SFO 11 hr layover
 

I'm taking my girlfriend to Kauai in September and we have a 12hr layover in SFO, arriving 10pm Tuesday and departing 9am Wednesday.<BR><BR>She's only flown once in her life, and she doesn't travel much. I was going to just get a hotel and crash for the night, but she's expressed an interest in trying to see a little bit of San Fran during the layover. <BR><BR>I was thinking of a 2-3 hour limo tour of the city and I've contacted a couple limo companies and they do offer these and can do it on short notice.<BR><BR>I'd want to at least take her to the Golden Gate Bridge, maybe walk down Fisherman's Wharf. I'd also like to treat her to a good Chinese dinner or at least a world-class dungeness crab dinner.<BR><BR>Any suggestions as to what would be good/open in/around San Fran or Burlingame (SFO) that would fit these plans? I guess we can catch up on our sleep during the flight from SFO to Kauai.

This may make me seem a little older than I am, but you probably won't get out of the airport until 11pm or so. I don't know how much is going to be open while you are out and about. Will restaurants in Chinatown still be open? I know some places in town are open, but personally I think your idea is much better.

Hey, I'm right with you, I'm 41, she's 32.<BR><BR>Actually, the flight arrives 9:10pm SFO time. I think it has a pretty good on-time history, but we all know that it's "only the flight your on" that gets delayed :-)

Maybe you should consider dating women closer to your own age. She sounds like a sheltered girl who hasn't experienced much. Doesn't that bore you when you could be dating women that share a similar outlook with you and have been on a plane before?<BR><BR>I think most places are going to be closed other than a few underground clubs. How is she going to see the Golden Gate bridge in the dark?

I would take the hotel option, too. Even though I'm an adventurous type overall, I'd want to make sure I arrived in Kauai well-rested and ready to make the most of my time there. Then I'd plan to go to San Francisco for a long weekend some other time.

DanB, try calling Alioto's Restaurant or the Crab House Restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf. They are open until 11:00PM and maybe if you arrived by 10:30PM they would serve you. It's worth a shot if you want your girlfriend to see some parts of the city.

DanB,<BR><BR>Your idea about just getting a room at one of the nearby airport hotels is the best. You really cannot see anything at night anyhow. Most everything is closed except for a few places like Denny's.

to men ([email protected]): maybe dan WANTS his girlfriend to be younger and more sheltered. That's how insecure guys retain control over another person, ya know.

If you are departing at 9 am, you'll need to get to the airport ca. 7 am, which leaves you pretty short of sleep if you don't get back from downtown SF until after midnight. I'd choose EITHER a drive-around w/car and driver OR dinner, not both. Fog comes in in the evening anyway.<BR><BR>[Aside to men@men and hanky@panky, whom I assume to be the same sophomoric child -- you don't add a thing to these posts with your Hugh-Hefner-wannabe nonsense. Shoo shoo go away, go buy your 3-ring folder for school.]

I agree with the hotel idea. If the lay over was during the day time, I'd say hire a car and see the sites, but at night you wont see much and any place you want to go will probably be closed. By just going to the hotel, you will have plenty of time to shower, relax, and sleep so you will be fresh for traveling the next day.

What a bunch of deadbeats! It's a 5 hour flight from SFO to Hawaii.... sleep on the plane! The limo is a great idea. Otherwise, rent a car and head out on your own. Lots of things will be open in the city.

I am not sure how long you will be have been on the plane when you arrive in San Francisco. This may be something to consider. If you are flying from the East Coast and she has only flown once before (how many years prior was this?), she may be surprised to realize how tiring the experience can be. <BR>

Give it up, Dan - SF is pretty sleepy at that hour. Truth be told, it's more of a small town culture than big city go-all-night pace unless you are into certain niche scenes. SFO is a good half hour (or more) at that time of day from anything worth seeing, and if the fog is in you won't be able to see much anyway. <BR>

What's with the generational nay-sayers? My partner is ten years older than I am and we've been together for over 7 years.<BR><BR>It's wonderful to be introduced to new things in the world by one who has seen and done. And (I hear) it's nice to see the world through a fresher pair of eyes.<BR><BR>Ring, ring. It's a clue for you.<BR><BR>That said, DanB - get thee to Zagat.com<BR><BR>You can sort restaurant's by "Open Late" and there are plenty to choose from (Absinthe, Zuni, etc.).<BR><BR>There's also a new Zagat's guide to nightlife in SF, though I haven't read it.

32 is close to the upper limit; there's only a few good years left on the old girl. Almost time to trade her in for a new model.

