Your ideal place to live

1) Sydney (did it, would do it again in a heartbeat)
1A) Melbourne, so much like Boston but with a Victorian vibe
2) Auckland, most accepting city I've ever experienced

**And if anybody here wants to do an apt. swap for the summer -- you take my NYC pad, I go somewhere in the PNW or Alaska or Montana or anywhere cool -- that can be arranged!

 

1. San Francisco, grew up near there and love so much about the city.
2. NYC, I don't prefer rural places, and New York has the right blend of urban and great food/entertainment/things to do/open all the timeness for me.
3. Charleston, after visiting, has a cool blend of old/new with a nice downtown teeming with energy.

 

Portland
San Luis Obispo
Santa Cruz

 

So ... not Atlanta, then?

 

I'm still mad at myself for not moving to NYC when I was single. I had so much fun there on road trips. But I don't think I would want to raise kids there.

I love where I live now, and it's a city that probably (almost definitely) wouldn't make anyone's top 10 list, but housing is inexpensive, the schools are great, there isn't much crime and it's a pretty great place to raise kids...

 

I figured downtown Berdoo with a homeless guy pissing beside the trash fence was a given. And what's a little gunplay between friends?

 

For about 10 months of the year, I love where I live. March and April generally suck, however.

Sanibel Island, October-May

SE Wyoming or Microville, June-September.

 

I used to think I could move anywhere, because I'd make new friends or whatever. Now, I couldn't imagine not seeing my parents, my brother, my in-laws, and my high school and college friends with some frequency. I had a long conversation with a friend the other night about how remarkably lucky we all were.

 

My list would basically be:

1. San Diego
2. San Francisco
3. Santa Barbara
4. Malibu
5. Palo Alto (not East Palo Alto)
6. Marin
7. Santa Clara
8. Napa
9. Orange County (Irvine)
10. Santa Cruz

 

So anywhere but California?

 

Until I met my wife, I didn't really care where I lived and I basically just moved around the country as needed for jobs. The good news was I got to experience a lot of different regions. The northeast is the only part of the country where I haven't lived at some point.

But I can't imagine continuing to do that after starting a family. I don't know how people can continue to live like a nomad after getting married and having kids.

 

Well, if money wasn't an issue...

Since money is an issue, other than an internship, I haven't lived there since I was 18.