My husband is going to San Francisco on a business trip in a couple of days. He has never been before and will be only be there for a short time, this time. He will land at 8:00 p.m. and has meetings the next morning and will fly out again.

Do the cable cars run at night? Any suggestions on what to see or do for such a short time that evening.just to get a taste of the city?

Thanks for any help.
Marie

If he has time for dinner or at least a drink or something after, one suggestion is to head for the Embarcadero area. The restaurants One Market and Boulevard and Slanted Door (there are others, too) have great food and views and usually you can get a seat at the bar if there are no tables available. That way he will get a view of the Bay Bridge and the Ferry Bldg, and if the weather is ok he can even stroll towards Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf and a view of the GG bridge.

Sorry - I see that he lands at 8pm. I mis-read the time. Well, my suggestion still holds, but I see that he doesn't have a ton of time.

Also he can just ask at his hotel or a cab driver can take him to one of the restaurants at the top of a tall building for great view.

Do you know which hotel he will be staying in? It might also help to know what kind of cuisine he prefers.

cabovacation has given a great suggestion: If he doesn't have much luggage, he could take BART from the airport directly to the Embarcadero stop, then go to the Ferry Building and find a seat at the bar at the Slanted Door, which features high end Vietnamese food. Good views across the Bay.

A lot of restaurants start shutting down around 9pm (not taking new guests), so it'll be a bit difficult if he has a lot of luggage and has to go and check into a hotel first.

A cable car ride at night is a great idea. If you show up at the cable car turnaround at Market and Powell after 8:00 p.m., odds are that there will be no line at all -contrast this with 3:00 p.m. on any given day. The views of the city skyline at night will be stunning. If it's clear, or even partly foggy, he'll get glimpses of the Bay, Alcatraz, Sausalito, etc. as the cable car crests the hills. One caveat - a single ride is $5.00, no return, no transfer.

Maybe a taxi to see Beach Blanket Babylon?

FWIW, neither One Market nor Boulevard has views except maybe a sliver of a view from a couple of tables. If he wants a good but expensive meal with a great view, he should try one of the new restaurants - Epic Roasthouse and Waterbar both of which are actually on the bay side of the Embarcadero (as is the Ferry Bldg and the aforementioned Slanted Door, another good suggestion)