I Left My Heart on the Cable Car: A San Francisco Love Story

by Richard Valdez - www.RichardValdezRE.com

Falling in Love with San Francisco Again

There’s something about San Francisco mornings that feels like a secret. The kind of secret you can only hear if you’re awake early enough — before the fog burns off, before the city remembers it’s expensive, before the tourists start queuing for the cable cars.

That’s when you hear it — that low, metallic hum as the first car climbs Powell Street. The clang of the bell, sharp and flirtatious, like the city saying, “Good morning, darling. Miss me?”

Tony Bennett may have left his heart here, but I think I keep losing mine — piece by piece — on every ride up Nob Hill and down to the Wharf.

The Cable Car Ritual

Every time my husband and I get off at Powell Street coming up from the Muni train, we see the cable cars approaching, gliding in like old movie stars making their entrance. I always stop before heading to our gym for an early workout — just to watch how she slowly approaches, then spins, turning herself around with the kind of grace only San Francisco could teach.

My husband laughs and shakes his head every time. “You and that cable car,” he says, “it’s like watching you fall in love all over again.”

Even after all these years, it still feels like magic.

Internal link suggestion: Link to a blog post about Powell Street or SF attractions

Returning After Twenty Years

We moved from Santa Barbara to San Francisco in 2021, and I was saddened that the cable cars were not operating because of the pandemic. The city felt quieter, as if she, too, was holding her breath. But a little over a year after settling back, she came alive again — that familiar clang of the bell echoing through the hills like a heartbeat returning.

The first thing we did one quiet morning was board the first cable car from Powell Street to Ghirardelli Square. It had been twenty years since I’d left San Francisco to build a life with my husband in Santa Barbara — twenty years of hope, dreams, and everything in between. Yet as the car began its slow climb through the still streets, that old rush of wonder returned. The fog drifted in softly, wrapping around us like a familiar embrace, and for a moment, it felt as if the city itself was lifting us into the heavens.

Seeing the City Through a Realtor’s Eyes

As a realtor, I see love stories unfold inside every Victorian bay window, every rent-controlled miracle, every overpriced dream. I’ve walked clients through homes that whispered, “You belong here,” and others that screamed, “Run.”

San Francisco doesn’t care what you can afford — it only asks what you’re willing to surrender.

For me, it was certainty.

For my husband, it was predictability.

For our four dogs, it was the ability to pee without an audience.

And yet, we stayed — because here, even heartbreak feels romantic.

The Mass Exodus and Regret

Sometimes, when I’m showing a home in Pacific Heights, I’ll catch the view just right — the Golden Gate shimmering in the distance, the fog curling like a lover’s hand around the hills — and I’ll think, this city ruins you for anywhere else.

I’ve seen the headlines about people moving to Austin, Seattle, and Denver — the news flashes calling it a mass exodus, thousands leaving San Francisco in search of something easier, cheaper, simpler. And yet, months later, those same reports say most of them regret their decision — missing the city’s rhythm, its imperfections, its unshakable magic.

No other city makes you feel like you’re constantly falling in love — with the light, the view, the sound of that cable car bell echoing like a promise you keep believing in.

Falling in Love All Over Again

The other day, my husband and I rode the cable car just for fun — something locals never do. The dogs stayed home, glaring from the window as if betrayed. As we climbed the hill, the city opened up like a memory. I rested my head on his shoulder, the wind brushing gently against me — cool, tender, and familiar, just like this city I keep falling in love with.

This is why Tony Bennett sang that song.

It’s not about leaving your heart here.

It’s about finding it — in the most unexpected moments — and realizing it was never lost to begin with.

Conclusion: Why San Francisco Captures Your Heart

Some cities give you memories. San Francisco gives you meaning — one clanging bell, one steep hill, one heartbeat at a time.