Axios San Francisco

July 10, 2026
😌 Finally Friday! No complaints here.
🌤️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny with highs in the mid-60s, lows near 50.
🎂 Happy birthday to our Axios San Francisco member Travis Downs!
🎧 Sounds like: "Oysters In My Pocket" by Royel Otis.
Today's newsletter is 595 words — a 2-minute read.
1 big thing: 🏕 Adult summer camp craze
Summer camp isn't just for kids anymore.
The big picture: Adventure and connection seekers in California are increasingly signing up for grownup versions, complete with zip lines, campfires and speed-friending.
Why it matters: Americans are spending less time socializing than they did two decades ago, fueling a loneliness epidemic.
- Adult camps promise something hard to find these days: real-world connection.
Driving the news: Summer camps for grownups are booming across the U.S. and Europe, the Economist recently reported.
- Yelp searches for such getaways jumped roughly 350% last year.
Zoom in: Near Lake Tahoe, Sierra Nevada Journeys hosts a three-day adult summer camp each August at its 1,500-acre campus outside Portola.
- Campers can spend the weekend kayaking, hiking, zip-lining, tackling a 40-element ropes course, practicing archery or stargazing.
- The schedule also includes karaoke, paint-and-sip sessions, yoga, poolside happy hours and live music.
- Organizers cap attendance at 100 people to preserve what they call the camp's close-knit community feel, even though the property can accommodate more than twice that number.
What they're saying: "People are looking for experiences over things," Sierra Nevada Journeys spokesperson Lisa Blauth told Axios. "People are remembering their happy times as a kid and wanting to have that experience as an adult."
Zoom out: The appeal goes beyond nostalgia.
- Camps offer adults a break from busy schedules and encourage them to swap phones for face-to-face conversations with strangers, who often become friends.
- Some people come because they fondly remember childhood camp, while others are finally getting the chance to experience something they missed growing up.
- Campers range in age from 21 to 80, and many arrive solo but leave with new friendships, Blauth said. Organizers often see returning groups requesting the same cabins year after year because they bonded during previous weekends.
Yes, but: Escaping to camp isn't cheap.
By the numbers: Sierra Nevada Journeys costs $500 for a weekend.
- Elsewhere, many adult camps charge around $1,000 for a long weekend that includes lodging and meals, according to the Economist.
The bottom line: Camps promise meaningful bonds — and the chance to be a kid again — which, for many, is priceless.
2. The Wiggle: ✈️ Luxury SFO terminal
✈️ SFO plans to build a luxury private terminal where premium travelers can skip the main airport with private security, valet service and direct tarmac transfers. (The Guardian)
🚇 Mayor Daniel Lurie called the chaotic July 4 transit meltdown "unacceptable" and is now pledging to make fixes before Fleet Week in October. (SF Chronicle)
⛈️ The Bay Area could get its first monsoon-like thunderstorms of the season this weekend. (KQED)
🏘️ Supervisor Bilal Mahmood is calling a public hearing over safety, neglect, and eviction concerns at two troubled affordable housing complexes in the Western Addition. (SF Standard)
3. 1 fun thing: 🎶 Ferry Fest returns
One of San Francisco's most recognizable waterfront landmarks is marking its 128th birthday with a free afternoon of live music, art, food and wine.
State of play: Ferry Fest returns for its second year on Sunday, bringing bands and DJs to the Ferry Building plaza alongside vintage shopping, wine tastings and local artwork.
- This year's musical lineup includes French Cassettes, Combo Tezeta, Animal Prince, Grooblen, DJ Walkin' Love, Nina Durango, Good Friends and Country Risque.
If you go: 12- 6pm at the Ferry Building.
💃 Nadia is wishing her friend Judit a happy birthday!
🗓️ Shawna is out.
This newsletter was edited by Jessica Boehm.
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