On one of the prior threads, the point was made that those who are not originally from Philly tend to be more positive about the City than those who are "native" - which makes me wonder... If you're originally from Philly (and ok, even if you're not, but say so), what other city would you want to live in? Just thought this might be an interesting and fun thread!

I'm not a native--been here since 2000. City-wise, I'd love to move to Chicago. But more and more, I think about moving down to the shore. Now, if I could just figure out a way to work from home.

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"If these walls could talk, I'd listen to the floor."--Rev. Horton Heat

I grew up here, left when I was 23 and have recently moved back. If I could afford New York, I would love to live there.

Not a Philly native. Cities I've sometimes wished I lived in (not necessarily in order of preference):

- Boston
- Portland, OR
- San Francisco
- New York
- London, UK
- Amsterdam, NL
- Volendam, NL
- Madison, WI
- Blacksburg, VA

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Born on Long Island, consider myself a NY native - with Philadelphia roots.

Lived a number of cities on east coast and Denver in the mountain area - but always in cities (except for time in Charlottesville, Va for school.).

I am a coastal snob - not so much because of proximity to water (which I do love) but because of people's attitudes, concerns, etc. Found Denver beautiful but far too "midwestern" for me. Also, football games shouldn't be starting at 10:AM and Letterman shouldn't be over before midnight. It's unnatural and probably should be illegal.

The city that intrigues me most - as a place to live - is Boston. It's history parallels Philadelphia but they have far more concern for it and celebrate it far better. And the Boston Symphony and the Pops make the city culture friendly. Boston, also seems to use its waterways far better than we do - my brother and sister-in-law used to the network of fast ferries to get from Hingham to downtown Boston - community by water. Love it.

Seattle on the other side (along with Vancouver, Canada are my other favorites.

Hate to admit this but I'd also love to try living in the country - real country, not the suburbs. I'd probably become even more of a hermit than I already am. But, I'd be interested to see whether I'd go really crazy or not.

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

Chris, being a country girl (originally) myself, I gotta say that while it seems tempting, if you've lived in the City, the country can be quite, um, challenging. When I go home, I am horrified that I must drive for milk and eat dinner before 6:30 pm (or be left to fend at McD's). The City has spoiled me.

That said, if I decided to give up the city life, I would head to coastal Maine (Castine-ish) or the mountains of NC (Asheville).

If I moved to another city in the US... I'd go to... ? I so love Philly, I can't imagine it. Maybe New York for a little while - if I had money.

Otherwise, I'd want to move to Prague, Cardiff or Rome.

We agree on Maine. I once (many years ago) was going to rent a house for a year on Cranberry Island - to write, think, make love, etc. Unfortunately, the woman I was seeing and I broke it off before we moved - or maybe, I should say fortunately.

Also, love the mountains of Asheville (actually, anywhere south of Harrisonburg, VA down length of Route 11 (no interstate for me). And someone else mentioned Blacksburg, VA - that's nice but you have to put up with all the damn Hokies!.

NYC is great - and in a strange way, it's not as expensive as you think because, once living there, you find all the great cheap places like Sympnyony Space (if it still exists) for music, Mostly Mozart Festival for cheap Lincoln Center, the Indian restaurants down on E 4th (if I remember right), etc. Secret is finding a good, rent regulated apartment. Hoboken, and Jersey City don't cut it. Park Slope and the Heights have gotten nearly as expensive as Manhattan. There are some neat areas around the Williamsburg Bridge and parts of Long Island City that I love . . . but they too, have gotten far more expensive than, say, Wissahickon or Overbrook Farms.

And, let me tell you, nothing is worse than living in NYC and being tempted . . . and realizing that you can't afford to play. Ouch.

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“Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody.” - Jane Jacobs

I was born and raised in Philly. Left for DC, then moved to Richmond, and am now back in the DC area. I most definitely prefer DC to Richmond, and would have loved to have moved back to Philly, but the career choices are better here.
Cities I love are San Fran, NY , Boston and Charleston.

Pittsburgh, Philly's more cultured cross-state cousin, is where I came from 23-1/2 years ago.

If I should disappear from this board you'll know I emptied out my modest bank account, sold off my fleet of computers, and moved to South Beach, FL. Only was there once - 4 days in January 2002, 27 hours each way by Amtrak - but the art deco swept me away and stoked my then mild interest in buildings. I was lucky to be there during a heat wave, with daily highs in the mid-80s (about 10 degrees above the norm for January) and no rain. The eye candy on the beach itself made quite an impression too and helped mold me into the lecherous old man (almost 49) I am today.

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Cheers,
Jayfar
--
“I am indeed well aware of the history of Conventional (sic) Hall, both globally and locally, and can assure you that we are carefully exploring avenues for its future.” -- Penn President Amy Gutmann 5 days before demolition began.

I almost moved to L.A. A great job offer and my hatred for cold weather were whispering in my ear...

My company is based in L.A. so I spend a lot of time as a visitor, hanging out with locals. In order to learn the land a little better, I spent 3 solid weeks in the area. No work, just checking everything out. The only place I really liked was Marina Del Rey, and that was too far from my office. Only 35 miles, but in L.A. traffic thats a 2+ hour ride. No thank you. All the 'typical' area like Simi Valley do nothing for me.

At this stage in the game, the only other place I would live is Manhattan. I could care less about any other parts of New York, as I can get a similar experience here in Phila for much less money. I might consider LIC...as the views are spectacular and some semi affordable loft space is still available.

I really, really like Phila and all that it has to offer.