Where Do You Want To Live?

Some people from work and I were talking about transferring from this culturally devoid area (fine dining involves a best pair of sweats and heading out to a chain restaurant according to Forbes in their list of best places for singles to live when they described Cincinnati). Nothing wrong with Ohio, but let's face it; it's Ohio. I mean, when you talk to someone who lives in say Las Vegas or Miami or NYC, you immediately start asking what it's like; there is a sense of excitement with those cities. When I tell someone I live in Ohio, they always say something like "So, how's that working out for ya?" or "You must be a Buckeye fan." or "Oh ... so how's your mom doing?" No one ever gets that sense of wonder, of awe, of excitement when I tell them I live in Ohio; hell, I live here and that sense has yet to hit me. I got so spoiled living in the Southwest. There were art fairs every weekend; open air markets year round; hiking trails; the most awesome selection of ethnically diverse restaurants; and diversity (whether it was tolerated or not is a question of debate no matter where you live).

Now, some of my co-workers state they'll never leave this area. They almost sound like they're resigned to be here; like they're fated to stay in one place. Well, my wanderlust is always in high gear when I get somewhere dull. So I've decided to compile a list of cities I'd like to live inl; they're in no particular order and this isn't a definitive list of only say 5 or 10. I'm starting this off and it may end up being 5 or 7 or 12. Who knows ......

London: I dont' know why I'm obsessed with living in the UK. Probably for the same reason some in the UK are wanting to move here. Anyways, London would be exciting. A cosmopolitan city with lots to do; great concerts all the time; plenty of museums, history, and culture. The one thing that I might have a hard time would be the lack of sun and the lack of great Mexican food.
Washington D.C.: This is one of my fave cities I have visited. Again, lots to do, plenty of museums, galleries, and the seat of government. One of my professors from law school was actually from New Mexico and told me there is a great New Mexican restaurant there. Any city with a specialty niche like that has to be good.
Boston: Something about the accent of its residents and great history of a city is attractive. Plus, the Northeast is liberal, which I like. I've lived in the middle of Ronald Reagan America ... and I hate it. This city has a strong Irish background (one of my fascinations; I think its because the Irish were treated so poorly initially, and now everyone celebrates St. Patrick's Day; maybe Cinco De Mayo will be like that one day).
Dublin: I visited the Emerald Isle back in 2003 courtesy of my friend Edel. I loved Dublin; very lively; very exciting; very clean; very warm people in Ireland. I never felt unsafe or threatened anywhere I went. The people hated the idea of a war in Iraq and really didn't like Bush at all (my kinda people), but they never gave me hell about being an American. Instead, it was always "what did I think about it all" . Plus the Guiness does taste better there.
Albuquerque: Went to school at UNM for a while. Remember the movie PCU? That was totally UNM, but in a good way. Yeah, I was a frat brat but it was by the simple fact that my house was completely like that in the movie PCU. Besides, ABQ has a ton of restaurants, galleries, culture, history, scenery. It's warm almost year round (they get a bit cold in winter but not for long) and there is plenty to do outdoors.
Phoenix: I love this city. If you want a city with a bustling life, this is the place. Plenty of outdoor activities, concerts, galleries, and anything you could want except a beach ... and that is only a 4 hr drive into Mexico or you could take another 4 hr drive to Las Vegas! Plenty of sun, the cities all give you huge bins for recycling (here in Ohio, this is a foreign concept perpetrated by us "tree huggers"). Plenty of people my age and I could always go see my alma mater play on Saturdays!
Barcelona or Madrid: I'm fascinated by the thought of living in Europe with that slow pace of life. People go to the market every other day or so and just get what they need. They get a month of vacation. Plus, I'd get to explore the roots of my family and learn my spanish so that if I ever have children, they will definitely be bilingual. There is so much history and heritage for me in Spain, I'd spend every weekend in some small hamlet sampling all that it had to offer.
Chicago: This city flat out rocks. Lots to do, see, experience. I've only been there for concerts but damn, I liked it alot. The city has that blue collar work ethic that I like so much. Plus, you've got the musical tapestry here with all of the great blues musicians. Oh yeah, and real deep dish pizza rocks!

So where do you want to live??