Whether it's catching a ferry to Angel Island, hitting up one of the city's street fairs, grabbing a burger at a backyard cookout, or just claiming a patch of Dolores Park before the crowds descend — this is the weekend to actually use the public spaces your tax dollars maintain.

Speaking of public spaces: it's worth a quick PSA about something that's been boiling over in SF's recreational scene. Groups of self-appointed court kings have been hogging public pickleball and tennis courts across the city — running what amount to pay-to-play clubs on facilities that are supposed to be open to everyone on a walk-on basis. One local resident put it bluntly: "We used to be able to walk on and wait 30 minutes to an hour max for a court. Now, because of this exact cult, we can never get on." Another SF resident noted the absurdity: "Crazy that they're so brazen with a website, event rules, and donations. I'm 100% sure that will be against SF Parks and Rec policy."

It's a small but telling example of how public goods get captured by organized, entitled groups while the city looks the other way. SF Rec and Park literally has a permit system and charges for group tennis rentals — but enforcement, as with so many things in this city, appears to be optional.

So this weekend, go claim what's yours. The parks, the courts, the waterfront, the festivals — all of it. You're paying some of the highest taxes in the country to live here. The least you can do is get some sunshine out of the deal.

Happy Memorial Day, and to those who served — thank you. The freedoms we enjoy this weekend, from the mundane to the profound, exist because someone else sacrificed for them. Don't take that for granted.