If you HAD to live in a CITY, which one and why?

[PlayHarder]

I've heard quite a few stories of racism there, though, and that definitely sours things for me. Some of it was just well-meaning ignorance, though, so maybe it's just a matter of increased exposure to other cultures that will help.

Don't believe everything you hear. Yes, there are racist assholes everywhere, but I've been in a lot of places with pretty liberal, accepting reputations where racism is far more prevalent than Calgary.
We're just not real big on being politically correct, and there is a difference.

[xyz]

my 2c:

The only only thing good about SLC is its proximity to good skiing. Its just another dirty, boring city.

Vancouver, BC is not in the PNW as someone said; its in the Canadian south-west.

Geneva would be my first choice followed closely by Vancouver.

[Lloyd Christmas]

Who was your tour guide, a fucking nun?...I've spent a third of my life in both places and Boston's nightlife is terrible relative to Seattle. There's no culture in beantown...everyone's the same, you can't wear a hat or sneakers ANYWHERE, the majority of guys are insecure pricks with fake tans, lots of gold, and roid-rage (always a fight everytime I go anywhere), everyone that isn't a prick is an uptight boring snob (ESPECIALLY the women), it's a pain in the ass to get around/park, more expensive....I could go on forever. I love Boston cause I lived around there for a long time, but it shouldn't even be compared to Seattle for anything except traffic

edit:I thought you said NIGHTLIFE not city life....Seattle still kills it

Spot-on. I've lived in both as well. Boston is the most over-rated city. If you want nightlife, live in NY. If you want outdoors/skiing, live out west. Boston has neither.

[lionelhutz]

Plus the train shuts down in boston at midnight.
That just sucks.

[powslut]

Zurich, Salzburg, Innsbruck or Geneva in Europe. Honorable mention to Sofia, Bulgaria. In Canada I would go for Calgary. Vancouver is nice and all but I don't like watching homeless people brawl over bottles, junkies stumbling down the streets, having my car broken into on a regular basis, rain pissing on my head, being stuck in traffic for hours on end and thousands of pretentious pseudo-hippies wearing man purses.

[yentna]

I'd have to say, if I HAD to live in a CITY, then I'd choose some city in China. I.e. Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Guangzhou. Probably Beijing, even though it's my least favorite of the four, since they've cleaned it up for the Olympics and the pollution is much less there, AND since there's skiing a couple hours drive away.

Fabulous food (if you like authentic Chinese) on every corner, street vendors with delicious grilled veggies and mystery meats, great public transport, all sorts of events going on all the time, friend networks to blow your mind. Always somewhere to go, something to do.

Cost of living = minimal. Easy to get around the country, from the skiing to the Hawaii-like beaches. Lots of expats from all sorts of places, so there's a multicultural aspect to it as well.

Anyway, my $0.02.

[powder11]

after reading through this entire thread, most of the votes lean to Vancouver. not surprising considering this:

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Vancouver is the world's most desirable place to live, according to a new survey, while Papua New Guinea's Port Moresby is at the other end of the scale.

The Canadian city, nestled on the Pacific coast, was one of four locations in that country to rank at the top of the Economist Intelligence Unit's livability survey, which looked at conditions in 127 cities.

Vancouver gets my vote for scenery, easy access to the ocean and mountains, affordability and good job prospects. although I tend to look at cities for original character and things to do within the city, not necessarily its proximity to other places. that being said, Boston and New York win in my book for pure city living. Vancouver is nice and looks great from the outside looking in if your visiting. however, it has a boring sterile feel to it combined with a transient population that come across as horribly superficial . its a nice city, but lacks the grit and character that make most big cities fun.

[Cliff Huckable]

1. .... in Vancouver...there IS a lack of museums and such.

2. Only downside IMO is that it's far from the east coast, which has a more culturally european feel to it....

3. But after having lived in the Carribeans, south of France, and now here, I simply can't see myself going anywhere else to live permanently.
Even Seattle, while the people have the same mentality as up here, it doesn't have the same mountain and ocean bound, secure, and Canadian feel that Vancouver has.

1. Agreed. there is a shameful lack of great museums in Vancouver. The Vancouver Art Gallery is the worst I've ever been in. Just horrible. Curator should be run out of town.
Still, having to going to visit NYC, Paris, etc for culture is much better than living in those places and having to visit Vancouver for fresh air, stunning natural beauty, etc.
I'd LIKE to have great museums at my doorstep every day but I NEED to have fresh air, mountains, ocean, ridiculous amounts of flowers everywhere, green, green, green.

2. What's European on the East Coast? Halifax? St. John? Unique, not Euro in my mind.

3. I also lived in the south of France. I loved it, but Vancouver is still much more desirable. If I couldn't live in Canada, I'd probably head to France, though.

[The AD]

Meh, Seattle doesn't do it for me at all. The Faux-niceness of the people really fucking grates, among other things.

When I finally meet you in person, iceman, I'll be sure to say "fuck you" right off the bat and get that over with

[powski3]

seattle sucks, too much rain. I grew up in portland, only time i liked that area was the winter time and when it snowed. Which it didnt do enough of.

