The Best Places of This Town: Lands End
Journalists (and writers) in general are caught in an ethical bind. We have big mouths but recognize that some things must remain sacred. This curse of the loose lips has haunted California its whole life - how do you keep the stampedes from ruining the special qualities that you simply cannot help but advertise?
Looking east towards Sea Cliff
California is the Fleetwood Mac of U.S. states - a beautiful-sounding band that suffers from being overplayed on every major commercial radio station. Just refer to this Wikipedia collection listing the songs celebrating The Eureka State. It's gotten so bad that many native Californians flee for adjacent Oregon, Nevada or Arizona where they are not always welcome. This turf-and-tribe conundrum is not necessarily a western problem but a human one. It would be nice if the worldwide population could be kept in checked but are you going to let someone tell you how and when to reproduce, or Goddess forbid, where and when to migrate? This is why I stand on the side of illegal immigrants and tech workers who have made a place like San Francisco home.
The Golden State's population growth rate has exceeded that of the U.S. as a whole over a three year period between 2010 and 2013 (2.9% to the country's 2.4%). According to the United States Census Bureau, Golden State inhabitants are estimated to stand at 38,332,521. With the drought on its third year, lots of folks are discussing the dire consequences of the state's population projected to balloon to 50 million residents (there is some argument though about when that is to take place).
Monterey Cypress canopy
All of this talk of exposure and sovereignty stems from the fact that I decided to hike my favorite secret place in the whole city only to find quite a few people who had the same idea at 9:30 a.m. on a Monday holiday. Lands End will see all her suitors. She reclines on the northwestern corner of San Francisco, a three-mile- stretch of hilly, wild land that is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. My friend, Sean, and my houseguest, Gus, a French Bulldog puppy, accompanied me on this adventure.
Just Gus
Essentially, Lands End is a collection of trails that run from the border of the ritzy neighborhood of Sea Cliff to the flat expanse of Ocean Beach. I haven't done the whole thing (I'm savoring the bits and pieces) but attractions include the Sutro Baths, which were popular resting places at the turn of the 20th century, and the Labyrinth overlooking Golden Gate Bridge. One of the highlights of Lands End is that you cannot hear any cars for miles, just the wild surf of the deceptively named Pacific Ocean. A canopy of Monterey Cypress, Blue Gum Eucalyptus and Monterey Pine will shade your way along the damp trail but there are plenty of rocky vistas where the sun shines proudly.
Gus and Me
At the tail end of the hike, we rewarded ourselves with an outdoor brunch at the BeachSide bistro near Ocean Beach. It was a lovely meal for a party of three; now there's a number I can agree with.
Three of Us
Looking east towards Sea CliffCalifornia is the Fleetwood Mac of U.S. states - a beautiful-sounding band that suffers from being overplayed on every major commercial radio station. Just refer to this Wikipedia collection listing the songs celebrating The Eureka State. It's gotten so bad that many native Californians flee for adjacent Oregon, Nevada or Arizona where they are not always welcome. This turf-and-tribe conundrum is not necessarily a western problem but a human one. It would be nice if the worldwide population could be kept in checked but are you going to let someone tell you how and when to reproduce, or Goddess forbid, where and when to migrate? This is why I stand on the side of illegal immigrants and tech workers who have made a place like San Francisco home.
The Golden State's population growth rate has exceeded that of the U.S. as a whole over a three year period between 2010 and 2013 (2.9% to the country's 2.4%). According to the United States Census Bureau, Golden State inhabitants are estimated to stand at 38,332,521. With the drought on its third year, lots of folks are discussing the dire consequences of the state's population projected to balloon to 50 million residents (there is some argument though about when that is to take place).
Monterey Cypress canopy Just GusEssentially, Lands End is a collection of trails that run from the border of the ritzy neighborhood of Sea Cliff to the flat expanse of Ocean Beach. I haven't done the whole thing (I'm savoring the bits and pieces) but attractions include the Sutro Baths, which were popular resting places at the turn of the 20th century, and the Labyrinth overlooking Golden Gate Bridge. One of the highlights of Lands End is that you cannot hear any cars for miles, just the wild surf of the deceptively named Pacific Ocean. A canopy of Monterey Cypress, Blue Gum Eucalyptus and Monterey Pine will shade your way along the damp trail but there are plenty of rocky vistas where the sun shines proudly.
Gus and MeAt the tail end of the hike, we rewarded ourselves with an outdoor brunch at the BeachSide bistro near Ocean Beach. It was a lovely meal for a party of three; now there's a number I can agree with.
Three of Us
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