Aloha,
I have a 7 hour layover in San Francisco before an 11 hour flight to Munich. I will have already been on a 6 hour flight from Honolulu. What is there to do? I know there is a spa but they do not offer showers etc. I would hate to get a massage and be all greasy and not be able to take a shower. Any ideas? I don't know my way around so would hate to get lost. I am not flying business or first class so I wont have access to their lounge in the airport but would love to do something other than sit for another 7 hours. Open to suggestions. Maybe a hotel close by that I could shower, change, refresh? Taxi tour of some attractions close by? The layover will be from 2:25 in the afternoon until 9:00 pm. Will they allow me to leave the airport and then check back in?
Mahalo for any suggestions you can give me.
Jeanne

It's up to you, not them, whether you leave the airport. If you do, you'll have to go through security again, so be sure you don't have any liquids with you over the 3oz. limit.

Assuming you actually arrive at 2:25, it'll be 2:45-3:00 before you get out of the airport, and you have to be back by 7 p.m. for your international flight. So you have about 4 hours.

Have you been in San Francisco before? You could easily take BART from the airport into the city and wander around/eat/shop for a few hours. It's about 35 minutes on BART to Powell Street (Union Square). So you'd arrive around 3:45, could wander around for 2+ hours, get back and BART and go back to the airport. I think that's what I'd do.

There are really no "attractions" near the airport. There are some nice suburban towns, though. If you just want to wander around a street with restaurants and shops because it would be better than sitting in the airport for 7 hours, take a taxi to Burlingame Avenue. You'll be there by 3:00 and can stay until 6:30 (it's only about 4 miles south of the airport).

On the way from Australia to Alaska, we once had a long stopover in SF, though it was much earlier in the morning than you'll be. We caught a "KX " Express bus into the city, and walked around, had lunch,did a bit of shopping and caught the bus back. This way, we saw a bit of the surroundings as well. As I remember, from the bus terminal, it's not that far to walk to the cable car for a quick round trip, which would be fun. There should be lockers at the airport.
We have never used BART - it would no doubt be quicker.

exactly what sf said..
I'm a big Tadich grill fan..
Boulevard or Slanted Door are awesome restaurants.
Enjoy SF and make sure you spend about 3-4 hours in the city..

If you elect to go in the city, take BART, not the bus. Much faster.

Burlingame does have many hotels within a 15 minute taxi ride of the hotel. If a shower and a nap are preferable to a tour, that's an option. If you make this choice, go to the hotel board in baggage claim and call for availability. Don't risk a no-show reservation charge because of a late flight.

sf7307 is correct that Burlingame has good restaurants. Let us know if that's your plan and we'll get you some names and addresses.

From the Union Square BART station, you are walking distance to China Town, Ferry Terminal, and Union Square shopping.

Hey, I'll just start the ball rolling:

These are a few of the good restaurants in Burlingame (these are all on or just off Burlingame Avenue, the commercial part of which is only 4 blocks long):

Kabul (Afghan, very good, huge portions)

Mingalaba (Chinese and Burmese, inexpensive, always a line around 6 p.m.)

Copenhagen (very good "American" food -- great hamburgers, I love the chicken piccata, very good beef stroganoff, that kind of thing)

Ecco - I've never been - fancy and much higher-end/cost than the others

Il Fornaio - Northern Italian (mini-chain -- there are 4 or 5 of them), but white tablecloth. I'm not a fan. I find it noisy and the food not particularly good.

Nectar Wine Lounge - nice newer place

La Boheme - french bistro food. Good not great, but nice atmostphere.

Hello escrowmanager, if you decide you want to go to the Ferry Bldg., which is at the east end of Market across the street from the Emcaradero than take BART to the Emcaradero Station which is the last BART SF station in SF. If it is a good day weatherwise you could get something to eat at the Ferry Bldg., and also enjoy the back plaza which overlooks SF Bay, the Oakland/SF Bridge and watch the various come in and out plus boats in the bay. The Emcaradero is nice to walk along too if you want some excersize.

>>

I wholeheartedly second LI's suggestion, particularly if its sunny (even if it isn't too warm). It's just so beautiful (lucky me, I work right across the street). There are less expensive self-serve and take-out places in the Ferry Building, as well as the vaunted Slanted Door.

I would do Union Square and the Ferry Bldg. over Burlingame -- the latter suggestion was just in case you don't want to trek into the city -- Burlingame is simpler.

"Emcaradero Station which is the last BART SF station in SF" - but don't miss it, it's just one of the stops, and most likely there will be no announcement, and you can easily find yourself in West Oaklad - not the safest place to be.

Embarcadero is not the final stop.

"Embarcadero is not the final stop."

Huh? What is?

Dayenu's point is that Embarcadero is the last stop in San Francisco, but the train just keeps going to the next stop, which is in Oakland. It's not like it stops, rests and turns around at the Embarcadero. Embarcdero may be the "last exit" in San Francisco, but it's just one stop on the line.

Oh, I see.

Dayenu, I said the Embarcadero is the final SF BART station in SF. Why is that not understandable?

Make sure your luggage is checked thru. That's the first thing to take care of to make this plan work. As long as it is, you've plenty of time to take BART into the city for a few hours. The airport doesn't care what you do. Just make sure to allow enough time to get back, thru security for your next flight.

BART moves really fast so it is good to study a map in advance and be sure where you are getting on and where you are getting off. There's plenty of stories, even of regular riders, of people falling asleep or whatever, and finding themselves WAY out at the end of a line.

But if a shower and a nap is of more interest, certainly you could look into a budget hotel somewhere nearby.

Ferry Building is wonderful. Great food, great view, great SF vibe.