monday. I have a conf. call first thing Monday (8.30-9.30 local time) and then I hit the road.

I would LIKE to take the PCH but I don´t want a 10-hour drive either. A hybrid would be great. I need to end up in Westlake Village at the Vier Jahreszeiten, ahem Four Seasons. I leave from Berkeley.

So I am very open to suggestions. Danke!


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## L Seca (Apr 22, 2005)

JSpira said:


> I would LIKE to take the PCH but I don´t want a 10-hour drive either. A hybrid would be great. I need to end up in Westlake Village at the Vier Jahreszeiten, ahem Four Seasons. I leave from Berkeley.
> 
> So I am very open to suggestions. Danke!


Here are some alternatives with estimated drive times, not including stops:

Most Scenic: 80 west via Bay Bridge, 280 South, then Hwy 1 through Pacifica, Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur and San Luis Obispo. Then 101 south to Westlake Village. Total: 439 miles, 7:37. I think you would be leaving late enough from Berkeley to miss the worst of the rush on the Bay Bridge, but any Bay Area Festers can comment.

Faster and Still Scenic (once you are south of Gilroy): 880 South to San Jose, 101 South through Gilroy, 156 West to Castroville, 1 South to Monterey, then follow the above route. Total: 413 miles, 6:50.

Fastest and Ugliest: 580 East to Hwy 5, then 5 South to 101, 101 West to destination. Total: 383 miles, 5:45.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

Add this to the mix...not as scenic as Hwy 1, but better than I-5:

I-880 to San Jose then US101 to Paso Robles. (Lunch stop in Salinas near the Steinbeck Library, to avoid the delays into and out of Monterey/Carmel). From Paso head inland to I-5, stopping at the James Dean memorial. I-5 into LA County.

If you do choose to "fly" down I-5 here are two bits of advice:

Watch out for the CHP around Coalinga. (Don't ask how I know!)
The lunch stop at Harris Ranch _almost_ makes this route worthwhile.
In any event, I can get you to your choice of the Bay Bridge, I-5 (via I-680 and I-580), or I-880 via the back hills to avoid central Berkeley traffic.


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## C-Los (Dec 12, 2008)

JSpira said:


> I have most of Monday. I have a conf. call first thing Monday (8.30-9.30 local time) and then I hit the road.
> 
> I would LIKE to take the PCH but I don´t want a 10-hour drive either. A hybrid would be great. I need to end up in Westlake Village at the Vier Jahreszeiten, ahem Four Seasons. I leave from Berkeley.
> 
> So I am very open to suggestions. Danke!


If you are going to be in Malibu on PCH and want to stop for lunch try this place:http://www.malibuseafood.com/. I recommend the fish and chips but everything on the menu is good. It's a casual beach front diner with outdoor sitting. It's about a 5 minute drive from Pepperdine Univeristy, my alma mater. That's why I know this place is so good along with the great reviews it gets.

If you are driving through the central valley on the I-5 be careful with the CHP. They are all over the place. Safe travels.


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## rallanr (Apr 30, 2009)

Mulholland Highway - heads east off the PCH just north of Malibu. Amazing drive through the hills heading into LA.


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## L Seca (Apr 22, 2005)

b-y said:


> Add this to the mix...not as scenic as Hwy 1, but better than I-5:
> 
> I-880 to San Jose then US101 to Paso Robles. (Lunch stop in Salinas near the Steinbeck Library, to avoid the delays into and out of Monterey/Carmel). From Paso head inland to I-5, stopping at the James Dean memorial. I-5 into LA County.


Actually, if you take 101 as far south as Paso Robles, you would be better off staying on 101 all the way than cutting over 46 to 5, since Jonathon's destination is in the western San Fernando Valley. Going inland would add about 30 minutes to the drive. This would be worth the added time for James Dean fans. The state has named the intersection of CA 46 and CA 41 (where Dean died) as the "James Dean Memorial Junction".


b-y said:


> If you do choose to "fly" down I-5 here are two bits of advice:
> 
> Watch out for the CHP around Coalinga. (Don't ask how I know!)
> The lunch stop at Harris Ranch _almost_ makes this route worthwhile.


Agreed. Actually the CHP patrol is heavy on 5, 101, 46, and some portions of 1. Bring a good radar detector! Yes, Harris Ranch is a good place to eat, provided you love beef.



rallanr said:


> Mulholland Highway - heads east off the PCH just north of Malibu. Amazing drive through the hills heading into LA.


That is a great road, and Hwy 1-Mulholland Hwy-Decker Cyn Rd (Hwy 23) is a scenic alternative to get to Westlake Village, if Jonathon has time.

Another scenic alternative that costs very little in added driving time (and is actually a reduction in miles) is from 101, take CA 154 past Cachuma Lake, reconnecting with 101 in Santa Barbara. Or, leave 101 at Buellton on 246 to go through the quaint (cutesy?) Danish town of Solvang, then continue to 154 and on to Santa Barbara.

I took JSpira's use of the term "PCH" to include all of California 1, not just the Southern CA sections commonly signed PCH. The rest of Kalifornien refers to CA 1 as "Highway 1", "Cabrillo Hwy", "Coast Hwy" and other terms.


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

One caution on staying with Highway 101 past Paso Robles southbound. Any potential time savings (and it maps as minimal) gained from avoiding the Highway 46 transition from Paso to I-5 is lost by what can easily be a 30-45 minute slog through Santa Barbara seemingly at any hour of the day or night. Just sayin'...


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

boothguy said:


> One caution on staying with Highway 101 past Paso Robles southbound. Any potential time savings (and it maps as minimal) gained from avoiding the Highway 46 transition from Paso to I-5 is lost by what can easily be a 30-45 minute slog through Santa Barbara seemingly at any hour of the day or night. Just sayin'...


