The beautiful beach. The blazing sun. The dreaded bikini. All of these things are so familiar to us. I can’t think of anywhere I would rather be than on a beach, or anything that I would rather do than lay on it. And that’s exactly what I did this weekend; yes, all weekend. As finals creep closer and work gets stressful, a relaxing weekend at the beach was the perfect medicine. If you have ever spent any time in San Francisco, you know that the weather is unpredictable at best. The temperature has been known to drop 30° degrees and the fog rolls in so heavy, the city seems to disappear. And anytime the temperature is above 60, people crowd the parks and beaches as if they haven’t seen the sun in years. This weekend it felt more like the Bahamas than San Francisco, the wretched fog and wind were no where to be found for three entire days! A few of my favorite beaches in San Francisco are Ocean and Baker beach. Baker beach has 
the feel of a local’s beach, just a bit bigger. It is about a half-mile long and at the North end, there is a well-known nudist beach. It has an amazing view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. The parking at Baker however, is quite a hassle. Whenever we go to the beach during the day we tend to head to Baker, it seems less windy. The beach is the perfect place to do just about anything: relax, hang out with friends, play football or volleyball, read a book.Ocean beach, however is the clear choice for a late night bonfire. Ocean beach is a lot bigger and the ocean seems almost endless as it collides miles away into the sky. On a warm night, like Saturday for example, people flock to the beach for fires, live music, and s’mores. The night scene at the beach in San Francisco is probably exactly how you would imagine it…sort of an extension of the sixties.
Fires were raging all up and down the beach Saturday night, and as my friends and I wandered from one to the next, three things remained constant. A fire (obviously), food, and music. Some of the fires were huge, and others were much smaller. Some of the food was gourmet, and of it…not at all. Some of the music was live, with guitars and drums and dancers; and other music blared out of boomboxes. All of it was great.
This weekend was perfect. Between the weather and the company, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. And it was all so simple…a blanket, a ball, a few beers, and you’re golden. Next time the weather is good, where ever you live, I suggest you hit the beach!
