Best of 2001: Best Place For Near-Ocean Nudity (That Isn't Black's Beach)

Mission Beach Jetty

It's gotta be at night, and it's gotta be warm. There are people on the jetty at all hours of the day and night. But it's still possible in the wee hours of a summer night to make your way alone to its western end. Stand on the furthest tumble of rocks, facing the ocean, where the boulders drop away into the surge and swirl of black water. If it's clear and there are no clouds to reflect the lights of the city, it's easy to imagine you're at the tip of the world, a million miles from civilization. Something about the breeze, the stars, the susurrus of swells through the rocks, who knows what else -- shed your clothes momentarily for an experience of raw nature that's rare in the city.