Hi friends!

I'm flying in from Singapore and transiting in SFO (landing at 9.15am) before catching my connecting flight to NYC (2.15pm - giving me about 5 hours in between). Any idea if that's enough time to visit the city, or even grab brunch with a friend in the city?

In addition, both flights will be via United Airlines and I've never departed the airport during a layover before - so I'm unfamiliar with the process of transferring my bags etc.

Any heads' up/suggestions would be great.

Thanks!

That isn't a lot of time, certainly not enough to actually visit the city. I'd count on it being 10:15 or so before you could start your journey into the city and you'd want to be back at the airport by 13:00 at the very latest, though 12:30 or 12:45 would be safer.

Depending upon the day of the week, it might be enough time to meet a friend somewhere for a quick brunch, but realistically you are talking maybe 1 hour to 1.5 hours in the city unless immigration and customs are deserted, and transit cooperates, where you might get 2 hours. You are looking at maybe 40 minutes by BART, each way, to 24th & Mission. If it is a weekend, you could probably make it to/from the Dogpatch or parts of the Mission in around 30 minutes by car. I'd not try to go further than the Mission or Dogpatch as it will add too much time to your transit.

As for transferring with bags. You will arrive and go through immigration, collect any checked bags and go through customs. On the other side of customs, there will be places to drop your bags for the connection, assuming they are tagged to New York.

You have to go through immigration/customs; the wait in line depends on how many international flights have landed at about the same time. Then bring your bags to the transfer desk. Then you have to find the BART near the international terminal and buy the ticket. SFO to Union Square (downtown) takes about 30 minutes or so on BART. You should arrive back at the airport 2 hours before the flight at least. The BART does not go directly to the domestic terminals iirc, so you'd have to take the air tran. So you'd have maybe 1 hour or so free, best case scenario, to either look around a bit downtown, or meet your friend, find a place to eat, get served, etc.
It'd make me nervous, but I'm pretty risk adverse about missing planes.
Can your friend meet you at the airport for lunch?

Based on what I've read here I've asked my friend to meet me at the airport instead.

Bummer to know I'll have to save the city trip for next time, but at least I'll get to enjoy more than a desperate peek when I do.

And these two replies were incredibly on-point and informative - thank you so much for taking the time to help!

5 hours seems like a long time but I agree about being iffy especially having to go thorough customs. Time there depends on how many planes have landed. I would have your friend meet you for lunch and if they drive, you can certainly go somewhere close like Tanforan shopping Center in San Bruno. From the airport it takes about 30 minutes to get to SF. You could take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and get off in Glen Park area of the City and have your friend meet you there for lunch. It has some nice little places, hope back on BART and get back to the airport.

If not at the airport, you could meet for lunch in Millbrae, which is the name of the town/neighborhood the airport is in. It would take you just a few minutes to get there.

If your friend can pick you up and drop you back at SFO you will have a little more time to have a nice lunch in Millbrae and maybe a quick tour of the westside of the Penninsula (assuming of course that your friend is familiar with area).

If your bags are checked through to NYC, and if you check in for that flight online, you won't need to be back there two hours before the flight. You'd be okay with being back there 60 to 90 minutes in advance, since you'll only have to go through the security line, (You might need to print a boarding pass from a kiosk, unless you can use your smart phone for an e-boarding pass).

I still wouldn't try to get into the city, but there are lots of pleasant places to eat in the neighborhoods around the airport.

If you have time & your friend can pick you up - I would strongly recommend having lunch on Burlingame Ave in Burlingame instead of Millbrae & especially instead of the Tanforan shopping mall (Sears & Penny's). There are perhaps 20 different types of restaurants on Burlingame Ave - with a large ethnic variety. It's an interesting street & great for a stroll. Millbrae is loaded with Asian restaurants - which might not be as good as what you have in Singapore. Also, I think Singapore is loaded with shopping malls - perhaps go someplace "different" than what you have at home.

Stu Dudley

I agree that Burlingame Ave would be the best idea, but it's also the farthest away. Not by a lot--if the friend can pick the OP up, it's doable. And it really is nice for lunch and a stroll.

Didn't want to say, but imo Tanforan isn't a nice mall by American standards. Missed that the OP is from Singapore, but in any case I wouldn't go there.