Forgot to add too that in SF/Oakland, you're also within striking distance to Lake Tahoe in the winter for skiing/snowboarding and Sacramento/Merced in the summer for white water rafting, kayaking. Golden Gate park is also a great place on Sundays for inline skaters and skateboarders. Also, road trips are great there. Santa Cruz mountains with their twisties are great for car freaks and enthusiasts clubs. AND there is an awesome race track up there.
There really is much more available imho to do up there. Since moving back, I still have yet to dust off my skis and skates (ok, it doesn't help my wife doesn't can't ski, skate.) And ironic, I live probably about 10 mins to the ocean here, and I can't remember the last time i was there, as I really don't have a desire to learn how to surf.
TuVu, Manhattan, so I have heard is really only a great place to live IF you are on a wall street salary. Otherwise, I heard it's pretty miserable.
I think what makes the Bay Area different is that you don't have to live in SF or really ritsy neighborhoods to enjoy what it has to offer. It's really much more of an outdoors culture than anything else.
As an added bonus, smart/attractive women have an advantage being in the Bay Area (the guy to girl ratio is terrible for a guy).
