Saturday the 10th: the Fleet Week air show from Marina Green, then dinner on Green Street
Four hours on the grass under the Blue Angels, then cocktails and dinner in the old Spaghetti Factory
Cost: Free on Marina Green; dinner at Equal Parts is the only spend
- 11:00 AM Stake out grass on Marina Green — Saturday Oct 10. Air show noon–4 PM Fri–Sun, Oct 9–11, with the Blue Angels headlining. Marina Green is a standard viewing spot, so arrive an hour early, not at noon. Bring a blanket, layers and water, and check the Fleet Week calendar that morning.
- 12:00–4:00 PM The air show, overhead — Four hours, free, and you don't need all of them. Leave early and you might miss the Blue Angels; that's the price of beating the crowd out. If you came for the ships, the Parade of Ships was Friday the 9th at 11 AM.
- 5:30 PM Dinner at Equal Parts, 478 Green St, North Beach — Saturday: open 11 AM–2 AM, brunch to 2:30, dinner 4–9:30, late-night menu 10–11:30 (we checked). New American and a cocktail bar in the old Spaghetti Factory building, between Grant and Kearny. Book on its site or OpenTable, or walk in for the bar; expect it full right after the show. About two miles from Marina Green: walk east past Fort Mason and Aquatic Park, then up Columbus (about 45 minutes), or take the 30 Stockton from Chestnut St. Sunset is 6:40 PM.
Why it lands: An air show is a good first-hours date: side by side, looking up at something loud and impressive, with gaps between passes to talk. The walk to North Beach gets you out of the crowd and gives you a stretch to talk properly. A bar open until 2 means the evening runs as long as you both want.
Weather backup: The air show also runs Friday and Sunday, noon to 4. Sunday's catch: the Italian Heritage Parade starts in North Beach at 12:30, so you'll choose between it and the first half of the show (see the radar). If the Green is too crowded, Fleet Fest at Pier 27 is free, 9 to 5, Saturday and Sunday, on the other side of the northern waterfront.