With longer evenings settling in, it's worth remembering that some of the finest experiences in this absurdly expensive town require exactly zero dollars and zero permits. Here's a rundown of the spots worth your time.

Lands End & Sutro Baths remain the perennial favorites for good reason. The crumbling ruins of Adolph Sutro's old bathhouse complex set against a Pacific sunset is the kind of scene that makes you momentarily forget what you pay in state income tax. Get there early on weekends — this is no secret.

Sunset Dunes offer a more laid-back, less trafficked alternative if you want sand under your feet without the Lands End crowd. Mt. Davidson is a genuinely underrated pick — the highest natural point in the city, tucked away in a eucalyptus forest, and somehow still a hidden gem.

Twin Peaks is the obvious tourist play, but don't sleep on the new trails up there. And for those who'd rather skip the trek to the coast, Turtle Hill in the Inner Sunset gives you a solid westward panorama without the commitment — fog permitting, of course.

One local offered a brilliant piece of advice: "Wherever you choose, make it somewhere you can turn around and watch the lights twinkle off the houses in the East Bay." That's the kind of two-for-one deal we can get behind.

Here's the thing — San Francisco's government spends billions annually, and yet the best stuff about this city is the stuff nobody had to appropriate a budget for. No committees, no environmental impact reports, no five-year implementation timelines. Just the Pacific Ocean, some elevation, and a clear evening.

Get out there. It's free. That alone makes it rare in this town.