Last Thanksgiving, Littlestar, kwc and I had a fairly terrible time returning from SoCal on Interstate 5 on the Sunday following Thanksgiving. Although I'm used to the San Diego <--> Bay Area drive on 5, and have done it many, many times, that was my first attempt at that particular Sunday. I recall that San Diego to Los Angeles leg taking the usual 2 hours; it was the Los Angeles to Bay Area leg that stalled out horrendously, finally coming in at 10 terrible hours.
This year, facing the same Sunday drive back, Littlestar and I decided to try using 101 for the Los Angeles to Bay Area leg. Although this adds about 37 miles to the trip, it avoids the grapevine, that whole stretch of 5 through the Central Valley, and 152.
And it worked. Very, very well. 7.5 hours from Los Angeles to the Bay Area. And, as a bonus, instead of a landscape of dirt, fields and cattle, 101 affords views of the ocean, vineyards and rustic, coastal farmland. Even with some rain and a bit of a slowdown toward the very end, the ride on 101 was amazing compared to last year.