If money were no object, which major USA downtown would you pick to live?

[Trivers]

During the past three months, I've traveled to Manhattan, San Francisco, San Jose, Portland, Chicago, and Miami for biz/personal trips.

I've stayed in mid-priced hotels. (Actually, non were cheap as in staying at a Best Western in the 'burbs. )

Observations:
Manhatten: Used to love to go here. Now I find it crowded, dirty, and people are rude on the streets, but normal once inside. Least value per sq ft of hotel space of all the cities.
San Fran: Love the Wharf. Expensive, a homeless problem, past its prime?
Portland: Beautiful, had to fight off the homeless on every block as I walked. No sun the entire trip.
San Jose: Energy! Wonderful weather, expensive as hell. Traffic sucked.
Chicago: More I go, the more I fall in love. Clean, not crowded, people are friendly. Saw two panhandlers the entire weekend. Good hotel value.
Miami: Great food, the babes on South Beach were amazing eye candy. It would be too hot in summer. Condos expensive.

So if I had to move from middle of no-where Wisconsin where there are more cows that cars, I would pick downtown Chicago and try to find a condo overseeing a river or Lake Michigan.

What about you?

[SuperBowl4]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

I like San Antonio but wasn't impressed with Austin—though I didn't get to see much since I was working. Heard it has a great music and nightclub scene.

Austin is way too crowded.

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by A8bil

Ah...to have purchased land in Woodside. The land of Larry Ellison and many other Silicon Valley titans. There was a time you could buy land there fairly cheap. Now every home there is made of unobtanium. It's a great area...a ride to Alice's on 84 and then down to the coast is one of my favorite drives in the convertible.

Yea I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to live there. Larry is on the ridiculously expensive Portola Valley I believe. I am actually on the West side of the mountain next Neil Youngs place. Very close to Alice's. This is the view from the driveway on a bad day. Live in paradise but still have access to all the things that are the bay area. It is friggen expensive here though.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Yea I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to live there. Larry is on the ridiculously expensive Portola Valley I believe. I am actually on the West side of the mountain next Neil Youngs place. Very close to Alice's. This is the view from the driveway on a bad day. Live in paradise but still have access to all the things that are the bay area. It is friggen expensive here though.

How do you keep from falling off?

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

How do you keep from falling off?

I am down further. Good days you have green rolling hills and panoramic views of the ocean. Live on 30 acres. Motocross track, flat track and shooting range. It's as good as it gets for being in the bay area. When I go home I feel like the luckiest guy ever to live here. I have no idea why the picture flipped.

[A8bil]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Yea I feel like the luckiest guy in the world to live there. Larry is on the ridiculously expensive Portola Valley I believe. I am actually on the West side of the mountain next Neil Youngs place. Very close to Alice's. This is the view from the driveway on a bad day. Live in paradise but still have access to all the things that are the bay area. It is friggen expensive here though.

Beautiful...that looks a lot like the area between Duartes and La Honda on Stage Road. Pretty idyllic.

[BIG_DADDY]

Originally Posted by A8bil

Beautiful...that looks a lot like the area between Duartes and La Honda on Stage Road. Pretty idyllic.

Funny, my vet is just off stage road. Gotta love those gas station taco's.

I am just north of Alice's on the West side.

[ShiftyEyedWaterboy]

I'm not a downtown person. I like what my mom's family has going on in northern Virgina. They live back in the Blue Ridge. No neighbors, beautiful forests, wildlife, the Shenandoah river is within walking distance. One of the most picturesque places I've ever seen. Its a good deal. Winchester is cool little town that's only about 30 mins from them. Lots of history and good food. DC isn't much more than an hour away. Baltimore and Philly are pretty close. I'd like to do something similar some day. I don't want to be some hermit that's hours from anything, but I'd like to be a little outside of the city.

I'd probably go for SF, Seattle, or Boston if I had to pick a downtown, though.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by ShiftyEyedWaterboy

I'm not a downtown person. I like what my mom's family has going on in northern Virgina. They live back in the Blue Ridge. No neighbors, beautiful forests, wildlife, the Shenandoah river is within walking distance. One of the most picturesque places I've ever seen. Its a good deal. Winchester is cool little town that's only about 30 mins from them. Lots of history and good food. DC isn't much more than an hour away. Baltimore and Philly are pretty close. I'd like to do something similar some day. I don't want to be some hermit that's hours from anything, but I'd like to be a little outside of the city.

I'd probably go for SF, Seattle, or Boston if I had to pick a downtown, though.

Is life old there? Is it older than the trees?

[ShiftyEyedWaterboy]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

Is life old there? Is it older than the trees?

It was changing quite a bit the last time I was there. Lots of people from DC moving into the area and just commuting. I'm hoping it doesn't get overrun.

West Virginia is still West Virginia, though. Beautiful landscape full of toothless rednecks.

[Coochie liquor]

I’ve heard downtown Austin is very cool but I’ve never been there. I really like the riverwalk district of Savannah Georgia if it was a little closer to the beach it would prob be my destination of choice (although I’d likely die in the frigid winters). I would prob choose between San Diego, or West Palm Beach.

[Naptown Chief]

Downtown Nowheresville. Population- Me

[Naptown Chief]

Originally Posted by ShiftyEyedWaterboy

I'm not a downtown person. I like what my mom's family has going on in northern Virgina. They live back in the Blue Ridge. No neighbors, beautiful forests, wildlife, the Shenandoah river is within walking distance. One of the most picturesque places I've ever seen. Its a good deal. Winchester is cool little town that's only about 30 mins from them. Lots of history and good food. DC isn't much more than an hour away. Baltimore and Philly are pretty close. I'd like to do something similar some day. I don't want to be some hermit that's hours from anything, but I'd like to be a little outside of the city.

I'd probably go for SF, Seattle, or Boston if I had to pick a downtown, though.

I lived in Purcellville, VA for a year. I absolutely loved it

[sd4chiefs]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

I lived in RI for a couple years, spent a lot of time in Boston. For over 20 years did a trade show in Boston for a week that was usually in June.

Lots to love about Boston (food, culture, peoples accent) also lots to hate.

People have mentioned San Diego and I consider it the exact opposite of Boston. Boston has horrific weather and great food, San Diego has fantastic weather and horrific food.

San Diego's BBQ sucks but other than that why do you think the food there is horrific?

[ShiftyEyedWaterboy]

Originally Posted by dwwataz

I lived in Purcellville, VA for a year. I absolutely loved it

I love all those little towns. Pville is a cool place. I've got cousins there and Berryville. I'll be out that way next week. Gonna spend most of my time kicking it in Bluemont, though.

[Shag]

Originally Posted by Over Yonder

Surprised by all the San Diego picks in this thread. Awesome weather, but the people suck. It is currently my least favorite "big city" I have visited. But as I get older and travel more, I'm sure I will stumble upon a bigger crap hole.

You must have had a uniquely bad experience, as you're the first person I've ever heard say that. I spent the first 40 years of my life in the Midwest (IA and MN, primarily), then moved to SD in late 2016. The people here have been fantastic, and IMHO, much easier to befriend than people in MN, home of "Minnesota Nice". The vast majority of folks here are transplants, and empathize with what it's like to move somewhere you don't have a base of friends. I've yet to have a negative experience with anyone in SD, and am constantly praising the people here when chatting with folks from back home.