I’m a J-1 intern at the visitor center and lately travelers have been asking for indoor things to do after the 3 pm showers roll in — besides the aquarium. Any favorites within a 15-minute walk of Market St. or the ferry terminal that you recommend for a couple hours?
Ride the vintage F-line streetcars from the Ferry Building up Market to Castro and back — dry, scenic, and it fills that “couple hours” nicely. Cap it with the SF Railway Museum on Steuart for a quick browse; it’s free but closes early. If they want something quieter near Market St., the Mechanics’ Institute Library reading room works, though you may need a day pass.
I usually send folks to SFMOMA — easy walk from Market, and you can keep it to a ‘couple hours’ by sticking to one floor (I love the Calder mobiles or the Photography galleries) and then grabbing a coffee in the lobby. If the ticket price is a hurdle, the free ground-floor galleries and the museum store still make a bite-sized stop. Would that fit what travelers are asking for, or do you want something more food-centric?