Say what you will about San Francisco — the budget deficits, the bureaucratic bloat, the endless cycle of ballot measures that somehow always cost more money — but the city still has one asset no supervisor can mismanage: that view.

The Golden Gate Bridge at sunset remains, without exaggeration, one of the most photographed scenes on the planet. And last night's display was a reminder of why people put up with $3,500 studio apartments and $9 lattes. When the sun drops behind those towers and the fog rolls in just right, you forget — momentarily — that Muni is late again.

Of course, the internet being the internet, not everyone is impressed by pretty pictures of the Bay Area. One local commenter captured the general fatigue with regional boosterism perfectly: "Most of these pictures are a real reach. The up close pinecone? The In-N-Out burger? The government building? Astro turf field?" Fair point. There's a whole genre of Bay Area photography that confuses proximity to a landmark with actual artistry.

But a genuine Golden Gate sunset? That's the real deal. No filter needed, no creative framing required. It's the rare San Francisco experience that costs absolutely nothing — no permit fee, no processing surcharge, no "community benefit" tax.

And maybe that's the lesson here. The things that make this city great — the natural beauty, the geography, the light — are the things that exist entirely independent of government intervention. Nobody at City Hall voted to approve the sunset. No committee reviewed the fog's environmental impact report. The Pacific Ocean didn't need a $4.7 million consulting study to figure out which direction to send the breeze.

San Francisco at its best is effortless. It's the bureaucracy that makes everything hard.

So next time you're doom-scrolling through the latest Board of Supervisors fiasco, do yourself a favor: head to Baker Beach around 7 PM, look west, and remember what your tax dollars aren't paying for.