Night time in San Francisco

[vtaq]

The Pearlman''s are working on a ring for me and it should be finished in a couple of weeks (photos to follow). I plan to go up to San Francisco (where she''s at) and propose the first weekend that I can. I''ve been searching through other threads about SF and I have found some good ideas. However, we now have plans for Saturday, so I would like to do it Friday night. I would like to do it somewhere with some privacy. Most other suggestions I read are at restaurants, etc. Does anyone have any ideas? I''m just going to assume that it will be cold and rainy. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[mrs.ROC]

vtaq,
i''m not from SF, but it''s my favorite city! isn''t there a way for you to charter an inexpensive boat and take her to one of those picturesque areas off of main SF...and find a quant restaurant to propose? there are soooo many sites in SF....golden gate park, union square, the marriot (near the "metro" theater), if you go to the top of the marriot, you can see a360 view of SF at nite. how about taking her to napa valley? my FI and had done the hot air ballon ride over napa valley. you could propose up in the air!! take a drive to carmel and stopping to take pics along highway 1? just some ideas...hope this was helpful...good luck!!

 

[Anastasia]

DH proposed to me at Coit Tower in San Francisco. It is at the top of Telegraph Hill, and offers beautiful views of the city. It was funny, because it was an unseasonably warm night, so there were a million people there, and dh was leading me all around trying to find a private spot. It was private enough for me, and very romantic!

 

[vtaq]

How about the Palace of Fine Arts? I''ve seen it recommended in other posts. I''ve actually seen a number of daytime weddings there, but I can''t ever remember seeing it at night (at least up close). For a number of reasons, it is the place that would make her the least suspicious.
If I go with this plan, then it leaves the rest of the night open. In your opinions, should I have plans or would it be better to just see what happens? I''ve thought about reservations, but I wouldn''t feel comfortable with a strict timeframe. Compared to all of the great ideas I read on here, this seems pretty informal.

 

[sputat]

My fiance popped the question at Golden Gate Bridge. It was really just a simple and heartfelt proposal, overlooking the Bay. We lived in SF for 2 years and loved the City. He told me that he wanted to do it there so whenever we see the Golden Gate Bridge on tv or the movies, we can always say that was where we got engaged. We move a lot because of his work and ultimately want to move back to Sydney, his hometown, when we are ready to start a family. We''re now in Florida and ya know, I do smile whenever I see the Bridge on tv.

Maybe you can take her to Golden Gate Park then go see the De Young Museum... the Tower at the museum is open until 8:45 PM on Fridays and I can attest to how beautiful the view is from up there especially at sunset. Perhaps the park/museum won''t make her too suspicious.

 

[ringster]

vtaq, i live in the bay area and lived in SF for over 10 yrs. i think palace of fine arts is more for wedding pics. you don't really have a nice view from there. i wouldn't really recommend it for a proposal.

i would suggest GG bridge as well or like sputat recommended the tower at the museum although i don't know much about that one. coit tower could be nice too but can be crowded but at this time of year you might be ok.

another idea is taking the ferry to sausalito or some place that you can see the SF skyline. you could probably find a quiet place on the ferry while you are looking out at the beautiful view.

or you can walk near ocean beach at sunset. might be a little windy but could be pretty. there is also a beach like area near the marina (north end of SF).

do you have access to a car? treasure island is then open to you and the views there are really really amazing. you could pretend you are going over to the east bay for dinner and then suddenly say something like, oh, we never go to treasure island and act curious about seeing what is there. you can't drive all over the island but you can park in the parking area and walk around a bit.

or there is a windmill in golden gate park near ocean beach

Dutch Windmill
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco California 94121; Tel. + 1 415.750.5442
Towering near Ocean Beach, the Dutch Windmill was built in 1902 at a height of 75 feet and with sails spanning a width of 102 feet. Originally used for powering irrigation of the park, the Dutch Windmill was restored in 1981 after decades of wind and salt caused corrosion of the structure. No longer pockmarked and filled with pigeons, today, it stands above the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden, which erupts in gorgeous blooms every February and March.

are there things that you both like to do? places in the city that have special memories for the both of you?

if i think of anything else i'll let you know. i'm excited for you and it's so nice you are trying to arrange a special proposal for your girl!

 

[thatswhatshesaid]

I had a sunset wedding at the Palace of Fine Arts almost 10 years ago, so I am partial to that. It''s lit up beautifully at night.

Over the years we have witnessed a few proposals there and they were all great. Its a beautiful setting. I wouldn''t suggest doing in the dome (which is what most people do), but instead somewhere that has a view of the dome. There is a path to stroll around and see the dome from all sides and a bunch of little areas where it can be quite private and have a lovely view onto the dome and water.

Dh proposed to me in SF too, but I can''t really recommend our location. It was on Sutter St in front of a liquor store, lol. Not the most picturesque spot, but it was where we met (I was walking down the street and he stopped me to ask for directions and the rest is history).

 

[Anastasia]

Date: 2/17/2008 4:41:27 AM
Author: thatswhatshesaid

Dh proposed to me in SF too, but I can''t really recommend our location. It was on Sutter St in front of a liquor store, lol. Not the most picturesque spot, but it was where we met (I was walking down the street and he stopped me to ask for directions and the rest is history).

That is the sweetest story ever!! It sounds like it is straight from a romantic movie.

I love the Palace of Fine Arts idea - what a gorgeous backdrop.

I don''t think you can go wrong with anywhere in San Francisco - it is such a romantic city.

 

[LegacyGirl]

Oh that is so sweet!