Should we dress in layers and bring gloves even in early May when we are there?? Are most of the nice restaurants casual dress too?

You should be prepared to dress in layers anytime you visit SF. Even if a day starts out warm, it will be cool in the evening. Warm evenings are so rare in the City that they are something we remember!!! In most restaurants in SF you will find people in causal dress, even in very high end places. It does tend to be an age and somewhat male thing in my experience, older men do tend to wear jackets and ties to higher priced places.

cornelius - definitely layers, gloves are optional. If you are someone who gets cold easily, then bring the gloves, otherwise don't worry about it. Of couse it should be mentioned that away from SF, the weather is very different - even 30 minutes away it will probably be much warmer that time of year.

San Francisco is an amazing city. Public transit is very easy to use!!! We stayed at the Intercontinental on Howard St.. Hotel was nice but seemed to already be showing signs of wear (my understanding is the hotel is about a year old?). Front desk personnel could use a lesson on being personable. Several of the girls that helped us had little to no personality but did exhibit the OMG facial expressions that said it all. The concierege, bellman, and housekeeping staff were awesome. Can't say the same about the restaurant. Poor quality, service, and outrageous prices. Did a city tour. Can't remember the company but our guide was Buddy and he was terrific. Nothing memorable in the restaurant category but the shopping was outstanding. Macy's had their annual flower show and it was a beautiful sight. Yes, the weather could have been better but the tips from fodors in how to pack truly helped!! Can't wait to go back.

"Nothing memorable in the restaurant category " wow, really? We got to SF every year to take advantage of the top notch restaurants that abound. You can't swing a stick in SF and not hit a great place to eat.

We were on a budget and time constraints limited the areas in which we could dine. DebitNM, please comment on inexpensive places to dine in the convention center/union square area as I will be returning for another meeting in the fall.

japw82 - You might want to start a new thread on restaurants if you don't get many answers. Your restaurant question might get overlooked because the thread was originally about weather - people might not even open this one up figuring that with 20 posts on the weather, you've got all the info you need alread.

But before you do, what constitutes "inexpensive"?

I've been in SF in August when it was sunny and in the low 80's in Golden Gate Park one day and the low 40's (with snow flurries!) at Twin Peaks the next day.

Which is to say: Be ready for anything.

bardo, I assume you did not notice that the OP has already returned from her trip.

I am headed to Europe for almost 4 weeks, will be happy to share restaurant ideas when I return~~

I made some suggestions on your other thread.