San Francisco Nights

October 16, 2009 6:39 PM

It's 6:30 P.M. on a Friday/Saturday. You're in San Francisco. All of your friends are doing something else. There's no Sharks game on. The Symphony and the Opera are sold out. The library is closed. You've read the newspapers front to back. You have to start heading home by 10:30 P.M. What do you do?

Due to some unfortunate scheduling, this will be the problem I'm presented with for the rest of this semester. Any ideas on how to occupy myself for those four hours?

posted by clorox to sports, hobbies, & recreation (21 answers total)

Why not just go home and fix yourself supper?
posted by Netzapper at 7:03 PM on October 16, 2009

Go home, pour a glass of wine, read a book.
posted by squorch at 7:06 PM on October 16, 2009

Try a different restaurant every time? Sounds like you're a student, which suggests you're on a budget, but fear not, for there are terrific cheap eats all over town.

Green Apple Bookstore on Clement at 6th is open until 11 pm, I think (I can't find their hours on the website, but I remember having many post-dinner nerd dates there years ago). Combined with cheap eats nearby - Clement St is the epicenter of New Chinatown - Green Apple could fill many an evening.
posted by Quietgal at 7:07 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]

Walk around! Find things. SF is beautiful, and there are lots of hidden things to discover, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings, there can be a lot of energy in cities then...
posted by setanor at 7:22 PM on October 16, 2009

Isn't this when you play the guitar?
posted by jeb at 7:47 PM on October 16, 2009

I was going to say Green Apple! And then you can get dinner at Burma Superstar. Beats the hell out of the opera as far as I'm concerned.
posted by escabeche at 8:00 PM on October 16, 2009

I'd go to the Mission, eat at one of the burrito places*, go to one of the bars* for a beer, go to one of the book stores* within walking distance (most are open late), then go home. I'd mix it up once in a while by going to the park, that alley with all the murals, the hipster clothes boutiques, a music show, or a sit-down restaurant instead. Ever since I started working at a restaurant, I realize how many people go to bars and restaurants alone, maybe with a magazine or something. Why not? For me, the bookstores would be the best part.

* I have my personal favorites and I'll tell you over MeMail if you care, but it's probably more fun to find your own.
posted by salvia at 8:04 PM on October 16, 2009

upcoming.org for an ever changing list of things to do

meet new friends?
posted by bottlebrushtree at 8:14 PM on October 16, 2009

Ever since I started working at a restaurant, I realize how many people go to bars and restaurants alone, maybe with a magazine or something.

This is actually the luxury that I miss most as a married man. It's my greatest luxurious pleasure to go to a tasty, casual bistro or gastropub with a sci-fi novel for company. Of course, when I do it now, my wife's like, "Why didn't you wait until my day off so we could go together?"
posted by Netzapper at 8:32 PM on October 16, 2009

Also, it kinda depends on what you like. There are tons of movies and free music, and the YBCA has these late-night parties (one in November) with great art displays and performances.
posted by salvia at 8:35 PM on October 16, 2009

Squidlist is another good source for random things to do.
posted by nat at 8:53 PM on October 16, 2009

Be. Alone.
posted by trotter at 9:35 PM on October 16, 2009 [1 favorite]

Join or start a weekly board game/ poker game at a coffee shop /cafe/dive bar.
posted by spatula at 9:39 PM on October 16, 2009

If it was just a one time occurrence, I would go climb twin peaks, coit tower. If it was a regular thing, I'd probably visit here.
posted by chairface at 9:59 PM on October 16, 2009

Go to the movies.
posted by xo at 7:05 AM on October 17, 2009

Fridays and Saturdays are great times to go catch some shows.

There are also a number of interesting blogs about San Francisco and interesting things to check out. Two that I recently found are Mission Mission and Spots Unknown. Read up and then go explore!
posted by sambosambo at 9:53 AM on October 17, 2009

if it's a clear night and you have a car, drive up to Twin Peaks and be amazed.
posted by SpotsUnknown at 11:18 AM on October 17, 2009

Snark on Metafilter! I do!
posted by orthogonality at 12:41 PM on October 17, 2009

I second xo with go to the movies. This site actually lets you filter the showtimes by end time, so you can be sure to head home by 10:30. ShowtimeFu
posted by Edubya at 2:55 PM on October 17, 2009

If it's something that will be re-occurring, is there some volunteer thing you can do? Or heck, get a pizza delivery job (or similar) and make some money for a few hours.
posted by CathyG at 8:45 PM on October 17, 2009

If you're in the vicinity of the Symphony and the Opera, consider the San Francisco Conservatory of Music - they offer lots of performances, including free student recitals.

Also, check out the SF Gate Entertainment listings. The link I used there is for music events on Friday in San Francisco, but you can choose other settings too. I've used it to find all kinds of interesting events I wouldn't otherwise have known about (like the Russian Men's Chorus, Slavyanka, and the Masters of Russian Animation program with live music), and the listing that comes up today includes Audium, which is pretty cool, and which I always forget about. And the search for free events shows that there's a free play (Reckless) in Eureka Valley this coming Friday.
posted by kristi at 3:32 PM on October 18, 2009