“The coldest winter I saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco,” quipped Mark Twain. It’s good to know some things never change. The City by the Bay (or simply “The City” to those within driving distance) didn’t disappoint, as the comforting midsummer fog enshrouded nerds from near and far. Grab an Irish coffee and hop aboard the cable car; it must be time for the 46th annual Design Automation Conference.

San Francisco is practically an island, surrounded on three sides by water, so when it’s baking hot elsewhere in California, the low atmospheric pressure draws moisture over the top of San Francisco and, like Brigadoon, it disappears from view. Only the tips of the Golden Gate Bridge peek through the fog, like orange traffic cones guiding visitors across the bay.