Uhh.... How can anyone not like the Northwest in the summer? About 80-85 in Portland or a little cooler in Seattle, with a fair amount of sun May-June and pretty much sunny the entire time from July through September. Everything stays green and the rivers keep flowing all year long.

And it snows a ton in the winter, at least in the mountains. Although its drizzly a lot the rest of the year, it never really rains hard enough or snows in the valleys to prevent outdoor activities, if you don't mind getting a little wet.

[powder11]

2. What's European on the East Coast? Halifax? St. John? Unique, not Euro in my mind.

montreal and boston seem pretty euro to me, but maybe your looking at things purely from a metrosexual cosmo kind of way in regards to fashion or something, who knows? Ive always been of the mindset that if fresh air and greenery are important factors, why live in a city at all?

[Benny Profane]

Hey, has anybody mentioned Manila? I mean, no fucking skiing, but, hey, the only good city for skiing is SLC, anyway, and that place sucks, right? I have had the pleasure of visiting an ex pat friend who lives like a king there, and dives and surfs close by. But, most important, Thai girls have nothing on Philipinas. Nothing.

[yogachik]

I'd have to say, if I HAD to live in a CITY, then I'd choose some city in China.

Then there's that whole pesky communism thing, and all the human rights violations, but beyond that - yeah, somewhere in China

[EVILLIVE]

Uhh.... How can anyone not like the Northwest in the summer? About 80-85 in Portland or a little cooler in Seattle, with a fair amount of sun May-June and pretty much sunny the entire time from July through September. Everything stays green and the rivers keep flowing all year long.

And it snows a ton in the winter, at least in the mountains. Although its drizzly a lot the rest of the year, it never really rains hard enough or snows in the valleys to prevent outdoor activities, if you don't mind getting a little wet.

stfu,shhhh, it suxs around pdx, there are no jobs, the only developed, skiing within 3 hours is ran by that nazi dave riley @ gettos.rains all the time, traffic is grid locked, there are to many people and not enough mags, so unless u qualify stfo

[72Twenty]

Wow, this thread is 12 pages long already.

I hear Baghdad is nice this time of year.

[TheQuietStorm]

slc or denver

[treadn]

Kona, Hawaii.

Skiing on Mauna Kea
http://www.skimountaineer.com/ROF/ROF.php?name=MaunaKea

Awesome Mountain Biking

7 of 11 climates on the island

Life is good

[brice618]

Just got back from my first time in SLC, looks to be a great place. Mtn biking, skiing, climbing, fishing, hunting, and almost any other outdoor activity. It was smoggy, but the other stuff seems to make up for it.

[Jim S]

NYC
If you are going to live in a city, don't go to a second rate one.

unless you like skiing, my dear.

[Cliff Huckable]

montreal and boston seem pretty euro to me, but maybe your looking at things purely from a metrosexual cosmo kind of way in regards to fashion or something, who knows? Ive always been of the mindset that if fresh air and greenery are important factors, why live in a city at all?

I know what you mean about Montreal - but I wouldn't call Boston very European. Some nice architecture, though. And Montreal is more Euro-seeming than the rest of NAmerica, but I'd say it's more unique than Euro. [Brilliant but obvious point: I know people refer to it that way, but Montreal is a loooong way from the East Coast.]

Yes, it's nice to give up cities entirely and just live in the wilderness or a small mountain town, but some people have jobs that require being in a city...and besides, the whole point of the thread is which city, right.

And no, I'm not metrosexual - I'm more the-same-clothes-every-day-for-months-at-a-time-kind of guy. I mean, I wash 'em....

[Natedogg]

I always thought Boston was the shit...then I saw the world and lived a little. Now I think it's just an uptight city with too many assholes. I still think the broads there are waaaay to uptight and a pain in the ass.

I saw the world and then moved to Boston. Although I dont think its the shit (not really sure any city is the shit), its better and more laid back than any I know. Im really surprised you say Boston is too uptight--every city has those people--the rich assholes who think they deserve a better place in the world than anyone else--and to me, Boston has the least amount of those people... To me it feels like much more of a working class town, instead of the high-falootin NYCers.

Spot-on. I've lived in both as well. Boston is the most over-rated city. If you want nightlife, live in NY. If you want outdoors/skiing, live out west. Boston has neither.

Whawhawhawhaaaa?????? No outdoors??! Ill concede that the skiing isnt the best (although did you ever go to Northern VT?!?--three/three and a half hours away), but no outdoors?!? Thats ludicrous. I dont even know what else to say other than that is spot-on wrong.

Plus the train shuts down in boston at midnight.
That just sucks.

Closer to 1AM. But yeah, it sucks.

[pappag]

Not much has changed in 30+ years:

[snowrider]

Sydney, Australia

[3snowboards]

Munich! Englicher gardens in the summer and at the foot of the Alps year round.

[tarkman1]

I'll spend the off-season in Santa Barbara and then head back to Mammoth when the snow is falling. Admittedly, SB barely qualifies as a city.