You could take a cab directly to the Brazen Head in Cow Hollow in SF. They are open for late night dining and it's in a fun neighborhood with bars and clubs that will be open until 2am. You can then walk down to the Marina Green and on a clear night you'll be able to see the Golden Gate lit up. Get a room somewhere in Cow Hollow, the Marina or Fisherman's Wharf, and catch a cab outa town at 6am back to the airport.<BR><BR>The Brazen Head is an old style martini and steak kinda place. One story I've heard is that Mick Jagger and friends were trying to find a place for dinner late one evening. The Slanted Door, the current hot spot of the day, turned them away, and they all ended up at the Brazen Head for late-late dinner and drinks. <BR><BR>I think it's doable. Take a nap on the plane ride into SF, and plan to sleep most of that flight to Hawaii. Plus, you can sleep from 2am until 6am in the hotel! Have fun!

I recommend a drive up to Twin Peaks to see the city lit up at night.

DanB,<BR><BR>Susan Spike's suggestion is cutting it way too close. It could take you more than 1 hour to get to the San Francisco Airport due to the weekday morning commute traffic on either 101 or via 280 to 380 to 101. I wouild not risk missing your flight to Hawaii. Better of staying in a hotel near the airport. Also, sleeping on an airplane is next to impossible. I have tried it many times before.

DanB you have to take your lady on a limo tour of SF after you land. Don't miss out on an opportunity to share something special with her. The chance may never come again. Thanks to modern electricity plants you can see this wonderful town when the sun goes down. You can doze off or sleep on the flight to Hawaii. And if not, you can get some sleep that night. That said, give some of the Fisherman Wharf restaurants that are open later (someone here mentioned some) and see if they'll serve you right before closing. You never know until you ask.

Don't pay attention to all the negative posts. Just go for it. You won't regret it.

Tristan,<BR><BR>What are you trying to do, make Dan B miss his flight. Now get real. He gets in at 9PM and has a 9AM flight the next. He has no time to go to SF. Besides, its dark and most everything is closed and you can't really see much in the dark. <BR><BR><BR><BR>

I laughed out loud when I read your post Sean. I posted my reply on the assumption that DanB is a grown man with at the very least, reasonable intelligence, who can make a decision as to whether or not he wants to treat his girlfriend to a few hours around San Francisco. I don't think a few hours sleep will cause him to miss his flight. As a matter of fact, he can hire the limo to drive them around for a few hours and then deposit them back at the airport well before check-in time. It may not be comfortable to try and nap in an airport lounge, but it's worth it if the side trip makes her happy. Someone here mentioned to miracle of electricity and how it has the ability to light up things at night. Next morning when they take off she can look down and hopefully catch a glimpse of the bridge and maybe even Alcatraz. Good thing you weren't around to tell Paul Revere that the midnight ride he decided to take would be dangerous.

My wife just turned 36, and I would like to trade her in for two 18 year olds. Anyone have luck with E-bay?<BR>

Tristan,<BR><BR>Give it a rest. Dan B has NO TIME to go to SF. I guess the SF visitor's bureau pays you on commission.

I think it's up to DanB to decide if he wants to make the time to go into San Francisco or not. I don't work in the travel industry and I am not receiving any compensation from anyone for my 2 cents worth. My philosphy in life is that you're going to be asleep for an eternity when you're dead, so you have to enjoy the ride while you're here. By the way, I'm a writer for a science magazine.

Geez haven't any of you travel morons heard of speed? DanB should definiately take his baby er babe on that limo drive. They're on vacation for god's sake, live a little and get outta bed!

Tristan,<BR><BR>What can Dan B possibly see in SF at night. All the museums are closed, you can see much on a bay cruise especially because of the fog, Golden Gate Park is pitch dark, stores are closed, most restaurants close by 10 PM except for some fast food joints or places like International House of Pancakes. A limo tour at night is a waste of time and money.

It will probably make his girlfriend happy. That's all. You can't put a price tag on making someone feel special by going out of your way for them. So she sees the fog, but she gets to see the fog in San Francisco. With him.

I'm with the go for it group. I suggest getting a limo to tour them around a bit and then have dinner at one of the many, many late night places. Contrary to some of the posts, we don't all drop dead here at 10 pm. There are places in Chinatown that are open until 1 am and also down at the wharf. I don't know the restaurant Susan mentioned but my grown son lives in Cow Hollow one block from Union and they go on almost all night. I would make one change though, I would call a taxi after dinner and get back to SFO for a 9:00 am flight. Whether you get a hotel room or stay at the airport is up to you. You're not going to see anything but water on the flight over to Hawaii so might as well sleep.

go to www.sfvisitors.org and www.sfgate.com for restaurant suggestions. If Absinthe is open late, it's one of our favs with a very pretty and active bar. Lots of post concert/opera/theatre traffic. Yeah----we do that here.

