Within these 13 rather broad bulletpoints are several other subpoints that attempt to give meaning to Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” a song that resonates deeply with so many of us. In other words, this is one incredible city and to distill it down into a tidy list of reasons to love San Francisco is a near impossible task. That said, I’m always up for a tough challenge, so here goes…

  1. The hills will leave you breathless… literally.

Flickr/Hakan Dahlstrom Number one on this list for their breadth, their beauty, and for keeping me humble—always.

  1. The history is weird, wild, radical, and totally fascinating.

Flickr/Curtis Cronn This is a city that has always attracted every type of dreamer and revolutionary, from the time of the Gold Rush to the Summer of Love to, well, Twitter.

  1. The food scene here is incredible and incomparable.

Nopa The food of San Francisco deserves about 1,000 articles in itself—look to your right and you’ll find a James Beard Award winner, to your left is a Food Network fave, straight ahead is an inventive fusion spot that will have your taste buds dancing. And then there are the burritos. The ice cream. The coffee. The wine. The chocolate. The donuts. The pho. Shall I keep going?

  1. Every neighborhood has its own distinct charm.

Flickr/Scott Johnson Go to the Mission for burritos, Bi-Rite, and Dolores Park; North Beach for some focaccia and old-school beat coolness; the Castro for good cafes and friendly peeps; the Haight for Amoeba and yoga…

  1. The weather is almost always damn near perfect.

Flickr/Travis Wise Okay, not like 80 degrees perfect, but it’s hard to complain about the weather here. Of course, layering is always crucial.

  1. The beaches may be cold, but they are ridiculously beautiful.

Big & Small Travel Baker Beach will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s breathtaking, serene, surrounded by incredible hiking trails, and nearly never crowded.

  1. There are over 220 parks and open spaces scattered throughout the city.

Flickr/torbakhopper San Francisco takes advantage of nearly every nook and cranny. And while Golden Gate Park and the Presidio are exceptional urban refuges, there are also an abundance of public rooftop spaces, mini parks, and hilltop sanctuaries to explore.

  1. The stairs of San Francisco are epic in their own right.

Big & Small Travel They’ll always get you to some cool viewpoint, and they will whip you right into shape, too.

  1. The views are pretty spectacular, no matter where you are in the city.

Flickr/Thomas Hawk The Bay, the Pacific, the bridges, the Victorian houses, all the abodes nestled along the hills. Love.

  1. The street art remains the most potent form of beauty and expression.

Flickr/Wally Gobetz You can learn a whole lot about culture, gentrification, and the current struggles going on in every community.

  1. The Golden Gate Bridge and Bay Bridge will always amaze no matter how long you’ve been living here.

Flickr/KP Tripathi Fun fact: Construction for both bridges began in 1933, and each opened within a little over 6 months of each other. Pretty incredible.

  1. San Franciscans are full of pride.

Flickr/GPS And not just that Pride, but a deep pride for the city itself: San Franciscans are obsessed with their city; in fact, we can admittedly be quite smug about it.

  1. It’s seriously one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Flickr/David Yu And you wonder why we’re all so proud to call this home?

Now, I want to hear why your heart beats for this city, too. What are some of the main reasons you love San Francisco?

Flickr/Hakan Dahlstrom

Number one on this list for their breadth, their beauty, and for keeping me humble—always.

Flickr/Curtis Cronn

This is a city that has always attracted every type of dreamer and revolutionary, from the time of the Gold Rush to the Summer of Love to, well, Twitter.

Nopa

The food of San Francisco deserves about 1,000 articles in itself—look to your right and you’ll find a James Beard Award winner, to your left is a Food Network fave, straight ahead is an inventive fusion spot that will have your taste buds dancing. And then there are the burritos. The ice cream. The coffee. The wine. The chocolate. The donuts. The pho. Shall I keep going?

Flickr/Scott Johnson

Go to the Mission for burritos, Bi-Rite, and Dolores Park; North Beach for some focaccia and old-school beat coolness; the Castro for good cafes and friendly peeps; the Haight for Amoeba and yoga…

Flickr/Travis Wise

Okay, not like 80 degrees perfect, but it’s hard to complain about the weather here. Of course, layering is always crucial.

Big & Small Travel

Baker Beach will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s breathtaking, serene, surrounded by incredible hiking trails, and nearly never crowded.

Flickr/torbakhopper

San Francisco takes advantage of nearly every nook and cranny. And while Golden Gate Park and the Presidio are exceptional urban refuges, there are also an abundance of public rooftop spaces, mini parks, and hilltop sanctuaries to explore.

They’ll always get you to some cool viewpoint, and they will whip you right into shape, too.

Flickr/Thomas Hawk

The Bay, the Pacific, the bridges, the Victorian houses, all the abodes nestled along the hills. Love.

Flickr/Wally Gobetz

You can learn a whole lot about culture, gentrification, and the current struggles going on in every community.

Flickr/KP Tripathi

Fun fact: Construction for both bridges began in 1933, and each opened within a little over 6 months of each other. Pretty incredible.

Flickr/GPS

And not just that Pride, but a deep pride for the city itself: San Franciscans are obsessed with their city; in fact, we can admittedly be quite smug about it.

Flickr/David Yu

And you wonder why we’re all so proud to call this home?

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