Make a trip to SFO an adventure in itself.
How to get the most out of airport’s dining, art and shopping while waiting to jet.
In a society seemingly obsessed with statistics, there is a number that, apparently, no one wants to know: How much of the average traveler’s life is spent in an airport?
It could be that, at four to six hours of waiting per trip minimum, the number is too depressing. Busy travelers might spend more time in terminals than they do in some cities.
While the conditions in the air have been eroding steadily, however — less room, more seats, more fees, impromptu boxing matches — the situation on the ground has been getting better. In some cases, much better.
In part, airport officials became increasingly aware that: (1) travelers are happier if there’s something to do other than wait while sitting and wait while standing; (2) that failure to sell a product or service to a captive audience is an opportunity squandered.
Whatever the reason, the result has been sweeping improvements at most major metro airports — into a hybrid combination of shopping mall, dining district, cocktail scene, family entertainment, public art and theme park. In essence, like a city. At San Francisco International, recent renovations have been a chance to improve, not just installing better carpets and more efficient hand dryers, but also to bring a higher grade of dining, shopping and diversions, much of it with local ties.
So if SFO is a city, how does it stack up — not as a transit hub, but as an actual destination where you already spend an unknown portion of your life — and how do you get the most out of it when that two-hour wait turns into 10?
We decided to explore the airport by looking at the different archetypes of traveler and see if it has what they need. (As well as to learn if being there is cheaper than living in San Francisco.)
Spud Hilton is the editor of Travel. Email: shilton@ sfchronicle.com Twitter and Instagram: @SpudHilton Steven Boyle is a Chronicle designer and illustrator. Email: sboyle@sfchronicle.com