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?

[Frazod]

Originally Posted by srvy

Maybe even Victoria Is. BC

I was massively impressed with Victoria. Beautiful, clean, scenic. It was basically what I expected Seattle to be, instead of the filthy, blighted piece of shit that it actually was.

I guess if that qualifies as a major city, that would be the one I'd pick.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I was massively impressed with Victoria. Beautiful, clean, scenic. It was basically what I expected Seattle to be, instead of the filthy, blighted piece of shit that it actually was.

I guess if that qualifies as a major city, that would be the one I'd pick.

Just a short ferry ride to Vancouver. Could get my baseball fix by taking in the Victoria Harbourcats coached by Brian McRae.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by A8bil

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said: "The coldest winter I spent was a summer in SF?" Let me try to answer your embedded question... .

1. 90% of the year, the temperature is somewhere between 60 and 70 degrees with low humidity. If you work in the City, it is far better than the snow, subzero temps, incessant rain, 90% humidity or sweltering heat you get in most other big cities. Only San Diego has a more temperate climate.
2. When you visited, you encountered the summer fog. It comes in and cools off the city, but it comes in only part of the summer. If you check right now, I think it is 67 degrees, sunny and 54% humidity. A typical SF day.
3. Even when you get that summer fog, head 5 miles in any direction to get out of the fog belt and you'll be in temps often 20 degrees or more higher. Marin Headlands, Silicon Valley and East Bay are significantly warmer...spend a comfortable day at the office, then go home and sit by the pool.
4. If you are a food fan, some of the best restaurants in the world are in SF.
5. If you are a sports fan, SF has some of the top sport franchises in their respective league's histories.
6. If you are an arts fan, they attract most of the top exhibits shown internationally.
7. If you are a theater/ballet/symphony/opera fan, they have many of the top plays shown in NY or London and their arts are world class.
8. If you are a wine fan, they have world class wineries less than 1 hour away in Napa and Sonoma...each of which is beautiful and a great place to visit/vacation.
9. If you are ski/snowboarder, you have world class resorts 4 hours away in Squaw Valley, Heavenly...etc.
10. If you love the outdoors, you have marine sanctuaries, old growth redwood forests, and mountains for hiking all along the coast and in the Sierra's all within a half hour to 2 hours of the City, including Yosemite Valley (a bucket list destination).
11. If you're into paragliding or hang gliding, you have constant coastal on shore breezes that give you opportunities to get out 90% of the year.
12. If you are a water sports fan, you have abalone diving off the coast, sailing in the Bay, (cold) surfing on the Coast, scuba diving in kelp forests (the most unique diving I've ever done), water skiing on the Delta or on any number of lakes within 2 hours of SF, river rafting on the american and other rivers, and every type of fishing you can imagine.
13. If you're into golf, you have some of the top golf courses in the world all within 2 hours.
14. You have vibrant city life all over the City.
15. You have two of the greatest universities in the world within 20 miles, with world leading medical care and innovation.
16. If you want to start a business, there is more venture money circulating here than anywhere in the world.

Need I go on? the big problem with SF, is that it's attractions are no secret, so (1) it is crowded, and (2) it is expensive.

The weather truly sucked. I touched it out more than half the trip before I broke down and bought a jacket.

Food, wine, and art were all great. The food experience we had at Lazy Bear was fantastic. So was Muir Woods. I would enjoy the intellectual and entrepreneural climate. I would not take part in any water activities that involves me getting wet. Too freaking cold. I would choose Manhattan over SF. For the things I care about, both cities have much to offer, but Manhattan is more my style. Not that I could come close to affording either on my projected retirement income.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Chief_For_Life58

SF - big city appeal with alot of outdoor activities very close by. Best of both worlds really

Except like Twain discovered, l did 100 years later. Coldest winter ever was a summer in San Francisco.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by canoworms

The weather truly sucked. I touched it out more than half the trip before I broke down and bought a jacket.

Food, wine, and art were all great. The food experience we had at Lazy Bear was fantastic. So was Muir Woods. I would enjoy the intellectual and entrepreneural climate. I would not take part in any water activities that involves me getting wet. Too freaking cold. I would choose Manhattan over SF. For the things I care about, both cities have much to offer, but Manhattan is more my style. Not that I could come close to affording either on my projected retirement income.