This is our experience also. We have used the "James Dean" route the past few trips for a few reasons:
We can only take so much of I-5.
I don't like Pacheco Pass (Hwy 152); too many accidents and unsafe trucks.
We sometimes start late and spend the night in or around Paso.
Lost Hills is just _so_ scenic. (For outsiders--that is a joke. )
Unless we plan to stop in or around SB, the traffic has gotten to be quite bad and seems to come just when we are starting to get tired.
And, if that weren't enough, the last time part of lower 101 was closed by fires. (Admittedly, this is Calif., so you can have a natural disaster at random intervals on any route. :angel
At least (so far) no tolls and no vignette required on any of these routes. :thumbup: (I should admit that we go to Pasadena more frequently than to Westlake Village, Possibly, the 30 min. difference would change my mind if I could consistently realize it to WV.)


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

b-y said:


> no vignette required on any of these routes.


No vignette? But I just paid Beewang $40 for one of his.  He told me I needed it.


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

JSpira said:


> No vignette? But I just paid Beewang $40 for one of his.  He told me I needed it.


Did he also rent you Navigation DVD for your Hard Drive base navigation? :rofl:


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## philippek (Jul 31, 2003)

You omitted beautiful Torrance, CA from your itinerary?


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

MB330 said:


> Did he also rent you Navigation DVD for your Hard Drive base navigation? :rofl:


As a matter of fact, ja!


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## Bikie (May 2, 2004)

Monterrey/Carmel to Cambria on US#1 is a must drive. Make the time. Hit 101 at SLO to Westlake Villiage. Typisch LA suburb with Malls usw. Have a great trip.


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## nu bee (May 1, 2005)

Bikie said:


> Monterrey/Carmel to Cambria on US#1 is a must drive. Make the time. Hit 101 at SLO to Westlake Villiage. Typisch LA suburb with Malls usw. Have a great trip.


Ja und Monterrey (Monterey) is a must - particularly Pacific Grove where the coastline is pink this time of year. Do 17 mile Drive in Pebble Beach then go down the coast to Cambria (Stop for lunch at Nepenthe for the Ambrosia Burger and the view)

-Harry


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

nu bee said:


> Ja und Monterrey (Monterey) is a must - particularly Pacific Grove where the coastline is pink this time of year. Do 17 mile Drive in Pebble Beach then go down the coast to Cambria (Stop for lunch at Nepenthe for the Ambrosia Burger and the view)
> 
> -Harry


That all mean that his drive time will be around 10 hr.
If he left Berkeley at 10am - he will be at Westlake Village around 8-9 pm


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## Calif65GM (Mar 27, 2005)

Hmmmm what about the car? :dunno:


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

JSpira said:


> Since delivery on Wednesday afternoon, I've put about 400 km on the car. I have also found excuses to take the longer route to go to meetings. Here is the car parked in Berkeley at Casa b-y.


So, what route you take from Berkeley to Westlake Village?


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

MB330 said:


> So, what route you take from Berkeley to Westlake Village?


As of the departure time, the plan was:

Hwy 24 - I-680 - I-580 - I-5 all the way. Obviously, speed--not scenery--was the main objective. 

Interestingly, this was GoogleMaps first choice of a route. We had to program in a way-point to force the M3's GPS to take the short route to 24, but the rest of the on-board guidance matched Google's. Est'd drive time = 7 hrs, so ETA a bit after 5pm plus allowance for the lunch stop.


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

b-y said:


> As of the departure time, the plan was:
> 
> Hwy 24 - I-680 - I-580 - I-5 all the way. Obviously, speed--not scenery--was the main objective.
> 
> Interestingly, this was GoogleMaps first choice of a route. We had to program in a way-point to force the M3's GPS to take the short route to 24, but the rest of the on-board guidance matched Google's. Est'd drive time = 7 hrs, so ETA a bit after 5pm plus allowance for the lunch stop.


I just check 101 - accident with line closure, call him and advice to take 118 west

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=91367...118.545914&spn=0.189322,0.275688&z=12&layer=t


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

MB330 said:


> I just check 101 - accident with line closure, call him and advice to take 118 west
> 
> http://maps.google.com/maps?q=91367...118.545914&spn=0.189322,0.275688&z=12&layer=t


Just called... J drove straight thru w/o a lunch stop and is at the hotel. :thumbup:


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

b-y said:


> Just called... J drove straight thru w/o a lunch stop and is at the hotel. :thumbup:


Just back home after meeting with Jonathan!
First off - one more time Thank You for wonderful friends evening! 
and










and for










and finally



















after two shots buttery in my camera died and I use my phone. Sorry....


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Easy 5-hour drive almost non-stop. 

If this drive had been in Germany, it would have been 3.5 h.

I had enough trouble keeping at Tempo 130 km/h. Going faster was almost impossible except for short spurts and I was esp. careful where b-y identified problem zones.

Great seeing MB330 - chef Masa and chef Henry prepared some special sushi delicacies for us.


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

Jonathan,
Where is report and pics of Z4? :dunno:


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Car is awesome.

Here is a teaser


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

*Greetings from 35,000 feet*

Now on AA flight 22 back to NY JFK. Just finished dinner so I thought I would sort through several hundred Fotos.

Here are a few Fotos of 1.) the launch/press conference, 2.) my Z4 prior to our drive, 3.) somewhere in the canyons

They mapped out an amazing route for us (I saved the route book - handy info to know where you can drive at Temp 160 and not encounter the local Gendarmerie.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

A61 Crimson Red, I presume. :thumbup: (aka Rosso Corsa to us Italians)


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

b-y said:


> A61 Crimson Red, I presume. :thumbup: (aka Rosso Corsa to us Italians)


Ja, Karmesinrot.


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