In a city where a mediocre cocktail runs you $19 and a one-bedroom apartment requires selling a kidney, it's nice to be reminded that some of San Francisco's best moments are still completely free.

Next Thursday, April 9 at 6:54 a.m., California Henge returns — one of those twice-yearly mornings when the rising sun aligns perfectly with the city's east-west street grid, sending a blazing golden corridor of light straight down California Street. It's San Francisco's answer to Manhattan's famous Manhattanhenge, and frankly, ours is better. (Sorry, New York. We have hills.)

The best viewing spots are along California Street in Nob Hill, where the iconic cable car tracks frame the sunrise like something out of a tourism board's fever dream. Others prefer Gough Street for a slightly different angle. Either way, you'll want to arrive a few minutes early, face east, and have your phone ready — or better yet, just watch it with your actual eyes like a human being.

The obvious caveat: weather permitting. This is San Francisco, so Karl the Fog could absolutely crash the party. Keep an eye on forecasts as the morning approaches.

Here's what we love about California Henge: no permits were required, no city commission spent six months debating it, no one allocated $2.3 million for a "sunrise equity study." The sun just shows up and does its thing, free of charge, no bureaucratic interference necessary. It's the most efficiently run event in San Francisco history.

Grab a coffee, drag a friend out of bed, and go stand on a hill at dawn. It's a rare reminder that this city — for all its dysfunction — is still genuinely, breathtakingly beautiful when you catch it at the right moment.

See you out there, SF.