A layover in San Francisco

America’s most innovative minds—not to mention some of the richest—call San Francisco home. Doing business on the West Coast means embracing casualness, and, while Bay Area CEOs are as serious about the bottom line as their NYC counterparts, life here is a little more easygoing. So lose the pinstripes and pocket square if you like, but don’t get too laissez-faire — think casual, not sloppy.

Seasons Bar & Lounge
Photo: Lenny Gonzalez

Lay of the land: Campton Place is an institution in Union Square, offering what locals consider San Francisco’s top boutique hotel experience. Rooms are not only modern and elegant but famously comfortable (featherbeds, down duvets, luxury linens). Service is unsurpassed (a trademark of the Taj group of hotels), and the historic building has a quiet intimacy that welcomes you to San Francisco like only a century-old hotel can.

Make your pitch: If you’re looking to rub elbows at lunch with Apple execs and Google top brass, book a table at Perbacco. Located deep in the financial district, this spacious dining room is a lunch staple, serving up high-style rustic Italian fare. The salumi misti appetizer—a selection of house-cured Italian meats—is not to be missed.

Seal the deal: When it comes to eating out, standards are higher in this city than anywhere else in the country. Gary Danko is quintessential San Francisco—from the laid-back room and spa-inspired bathrooms to the signature tableside theatrics, which include tea service, caviar service and flambéed desserts. After dinner, hash out final details over a drink at the posh Seasons Bar & Lounge, the unofficial stomping ground of local and international business moguls looking to toast a newly minted deal.

What to read: Armistead Maupin’s classic Tales of the City draws a sparkling portrait of San Francisco in the 1970s. The story is told through the eyes of Mary Ann Singleton, a sheltered Cleveland girl who moves to San Francisco and gets caught up in the misadventures of her colourful neighbours at 28 Barbary Lane.

Terminal tip: Boudin Bakery and Café is the oldest known bakery in a city that is famous for its bread. Its airport outpost in Terminal 3 is your last chance to grab a loaf of sourdough for the road.

First person: “It may sound silly because it’s California but, when I first moved here, I was most surprised by the weather. It can go from chilly in the morning to sunny at lunch to raining in the afternoon and foggy by the end of the workday. And that’s every day. Shorts and a T-shirt are a dead giveaway that you’re a tourist. Layer up and always carry an umbrella.”—Daniel Giles is president of Super by Dr. Nicholas Perricone. He has lived in San Francisco for eight years.