People obviously love living in dense cities. Look at the demand for real estate compared to elsewhere.

Maybe people generally like other people, not to mention the best of art, food, culture, convenience, etc. etc. etc. How can anyone live in a small town? (Just kidding; I completely respect people's decision to live in small towns; my point is that there is an entirely different, and widespread perspective.)

The parties and the restaurants. If it was not for that I wouldn't be in SF or any other city.

The restaurants are the only part of the Bay Area I actually miss.

Apparently an analysis was done in restaurant menu items and gentrification is making it worse because cooks don’t make enough to live close to work, so there are fewer skilled ones and hence fewer items and more salads :)

I don't often go to parties, and I prefer to cook at home. I guess it was a mistake for me to move to SF :D

It's nice that it's not as warm as the south bay though.

The weather is a close second, I'm in Noe Valley which is really chilly and I like that. You should have people at your place and cook for them and call it a party, San Francisco has The Midway, Great Northern and outdoor activities at Golden Gate which are kinda "world class" partying but there's a lot going on in house parties and places of ill repute.

I'm not really one for parties or restaurants, but I really enjoyed the walkability of San Francisco when I lived there. It's something that I always miss anytime I'm staying in a more suburban/rural area, having to deal with a car to run any errands, grab a coffee, or meet up with friends.