It is true that SF is a sleepy city, but there are some open places. The Globe has great food and I believe is open until 1AM. Sightseeing is another issue. Skyline is best seen from Sausalito or out on the Bay and there is no times square area in SF. Mission district near Slanted Door is hopping with bars, but may be a bit of a young crowd and the area is mixed (hot spot/driveby shootings). Can't really appreciate Chinatown without the hordes of people on the street during daytime. Japantown is not at all scenic (Don't fall for that). In fact most sightseeing spots will be pretty dark. I would stick to a dinner plan, or if you are too full from the airplane food, maybe you should rest up for Hawaii and come back another time to do it right.

To all of you who say SF is a sleepy town, have you been on Union Street in Cow Hollow at about midnight? I'd rather be there than going to bed in Burlingame at 10 pm if I were on vacation. Whatever Dan and his girl see in SF will be much better than the inside of SFO. And, they'll get to breathe some fresh air and make a bit of a time adjustment if they're coming from the East Coast. Dan, sorry you can't get on a slightly earlier flight--that would make this an easy thing to do. Any possibility of this?

Just to note Dan and GF are supposedly 41 and 32--the Cow Hollow scene and overdone Cosmo drinking scene may not be what they had in mind.

Wow, so many replies. Thanks to (just about) everyone for their comments.<BR><BR>Obviously I guess we'll just have to play it by ear. If we get into/out of (luckily no checked baggage) SFO in time, and we both feel up to it, then we'll go the limo route. The side trip is something she wants to do (I've been to SF before), and as someone else mentioned, sometimes it's just important to let your partner know they're special.

It is funny to read the comments about how SF is a sleepy city that shuts down early -- ha! Dan, since you've been here before you know what to expect. People stay in SF every day and make it onto 9am flights in the morning. The traffic at 6am shouldn't cause you to miss your flight.<BR><BR>If you do the limo tour, definitely have the driver take you across the Golden Gate. As another poster mentioned, the best view of the city skyline is from across the bay in Sausalito/Tiburon. Have fun!

Susan Spike, Kam, Tristan,<BR><BR>Enough already!! Hardly anything in SF will be open at that hour. I lived in SF for 8 yrs. until the late 90's. From my experience, there is nothing in SF open past 10PM(restaurants/bars, etc.) especially on a weekday, that are worth going to. Please give up your insane and constant promotion of SF. Geez, Dan is getting in on a late flight. The last thing he wants to do is spend a ton of money traveling the streets of SF seeing nothing but closed up storefronts and restaurants. And this suggestion of staying up all night and sleeping on the plane. Now get real! I have flown many times before, and it is next to impossible to sleep on a plane. The best thing for Dan and his girl is to get a good night's sleep and be well rested to enjoy the trip to Kauai. Leave SF for some other time.

Dean, I don't know what you're talking about. There are lots of places open late in SF. One place that appeals to me is the Bubble Lounge---champagne bar which is open until 2 am. Dan, go to www.opentable.com and plug in 12 am for a time. You'll find a lot of places and you can read about them on that site. Or, you can watch TV at your hotel. Choice is yours. I'm not promoting SF, I have no vested interest, I'm only expressing my ideas and thoughts so Dean, you need to show a little respect for others.

Message to Dean:<BR>I'm guessing you donot have a partner in life because you sound as if you are negative not to mention hostile and angry. What the heck do you care if DanB misses some shut eye to please his girlfriend. I also lived in San Francisco and there were many nice places to go to after 10:00PM. Word of mouth got around to keep your grouchy self away and that's why you don't think anything is open past your bedtime.

A search on zagat.com found that 56 restaurants in SF are open for dining past 10pm, including the following:<BR>Absinthe <BR>Bacar<BR>Black Cat<BR>Bouchon<BR>Brazen Head<BR>Bruno's <BR>Bubble Lounge<BR>Butterfly<BR>Enrico's<BR>First Crush<BR>Globe<BR>Gordon's House of Eats ...<BR><BR>Need I go on?<BR><BR>This is not including clubs and bars in SF, which just like everywhere else in California, can serve until 2am. <BR><BR>Don't know what rock you lived under in SF, Dean.<BR>

I would rely on the limo driver to get you to your filght on time. He/she will know the traffic (maybe a 1/2 hour cousion for insurance). When I start a vacation I always have a little extra energy so why not. I think it is very nice that Dan is willing to take what could be a very exausting juant just to give his girlfriend a treat. I have never been to Cow Hollow but that sounds fun. Instead to trying to pick in too much though you may want to consider a couple hours there and then a drive up to the top of Twin Peaks or to Sausalito for the view. You won't see the Golden Gate Bridge at night but that view is worth it. Your 9am filght will put you in Kauai just in time for an early afternoon nap, sleep then.