SF Bay is a gorgeous area. It is expensive to live there, they don't lie when they tell you that, but if you can afford it, it's amazing.

I spent a month there a couple of years ago, the the city itself is very pretty, but surprisingly small. It only takes a couple of weekends to see pretty much all of the major sites. But south or north along the coast is just site after site for hours in either direction. I can't recommend strongly enough heading south into the Big Sur area, breathtaking scenery.