Why I Love San Francisco

Everyone has a favorite city or two that they love the most, from all corners of the world.

Mine happens to be San Francisco.

I have many reasons for this. First of all, this city is like taking the entire world and squeezing it into 46 square miles.

In that tiny amount of space - a friend of mine who lives there swore he could walk from one end to the other, east to west or vice versa, in two hours - the cultural diversity spans far and wide.

One moment you're in China, the next you're in Italy, a little further south you're in Mexico, and up north in Japan.

Whichever corner you end up in, there is plenty of authentic cuisine, souvenirs, art, music, and local architecture that immerses you entirely in the culture of its people.

Secondly, it's by the ocean. There is something special about being by the ocean, whether on a beach or sitting atop a grassy cliff, watching the waves crash and the sunlight dance on the water.

Many times I have dreamed of sitting on the roof of a San Franciscan apartment building and watching the ocean from far away. How genuinely romantic.

Thirdly, San Francisco, as small it is by area and population, still gives you "that city feel."

As someone born in Moscow, the capital of Russia with a population of more than 10 million, being in "the big city" is a heaven for me.

I simply can't live without being in San Francisco. I live in San Jose, and despite its one million residents, it doesn't feel like a true city ... but San Francisco makes up for that.

It's no mistake that San Francisco has been nicknamed "The City." It truly has it all: shopping malls, traffic, skyscrapers, and plenty of rush-hour crowds. What's not to love?

And I can go on ... San Francisco is a city of music, of art, of history, and just oh so much to see. No wonder there are so many tourists every year.

Even when The City is congested with tourists, pushing out the locals beyond the city limits, it's still great.

I feel like there is always plenty of excitement in the air, and when the downtown crowds become too much to handle, there is always an opportunity to escape into a quiet, on-the-Mediterranean town-like haven, such as the Outer Sunset, where you're just steps away from the beach on that perfect sunny day.

I love San Francisco. I truly do. This is why I plan on moving there as soon as I wrap up my undergraduate studies.

I visit The City once, maybe twice a month at most, and I know that even if I get to experience it every day, I will never really get enough of it. Everything about it just makes me happy.

How about you? What is your special place on earth?