Weather between 60-70 degrees all year sounds fantastic. Anything over 72 and I start to not like it. I'd rather it be 45 than 85, though, and I've heard that I'm weird for that preference.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by Frazod

I was massively impressed with Victoria. Beautiful, clean, scenic. It was basically what I expected Seattle to be, instead of the filthy, blighted piece of shit that it actually was.

I guess if that qualifies as a major city, that would be the one I'd pick.

I’m never living in another country again. I miss my peeps, culture, the easy slang and shared experiences.

[Tribal Warfare]

This should be qualified better, because if I want to live somewhere else in U.S. I'd do it. Though attachments such as family relationships is the crux and ****s up such plans because you factor that if you want to move.

[A8bil]

If you're going outside of the US, I'ld take Copenhagen Denmark. Really nice city...all english speaking, lots of great history and culture. FAirly temperate.

[Buehler445]

I've thought about this one for a couple days, and the city I live in doesn't matter much to me (obviously LOL).

My business and my kid's friends are far bigger concerns for where I am going to live than what I'm going to be doing after work.

For the sake of argument, if I can move everything I love about where I am, I'm moving to Honolulu. I ****ing loved Hawaii when I was there, and I can get my ass out of town and chill really easily. The leeward (IIRC - I live in the High Plains - Give me a break) side of the island is arid enough that the humidity won't choke my ass to death (I live in a desert. It is a major weather issue for me. Much more than cold), and it doesn't snow.

And Teddy's, Mother****ers.

[Randallflagg]

Don't want to live in ANY major downtown city in ANY state. Don't like them - don't go to them.

Downtown KC is too big for me….give me the burbs any day.

Been in major metropolitan areas all over the world from New York to DC to Mannheim to Berlin to Moscow.

No thanks.

[JD10367]

Only one I’ve been to is San Fran, which was nice, but I’d fear the earthquakes. For another U.S. city I’d pick Boston, my hometown. Elsewhere, I’d try Toronto or Vancouver or Montreal up north; overseas I’d try Barcelona or Stockholm or Oslo or Helsinki.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Shag

I don't spend a ton of time in OC, but it seems a little stale in my very limited experience. I live down around Balboa Park, where it's almost entirely one-off places to eat (few chains), and about every cuisine you could want. A short distance to downtown, too. So, my experience would definitely be dramatically different than yours.

That said, I've heard the burger at Torrey is amazing.

I have probably had it, as I played it a few times. I waited five hours in the club house one time on a weekend for an opening with a threesome of Koreans. When I called they said they could work me right in.

There used to be a restaurant near the convention center in Anaheim called the "stagecoach" I think, that had a very good steak but it closed, then reopened but not as good.

I even stayed four days in Compton one time, that was an experience. They had a golf course built on a dump with a driving range. I don't believe I tried any of the local food though, or at least don't remember it.

like you, I do try and avoid chains, except for breakfast.

[BucEyedPea]

Outside of my home city and country—Moscow.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Every one that works for me has been assaulted. They let the homeless run the streets even in the Financial District. The best places here are Lafayett, Mill Valley to the GG bridge and Woodside anywhere. Woodside is my favorite especially on the coastal side where you are in a rain forest and can do whatever you want. Mountain people there are a different lot too. You can pretty much do whatever you want. Gun range, motorcycles, hunting. SF is close, I work in SF but it is nice to get off the ant farm and back to the basics when you go home.

It's sad as there were very few problems or issues for me when I lived in San Fran even though I got mugged one night walking back from North Beach Pizza down Bay St heading back home to 156 Telegraph. A black mugger or crack addict landed on my back and my face hit the pavement, he was hiding in between two parked cars. He got $7.

I played golf all the time at Cinnabar Hills in South San Jose. I loved driving 84 towards La Honda and riding by the ocean. Riding through Woodside near Alice's Restaurant though the moss covered trees and winding roads was really soothing.

I loved Los Altos, downtown San Jose, Gilroy Garlic Festival, Napa Valley, Golden Gate Park, the greenway in front of Safeway in the Marina District, riding my bike on the trails near Stanford and Palo Alto, Lozano's car wash, all the great foods, Clark's burgers and so much more.

[Naptown Chief]

Originally Posted by ShiftyEyedWaterboy

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.

Loudoun County in general is gorgeous. I miss it. My mother is obsessed with Harper's Ferry so I'd always take her there when she came down to see me. Have fun!