What to do in a 4 hour layover?

March 7, 2009 1:48 PM

San Francisco, 4 hour layover. What's nearby? What's entertaining?

Upcoming 4 hour layover in San Francisco International in mid-April. Previous questions show info for December- I am wondering what two twenty-somethings can do (sights to see) in a couple of hours nearby the airport? Or is the airport enough entertainment? Or even layover tips in general? I can usually be entertained by a good book, but this time I have a younger sister with me who has never been to SF.
Thanks all, in advance!

posted by gracious floor to travel & transportation (15 comments total)

4 hours is tough if you don't have someone picking you up at the airport. BART will take you about an hour into the city (and an hour back) and with security lines, etc, I wouldn't really recommend it. Usually there's a pretty good exhibit in the museum at the airport. The food is best in the international terminal.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 1:55 PM on March 7

I think your only real bet is to take BART to 24th St and grab a burrito at El Farrolito (or any of the other bazillon taquerias and trucks in the Mission). It'd still be pushing it, but if you're determined, that's what I'd do.
posted by kcm at 2:16 PM on March 7

Experience real California: Take her to In N Out near the airport.
posted by chrisalbon at 2:19 PM on March 7 [1 favorite]

Depending on the time of day, the depth of your pocket or purse, and your tolerance for risk of missing your flight, you could grab a cab for a brief tour of SF. Probably OK middle of a weekday or at the weekend, but don't try it between 7am and 9 am or 3pm and 7pm. OK in the later evening too -- you could get to the top of Twin Peaks for an overall view of SF, which can look lovely from up there. But really, four hours is a bit too short a time to do much.
posted by airplain at 2:23 PM on March 7

More along the lines of answering your actual questions...
What's near: not much. There's a shopping center on El Camino Real, but nothing in walking distance. There's also a pleasant little park with beach and rocks, Coyote Point -- I often fill in airport time there, but you really need a car as it's just a bit far to walk.
Whats fun: nothing within reach. (And SFO airport is not very exciting either, though the new international terminal is OK.)
posted by airplain at 2:31 PM on March 7

Four hours isn't a whole lot of time once you factor in transport, but I was in SFO a few months ago and was quite pleased to see that there was free wi-fi throughout the airport.

A quick trip to In-N-Out would be tempting, though.
posted by kate blank at 2:51 PM on March 7

Four hours doesn't leave much room for error, but you could probably take BART to Mission/24th Street and have lunch at Tacqueria San Jose, about 75 feet from the BART entrance.
posted by mattdidthat at 3:13 PM on March 7

I agree the mission burrito is your best bet in that time frame.

Also, SFO also has one of the better airport museums. Most people either walk right by exhibits or come upon things randomly and don't know just how much there is to see, but if you take some time checking it out it can help with the wait. Here are the current exhibits.
posted by quarterframer at 3:51 PM on March 7

Yes, 4 hours is pretty tight, especially if the inbound flight is delayed and/or you have to go through security at a different terminal. SFO has some great exhibits, as quarterframer said, in various terminals. Also, the United domestic terminal has quite a good bookstore. Personally, I'd just resign myself to spending the whole layover in the airport.
posted by Quietgal at 4:53 PM on March 7

Depending on the time of day and whether you're waiting to take a domestic or international flight, there is great dim sum to be had within a short cab ride of the airport. I went to this place with my family a little while ago and we were very impressed. I'm sure the food is great anytime but I've only had the dim sum. Just make sure you get the cab service's number and call them when you're contemplating finishing up.
posted by crinklebat at 4:57 PM on March 7

Oh, just realized you should call ahead about whether there's a line before you even bother going to any dim sum place, especially on a weekend. We went on the day after Thanksgiving, so there was no wait since most people are too full to eat their weight in Chinese snacks.

We were that full too, but that food was *so* worth it!
posted by crinklebat at 5:02 PM on March 7

Just take a taxi back and forth to the Mission. If it's not rush hour, that's probably $25 tops each way, and 15 minutes. Walk up Valencia St and down Mission, and you should have plenty people watching opportunities.
posted by mzurer at 5:35 PM on March 7

Millbrae via BART for Vietnamese or Chinese food is the safest bet suggested on Chowhound.com for this periodic question, but I've never done it myself, since I live in the area.

If you arrive and you don't have the full 4 hours, I wouldn't even think about leaving--I've been burned by bizarre BART delays and random terrible Bay Area traffic too many times. (Honestly, I wouldn't go into downtown SF even with 4 hours.) In a pinch, the international terminal has decent food and rotating museum displays as mentioned above, so you can at least have a nice change of pace there. Ebisu, Sankaku, Harbor Village, and Osho are all supposed to be pretty good (Emporio Rulli for dessert and coffee). Some are in and some are out of security; check maps.
posted by wintersweet at 9:36 PM on March 7

Considering how long it takes to get through security at major airports these days, I wouldn't risk leaving SFO. That said, it's a pretty nice airport with good food (at least in the United terminal) and shopping.
posted by radioamy at 9:48 PM on March 7

Four hours isn't enough time. Odds are your incoming flight will be late, too. If you can change to a later flight, go ahead. Otherwise, your sister's memory of San Francisco will be missing her flight.

If it was me, and I did find more time, I'd head straight for the bay. I know there's lots of other stuff in the city, but, for me, the best part of a visit is taking in the sheer beauty of the location.
posted by justcorbly at 3:48 PM on March 8