As I’m writing this, it’s a chilly morning in February and the sun is white. The harsh London light is absorbing into the puddles as I’m dragging myself across the car park. The trees with their bare, brutal branches add to the day’s hostility. I can hear a murmur from other people about how it’s ‘a lovely day’ and how this is ‘glorious sunshine’. I sigh to myself.

Whenever I long for sunshine, my mind goes back to San Francisco. I visited in August 2019 and wow. What a city. The streets lined with beautifully intricate homes; the corporate yet artistically designed skyscrapers; the indie, almost turn-of-the-century style shops on Pier 39 perched on the edge of a rich, oil painting of a bay – it’s all incredible. But the way the summer sunshine brings it to life is the true marvel.

I’ve never been anywhere where the sun exposes the magic in a place quite like this. It’s as though the city is in a permanent golden hour throughout the day. It was like looking through rose-tinted sunnies as soon as I stepped out of the hotel. Even the drive in from the airport didn’t reveal the aura around this place. It was only after I checked in, I saw the glow. Everywhere I went it was as though the warmth was radiating out from within the streets and buildings. The light doesn’t bounce off buildings or reflect off the skyscrapers – it frames them. All the unique and unmatching establishments along the roads soak up the sun and look perfectly in place. All the plants and trees are so alive and rich in colour. They seem immune to getting scorched by the sun unlike their UK counterparts. The bay glistens, of course, but somehow, so does the city.  Whichever spot I stood in, I would look up and see the gold dust sprinkled within bones of this megalopolis; the USA’s own El Dorado.

Whether it’s seeing Lombard Street in a permanent golden glow or the cityscape twinkling under the Californian sun – The City by the Bay is the epitome of the perfect summertime. For now, I will continue my journey into work in an ultra-violet glare, but I will be daydreaming of San Francisco.