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*** How do I get to my CIS interview? As of 04/20/2020, face masks are mandatory on all public
transportation in Sonoma and Marin County as well as on Golden Gate ferries and Golden Gate
Buses.
By SMART (Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit) and the Ferry (the new way)
To learn more about SMART, click here.
- Take 101 South and get off 101 at Sonoma Airport Boulevard.
- Turn left, just before the railroad tracks, on Sonoma Airport Boulevard. There is a gravel parking lot
there just by the side of the railroad.(Tip: As of 02/03/2018, the Parkmobile set up is being looked at and some
issues have been found regarding Parkmobile's parking lot 2528 (this information may not be official even though a
SMART employee told me when I asked him why I had to tell Parkmobile which parking slot number I occupied while I was
parked at home).Since then things may have changed but I'm not sure so use caution and try to follow the parking rules.
When I tried it didn't work that why I asked the SMART employee.
- Once you are at the train station, buy a Clipper Card (The card cost $3 and you can add monetary
value to it or you can buy a pre-loaded card for $60 which should be more than necessary) at the
machine (Cash or credit cards accepted). Clipper Cards are accepted on the Ferry (as well as many
other public transit entities) and will save you a bit of money by cutting the Ferry's fare down to $7.50 per
trip. You cannot buy a ticket on the train. You will need to buy one Clipper Card per person traveling
with you. In other words one Clipper Card cannot be used by two people at the same time and on the
same trip.
---To learn more about Clipper Cards, click here,
--- You can order a Clipper Card online. It takes ten days to receive it in the mail. Then you will need to
add monetary value to your card.
--- To learn how to buy a Clipper Card at the SMART train Station's machine, click here.
--- * Beware *: A Clipper Card is valid through out the Clipper Card network however a Clipper Card
Pass is only to be used with the agency that issued said Clipper Card Pass. That said, you can, however
add monetary value to your Clipper Card Pass in order to use other Clipper Card accepting public
transit entities. In the video regarding the instructions on buying a Clipper Card (mentioned immediately
above) there is an option of buying a $200, 30 day Clipper Card Pass. The $200 Clipper Card Pass is
valid for 30 days but is not valid for all of the agencies included in the Clipper Card network! For
example: SMART offers a $200, 30 Day Clipper Card Pass and it is only valid with SMART, not the ferry,
not the bus, etc... Therefore, when you take the Ferry with a 30 day SMART Clipper Card Pass, make
sure to add the monetary value of at least $7.50 twice (for a round trip to San Francisco = $15) on your
30 day SMART Clipper Card Pass before you get on the Ferry. After 30 days, your Clipper Card Pass
expires and your Clipper Card Pass becomes a regular Clipper Card. At that point you will need to add
monetary value to you Clipper Card to take SMART of any other Clipper Card accepting mode of public
transit.
--- You can, also, get a SMART eTicket for your IOS phone or your Android phone through the Apple
App Store or the Google App Store. To find out more about the SMART eTicket, click here.
--- "Tag On" (place your Clipper Card on the Clipper Card Tagging machine) Make sure to "Tag off" at
the end of your train ride otherwise the card keep being charged as if you never left the train.
- Get on the SMART train and enjoy the 1hour and 19 minutes ride to Larkspur. The ride costs $11.50
one way ($23 round trip). (Tip: there are only 5 round trips on Weekends!)
- NEW! SMART makes it to Larkspur! "Tag off" when you get off the train!
Beware. The train station is a little ways from the ferry terminal.
- "Tag on" when you enter the Ferry Terminal. Get on the Ferry and enjoy the 45 minute ride to the San
Francisco Ferry Terminal and Historical Ferry Building. You don't need to "Tag off" once you leave the
Ferry.
On your way back:
- "Tag on" when you get on the Ferry to Larkspur.
- NEW! Walk back up the hill to the SMART train station.
- Catch the SMART train home and "Tag on" before you get on the train and "Tag off" when you've
reached your destination.
- Keep your Clipper Card and register it once you get home!
To register your Clipper Card, click here.
- You can always add monetary value to it for future SMART trips.
- To see the SMART Train Schedules, click here.
Sometime in the future, SMART will go from Cloverdale to Larkspur!
(up-dated: 01/13/2020)
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By Ferry (the easy way!)
- Take 101 South to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard/Larkspur.
- Turn left under the freeway
- To park your vehicle at the Larspur Ferry terminal, You will need to pay $2. You cannot pay at the
parking lot (there are no parking attendants) so pay before you arrive or use your smart phone to pay.
To read instructions on how to do this click here. Or call 877-727-5718. You will need a major credit
card or a Paypal account, an e-mail address, your vehicle's license plate number and the parking lot
location number is 111. You can buy a monthly parking permit for $20 or just pay for that day ($2).
- Check the Ferry Schedule and Fares. Take the ferry to San Francisco (if you have a Clipper Card it
costs $16 round trip or if you buy tickets it costs about $25 round trip per adult. It takes about 45 minutes
to get there). There are no ticket booths just ticket vending machines. Fares changed on July 1, 2019.
- Once at the Ferry Building head North West about two city blocks then West about three blocks. You'll
see Washington Street first (East West axis) the Sansome Street (North South axis). You will need to
enter the USCIS building through Sansome Street doors!
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By car (the hard way!)
- Take 101 South, go over the Golden Gate bridge, (WARNING: you no longer pay the toll at the toll
plaza, you will, instead, receive in the mail a bill for $8;35 if you don't have FasTrack. You will pay $7:35 if
you have FasTrack. For more information about FasTrack, click here .
- Stay on Van Ness (101= Van Ness boulevard). It is illegal to turn left on Van Ness so you will need to
turn right on Jackson, then left on Gough then left on Clay to cross Van Ness.
- Go down Clay Street, just past Sansome Street. On the driver's side (your left) you'll find the Golden
Gateway Garage. For the Golden Gateway Garage parking rates, click here. For more parking
information, click here.
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In any case,
you will need:
- your letter of invitation to your interview
- your driver's license (or some form of official ID)
- your Green Card.
- you need to be early (about 30 minutes) because you'll have to go through security to get into the
building. Cell phones with cameras are now allowed in the building.
- you need to dress appropriately, you may have to take off your shoes, belt, and so forth (it is as
thorough as going on a plane!)
Once in the building and through security go to the second floor and make sure that you sign in.
Then relax!
If this is too confusing for you, come and see me, e-mail me, or call me. I can give you a map or to see
the map click here.
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