One lucky San Franciscan managed to catch a military flyover from what might be the most enviable vantage point imaginable: sitting in a kayak on the water, looking straight up as the jets screamed overhead. No $15 beer. No fighting for a spot on the Marina Green. No parking nightmare. Just open water, a paddle, and impeccable timing.
It's a small moment, but it's worth pausing on. In a city where seemingly every experience has been monetized, permitted, regulated, or turned into a ticketed "activation" with a corporate sponsor, there's something beautifully ungovernable about a person in a kayak catching a flyover by pure chance.
No city supervisor approved this experience. No committee studied the equity implications of watercraft-based jet viewing. Nobody needed a $400 million bond measure to make it happen. A person just went outside, did something they enjoy, and the universe rewarded them.
This is, in miniature, the San Francisco we keep saying we want — one where people actually use the extraordinary natural assets we're blessed with instead of arguing about them in public comment sessions. The Bay is right there. The views are right there. The magic of living in one of the most stunning metropolitan settings on Earth is available to anyone willing to get off the couch.
So here's your editorial encouragement for the week: go outside. Get on the water. Ride your bike to the bridge. Hike Lands End at sunset. The city charges you enough in rent and taxes — you might as well collect on the dividends.
And if a flyover happens to come roaring by? Well, that's just San Francisco saying you made the right call.




