Look, we spend a lot of time around here talking about what's broken — the budget, the bureaucracy, the bizarre decisions coming out of City Hall. So consider this your palate cleanser.

A hiker at Montara Beach this week snapped a photo of a couple sharing a quiet moment on the coast, and it promptly made the rounds online, with people calling them "couple goals." No drama. No policy failure. Just two people enjoying one of the most stunning stretches of public coastline in the country.

One local wasn't entirely sold on the hype, asking, "What'd they do that was couple goals?" — which is honestly a fair question. But sometimes the bar is just being present somewhere beautiful without staring at your phone, and in 2025, that qualifies.

Here's the thing worth noting: Montara Beach and the surrounding coastline exist because of public access protections that have kept California's coast from becoming a walled-off playground for the wealthy. Love it or hate it, that's one area where government stewardship has actually delivered value. You don't need a membership, a reservation, or a $47 parking app. You just show up.

The Bay Area charges you plenty to live here — in rent, in taxes, in the psychic cost of watching your supervisors debate whether a burrito is a sandwich for permitting purposes. But the coastline? That's the one thing that consistently pays you back.

So to the mystery couple at Montara: enjoy it. You've earned a nice moment. The rest of us will be back tomorrow yelling about the budget.