We're in the Marina, along San Francisco's north perimeter, on our way to Crissy Field. For no particular reason. The most romantic parts of San Francisco are those most closely connected to the water. It has something to do with the fog, and the wind, and the drama of the seas, and our links to the past. Don't ask me to explain it.
That said, I don't think a lot of people come here for the romance. That would be a little overwrought. San Franciscans in black turtlenecks flocking to the beaches to read poetry and have deep feelings. It's just a nice recreation area.
This was military land until base closures 20 years ago. Conservationists took up the asphalt landing field and restored a saltwater lagoon. Birds moved in immediately. They also restored a coastal sage scrub ecology, the tawny colors of which I always find so beautiful at the end of our long, dry summers.
