Sometimes you need a break from writing about budget deficits and bureaucratic incompetence to acknowledge a simple truth: San Francisco, when it gets out of its own way, is one of the most stunning cities on the planet.

Yesterday morning, after the storm cleared out and left that crisp, rinsed-clean sky that only post-rain SF delivers, the move was obvious — Arsicault croissant in hand, Tunnel Tops underfoot, Golden Gate Bridge doing what it does best: sitting there looking impossibly beautiful.

No permits required. No $400 million feasibility study. No oversight committee. Just a world-class pastry from a small local bakery and a public park that actually works.

This is worth pausing on. Arsicault isn't a chain. It isn't backed by private equity. It's a bakery that decided to be excellent at one thing and has stayed that way. In a city where beloved local institutions routinely get gobbled up and hollowed out, that matters. As one SF resident put it bluntly about the PE acquisition trend: "Private equity equals the enshittification of society." Harsh, but not wrong — and it's exactly why places like Arsicault deserve your dollars.

Another local captured the vibe perfectly when talking about a certain once-beloved coffee chain: "Let me pour my own cream, you cowards." The frustration isn't really about cream. It's about the slow erosion of what made SF's food scene special — independence, craft, a little bit of weirdness.

Tunnel Tops itself is a reminder that public investment can work when it's focused and well-executed. The Presidio Trust runs a tight ship compared to most city agencies, and the result is a park that people actually want to visit.

The formula isn't complicated: support local businesses that do things well, maintain public spaces that people love, and stop overcomplicating everything else. An Arsicault croissant and a bridge view shouldn't feel revolutionary — but in a city that too often trips over its own ambitions, these small perfect moments are worth celebrating.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming of holding City Hall accountable.