The Allure That Is San Francisco

I'm often faced with the question "What made you move to San Francisco?" from friends and acquaintances. While I wish I had a juicy tale to tell, it is really quite simple. I traveled to San Francisco quite frequently in college for sailing regattas, which included extensive training for a national championship. I was instantaneously drawn to the energy the city possessed and the paralyzingly beautiful landscape. I knew in my heart, I'd someday come back on a more permanent basis. Several years after college, I decided it was time to move out of Rhode Island and conquer city life as a young adult. I flew to San Francisco for a "trial weekend" to see if the city still spoke to me. That particular weekend, I went for a walk in the Pacific Heights neighborhood where I was absolutely enamored by the landscape around me. Never before had I felt so invigorated. It was a natural high I wanted more and more of and was determined to make it a constant fixture in my life. It single-handedly sold me on San Francisco.

Two years later, now a resident of San Francisco, the allure continues. My walks are still one of the most invigorating experiences.Yesterday, I was memorized by the fragrance of wisteria, hyacinth and rose, while watching a tanker ship enter the bay from a long journey overseas. The fog was slowly and elegantly folding over the golden gate bridge and the streets were peaceful and desolate. I get great joy from always seeing the old white-haired woman in her periwinkle colored nightgown peering down from the top window her Edwardian mansion, almost as if she has never left her post. In a life that is often complex and trying, my walks speak to me. They will always be one of the greatest components to my love affair with San Francisco.