You do realize we expect a full update?
She went out for a bit.
We are staying at the Hilton, near Fisherman’s Wharf.
How far in travel time would it be to the Mark, or Coit Tower? Are cabs readily available? Are the Trolleys like subways, or would it add to the overall “romantic” experience? (She having never been on a Trolley, it would add to the memory quite a bit if I could involve a ride)
The concierge also mentioned that there were horse carriages that will come to the hotel, but I’m not sure how far they would go.
Ultimately, I would like to be able to leave the hotel, travel somewhere quiet where we wouldn’t be completely surrounded by people (hence, I wanted to do dinner afterwards), maybe take a short stroll, and then go into my talk. Leave there, head to a nice dinner, and then somewhere for drinks…ending with us back at the hotel where the concierge is going to have candles lit, some chocolates, and champagne in the room.
The major hurdle will be the weather- Cold and rainy won’t be much good, but I noticed that the Palace Rotunda seemed to be somewhat protected from the elements. In the event of terribly inclimate weather, is there someplace warm and somewhat private? The top of Coit Tower?
I’m beginning to wish I had taken the job in Los Angeles! 
Nothing to add to the popping of the question - congrats btw!. Just wanted to say you should take her to Ghirardelli. A nice sundae right before or right after would make me happy, then again I’m a chocoholic. 
Good luck and I hope that this will be a great proposal! The SO proposed this past Christmas Eve and it went by so fast we hardly remember it! Haha the joys of getting old…
With a link to video if possible. Oh, and congrats, too!
Top of Coit Tower = COLD.
Even on a warm day (which you probably won’t be seeing in January) it can be pretty windy. I find wind–especially cold wind–to be a real buzzkill when attempting to mutter sweet nothings (or in your case, sweet somethings) to chix.
“Will you marry me?”
“What?”
“Sweetheart. I love you! Will you marry me?”
“WHAT?!”
“WILL YOU MARRY ME???”
“I can’t hear you over the wind! Tell me in the car, I’m FREEZING!”
My advice would be to pop the question somewhere nice, INDOORS, with a good view. After she’s all signed-up, THEN you can risk doing some outdoor sightseeing. I wouldn’t try it before.
Oooohhhhh!
I can’t wait!
I’m hoping I can find someone to take a pic while I’m on one knee. 
First of all- Wow. San Francisco is beautiful.
My client is of the opinion that it should be done on or near the Golden Gate bridge if at all possible. His reasoning-and I have to agree-is that every time she sees the bridge in a movie, or on TV she will remember that day. It’s too bad she wasn’t here yesterday when the weather was gorgeous.
I still haven’t come up with a firm plan, but just being here has eased my mind a bit. (That and the little cigarette some guy named Raji gave me at the bar- said it would calm my nerves. Boy did it ever!) Also, at some point last night, I realized that I don’t have to sweat every minor detail- If I just have a basic plan, and some bullet points for what I want to say, everything will fall into place.
I’m looking forward to this a lot. Thanks folks, I really appreciate the help.
If it’s on the bridge, make sure no one’s jumping off it at the same time. That could spoil the moment.
New idea: Hire one of the colorful homeless to propose for you. Have him say he’s speaking for you. This is not meant to sound mean. I remember one colorful old guy who hung around a tram ticket-vending machine and would help explain to tourists how it worked. Never even asked for money, but everyone gave him some change, ourselves included. It was like his self-appointed job. Someone like him would do it.
It tends to be cold near the bridge, and it’s not really near anything, so be forewarned.
Twin Peaks is worth a mention, but probably colder than the bridge. Of course, that does pretty much guarantee there won’t be a crowd.
Sorry I’m late to the party. You might be intersted in trying the Hornblower Dinner cruise you get all the great sights including sailing right under the Golden Gate. Dress warmy though. Here’s a link I did this years ago and it still a great memory.
My vote goes to the observation deck at the top of the de Young museum.
It’s in Golden Gate Park near the Japanese Tea Garden and Music Concourse so you can definitely stroll before and after. You can find a corner of the deck that’s quiet and secluded enough, although there will definitely be other museum patrons around.
It has awesome views of SF and the ocean, with the GG Bridge peaking over the tops of the trees of the park. Really gorgeous. It’s warm and it’s a fabulous museum.
Top of the Mark has some nice views, if it’s not foggy, but the service is somewhat lacking and cool. That’s a nice way of saying the staff I’ve had experience with were kind of dicks.
For dinner head out of the park to North Beach Restaurant, in uhh, North Beach. It’s not super stuffy or fancy, but it’s very nice, very romantic, and the food is amazing. It’s one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in the city and the staff is great.
From there for your drinks head over to The Bubble Lounge.
Congratulations! Let us know how it goes!
I’ve got to vote for the bridge idea. You’ve flown her all the way across the country to propose to her in SF, so you might as well incorporate it’s most famous landmark into your proposal.
I’ll be expecting a call with the good news later this week.
If she likes Hitchcock movies, you could try Fort Point, where the lady jumps into the water in the movie Vertigo. Links:
Vertigo Movie Tour of San Francisco
Fort Point National Historic Site
ETA: I second the idea of doing it somewhere with a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, for the reasons stated above: it is often shown and everytime she sees it in a picture or a movie it will remind her of her engagement.
(bump)
So, what happened?
I guess you’ve already popped the question by now (too bad it’s been a rainy day - I hope you asked earlier in the week.)
I asked my finacee to marry me on one of the trails above Fort Point just off Lincoln Blvd. with a nice view of the bridge. I hope it goes very well for you.
Hopefully, by now he’s all caught up in the rush that accompanied her acceptance.
Or perhaps it all went poorly and he took a header off the Golden Gate.
Funny, but less funny as the hours wear on 
Dammit Spit, Update!
I second all the suggestions above, but if you end up needing an indoor spot because of weather, there’s a really nice lounge at the top of the Marriott hotel (one of the tallest buildings in the city). It has huge arch windows and great views.
Sorry for the delay- I have been moving around a bit, and internet access was short.
She said yes. 
Thursday was just terrible. It was cold, rainy, and she still had the sniffles from a headcold contracted earlier in the week. So I had to wait. I went ahead and made reservations for Friday, and hoped for the best.
Proving that I am once again one of the luckiest guys on the planet, Friday was a gorgeous day. We went to Muir woods in the morning, and hiked around for several hours. When we returned to the hotel, I told her to put her dancing shoes on, because we were going out.
We went to dinner at Espetus, where we gorged ourselves. Afterwards, I suggested we take a walk to burn off a bit of dinner, so we took a cab over to the Golden Gate bridge. I gave a heads up tp the cabbie so he wouldn’t leave, and we took a stroll up the steps to take in the view.
This was where I learned an important lesson which I plan to pass on to my future son(s): Keep your speech short and simple.
I had this very elaborate, grandiose speech that was going to sweep her off her feet, and right into my arms…Unfortunately, when she turned to look at me, my mouth went dry, and my stomach turned to knots.
So, I took a deep breath, and gave a very abbreviated version of what I had planned. I got down on one knee, flashed the ring- then she gasped and got down on the ground with me! It is amazing to think I could ever make someone that happy.
So…after much kissing and hugging, we went to the Top of the Mark for drinks and then returned to the hotel. The staff had cleaned our room while we were gone; placing roses randomly around the room and on the bed, with candles and a bottle of Champagne.
…and that’s where the details end for you folks. 
All in all, I think I did pretty well. It would not have been possible without the suggestions made here- many of which were to be used should the rain have continued. Thanks again guys!