Caitlin

I like to visit country inns and such, in bucolic and pretty places that are mellow and qiet and where the main attraction is taking walks and so on (also love visiting big cities). But I'm a city girl , and could never live in a small town setting. I've lived in SF and currently in NYC, and I love them (except for the cost of living). Also, I'm willing to bet that the only people who find these cities "touristy" are tourists. I mean, we residents go on about our lives and stay away from the touristy parts of town. In SF, I never visited Fisherman's Wharf or Ghirardelli Square, and in NY, I never go to South Street Seaport and only go to Times Square if I'm on my way to the theater.

Ken

Hey Caitlin,
You missed out! Ghiradelli Square is really nice.

Fisherman's wharf however absolutely sucks!! Can you say tacky??

Caitlin

Ken, I've certainly been to Ghirardelli Square (and South Street Seaport, etc. in NYC); I just meant that I didn't and don't spend a lot of time in the parts of town that tend to be overrun by tourists.

Rhonda

Great question. The first city that comes to mind is NYC. Love the shopping, the culture but it is so expensive. Everyone's always in a hurry. Next would be Las Vegas. I just love that place but I'm not that crazy about the residential areas. Last but not least and a little closer to home would be Wash.DC. I work in the nation's Capital but I live in Northern VA. Don't get me wrong, I love DC but I've gotta have more "bang for my bucks". I work in an area where the houses run upwards of $400,000+ yet the residents are parking on the street. The services provided by the city are horrible. I know this because for a long time we had problems with residents overflowing our trash dumpster with their garbage due to lack of garbage pick-up in the city. Again, Wash. DC is a great place to visit but in order to live in a nice area with a garage and some land well your last name would almost have to be Clinton...or Bush.

Daniel Williams

Let me begin by saying, with enough money, I would live in New York City or Boston in a heartbeat. I love their energy, open-mindedness, diversity, walkability, civic consciousness and cultural opportunities (and food). As things are, I love to visit both but can't quite justify to myself living in either from a spending/saving money point of view.

The only place I can think of where I like to visit but wouldn't want to live is Western New Providence in the Bahamas. Gorgeous swimmable turquoise waters, great weather, quiet beaches to yourself outside of Nassau, relaxation, tasty cuisine, danceable-music-in-the-air, zest for life; BUT too expensive, not so diverse culturally, rather isolated and too much influence by the Christian Council over people's lives for my tastes (on matters such as homosexuality).

Mary

Agree with message about Boston. Have visited and love the area, but very expensive. Also, Las Vegas is great, but can't see living there (heat in summer), New Orleans may be nice if you were raised there, but I don't even want to visit anymore. French Quarter has become way too tacky.
Live near Chicago, and would like to get away from the weather.

kam

Love New Orleans but the weather in the summer can be brutal. Lived in Chicago and the winters were deadly (also don't get the "standoffish people--those Chicagoans are like lapdogs!). Lived in Georgetown, D.C., but again the summers are awful and the plethora of tourists---- Now live in the Bay area, love SF, but we steer clear when the tourists arrive.Just spent a wonderful 3 days in Carmel without many tourists, but we didn't have the greatest weather--that's the tradeoff. I think one city where I love to be and where I could easily live would be London---preferably in Hampstead.

Annie

I love to visit NYC, but I definitely would not want to live there. However, if I never had to leave the city at any point, I guess I could live there. It's a nightmare trying to drive in and out of the city, whether you're going to the airport, and just driving home.

I would NEVER want to live in London, and unfortunately had to for awhile. All of the problems of living in New York without the benefits. Work for a British company sometime and you'll see what I mean. Also lived in Dublin and Belfast, and enjoyed that much more than London. I'd have to put Belfast on the top of this list. City that's small enough to feel like home, but large enough that there's plenty to do. Dublin's housing costs have skyrocketed, but salaries haven't kept up.