Dear Axios San Francisco, I'm leaving. I figured it'd be best to just rip the Band-Aid off, especially in the spirit of smart brevity.

State of play: My last day at Axios is Thursday, after which I'll take a week off before starting a reporting role at Gazetteer San Francisco.

• Gazetteer is a local media company aiming to revitalize local news.
• As the New York Times recently reported, "Local News Is Dying, but Not in San Francisco."

Flashback: During these couple of years at Axios SF, I've been able to report on a wide variety of stories, whether it was about gentrification in Chinatown, school board drama, my favorite animal shelter, Muttville, the push for a public bank, reparations for Black residents, robotaxis and the Golden State Valkyries.

The bottom line: I'm immensely grateful for my time here at Axios, and that wouldn't have been possible without my former colleague Nick Bastone.

• Nick founded the SF Minute during the pandemic to help San Franciscans stay on top of local news. He later sold it to Axios, brought me on board in July 2022, and together, Nick and I launched this newsletter that has hopefully become a vital part to your everyday life.
• Nick's now living his best life in the Midwest with his wife, two kids and one of the cutest GSPs you've ever seen.

What's next: Fear not. Axios SF is in highly capable hands with my colleague Shawna Chen and video producer Claire Reilly.

• Meanwhile, Axios SF is looking to hire someone to be the better version of me, so peep the job listing here and share it with someone who wants to report on the best city in California.

💭 Shawna's thought bubble: I'm gonna miss bickering with Megan about who qualifies as a San Franciscan, trolling her about our generational differences, swapping photos of our pups and just generally gaining strength from her steadfast presence.

• Thank you for being the best partner I could've asked for — I better still see you around town!

California is home to more national parks than any other state, and on Saturday you can visit them for free to celebrate National Public Lands Day.

Why it matters: The breathtaking views, trails and natural wonders at most of the state's nine national parks are within a day's drive from San Francisco.

The big picture: The parks span the entire state and offer diverse landscapes, wildlife, climates and activities from the desert to the mountains to remote islands to dense forests.

• Yosemite National Park, best known for its striking granite cliffs and towering waterfalls, is the state's most popular.
• Death Valley National Park is the biggest, hottest and has the lowest point in North America at Badwater Basin.
• Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park, called "A Land of Giants," has the world's largest trees, plus mountains, canyons and caverns.
• Redwood National Park is home to the tallest trees on Earth.
• Lassen Volcanic National Park has several volcanoes and crystal-clear lakes.

Fun fact: Channel Islands, the state's least-visited national park, includes Catalina Island, which hosts the "Step Brothers"-inspired Catalina Wine Mixer.

Zoom in: Yosemite is perhaps Northern California's most famous national park.

• Nearly 4 million visitors went hiking, bouldering and stargazing there last year, making it the 6th most popular national park in the country.
• "No temple made with human hands can compete with Yosemite," conservation advocate John Muir once wrote.
• It's about a 3.5 hour drive from San Francisco and entry typically costs $20 per person or $35 per vehicle.

Tell a friend

🎓 USF president Paul J. Fitzgerald has resigned from his role as the university's 28th president. (SF Chronicle)

📚 Parents rallied at the San Francisco school board meeting last night with the aim of stopping planned school closures. (SFist)

🚲 The city's transit department has unveiled design plans for the new side-running bike lane on Valencia Street. (Mission Local)

Earlier this month, 1,300 feet of newly installed LED lights transformed San Francisco's Transamerica Pyramid into a stunning visual feast.

Why it matters: The light show marked the renovation of the iconic building, which first opened in 1972 and became known as the "Wall Street of the West."

State of play: The pyramid, once the tallest building in the San Francisco skyline, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Sept. 12 with an immersive light show via precision laser projections.

• Local photographer Pankaj Bhargava flew a drone out to capture a timelapse that night, first from Yerba Buena Island then from Pier 7.
• "It's like capturing a moment that was fleeting and finally seeing your vision coming to reality — clear, vibrant, and tangible," Bhargava told Axios SF. "Being night time it wasn't easy, but overall it came out exactly as I thought... Worth the wait!"

Head over to the Axios SF Instagram to see the final product!