This city's landmarks remain absolutely undefeated. The Golden Gate Bridge emerging from a wall of fog at sunrise. The Bay Bridge catching light on a crisp morning like it was designed by someone who actually cared about aesthetics (imagine that ethos applied to, say, municipal project management). The way you can stand almost anywhere in the city and spot something iconic on the skyline. No permits required. No $4.2 million feasibility study needed.

There's a reason residents — new and old alike — still stop in their tracks when the fog lifts just right over the water and the colors hit. One local described crossing the Golden Gate as triggering "funny nostalgic feelings," and honestly, that's the most universal San Francisco experience there is. This city gets under your skin despite itself.

Of course, actually getting to these views is another story. One Bay Area commuter suggested renting a Bay Wheels bike to explore Nob Hill, which — if you know, you know. Your quads will have opinions about that plan. And dodging scooters on sidewalks has become its own extreme sport. As one SF resident put it, scooter and bike traffic on sidewalks "is a huge issue — I have to dodge them constantly, and they get mad at you, even though they are in the wrong."

But here's the thing worth remembering when the doom-scrolling gets heavy: San Francisco's natural and architectural beauty is a public good that costs taxpayers exactly nothing to maintain. The bay does its own thing. The bridges stand. The fog rolls. It's free infrastructure that actually works — no oversight committee necessary.

Maybe there's a lesson in that. The best things about this city are the ones the government had the least to do with running. The geography doesn't need a five-year strategic plan. It just delivers, every single morning.

Get outside. Look up. It's still worth it.