As the infamous Mary Poppins taught us long ago, flying a kite can inspire the most grumbling of grouches into song and dance. So grab a sweeping Marina field, a windy day, and a kite – and see if “let’s go fly a kite” doesn’t pop into your head.

Aside from time travel, there may be nothing more effective at reclaiming one’s youth than spending an afternoon flying a kite. At the Marina Green, runners, dogs, and families gather to soak in the Golden Gate Bridge vista and ongoing stretch of oceanside greenery. And in a place as windy and sunny as San Francisco’s Marina, the conditions are tailor-made for aerial adventures.

Before heading to the beckoning breeze of the Marina, the young-at-heart stop by Chinatown Kite (located, not surprisingly, in Chinatown) to peruse the aisles of soaring toys. Whether it’s an airborne Snoopy or a fire-breathing aerodynamic ninja-kite, there’s a kite for every enthusiast. And once airborne, these kites put the “extreme” in extreme kite flying, so visitors are quickly reminded why the once leisurely endeavor is a full contact sport when it comes to the Marina.