I didn't think it would be possible to catch Hale Bopp in the evening from below 38 degrees latitude until later in the month, but on a whim I took my binoculars out to a scenic overlook on the west side of the City. (Near the Cliff House, to those who know San Francisco)
I was sweeping the horizon in bright twilight with my 8x32 binoculars, trying to find Deneb, when the comet popped into view! This was at about 6:50 local time, 45 minutes after sunset. The coma appeared very bright (brighter than Deneb, when I finally found it for comparison), and the tail was visible stretching to the right for over 1 degree even in the bright twilight!
I probably would have found it earlier had I been looking in the right place, but I was unfamiliar with the site and had been scanning too far to the South. As it was the best view was just a few minutes after I found it, at around 7:00, when I was briefly able to pick it out naked eye less than 5 degrees above the horizon. Then it began to sink into the murk. At that time I was able to discern the "warped" shape of the coma in my binocs.