NYC

Asheville, NC

Saugerties, NY (an upstate town)

San Deigo

Phoenix

Santa Fe

Well my first two happen to be the same as yours, New York City and New Orleans, for the same reasons! I'd have to say that my third city wouldn't actually qualify as my 'favourite' since I've never been there yet. Despite having visited many cities across the U.S., some of which are very exotic, historical, breathtakingly beautiful, etc. I think I'd love to visit Chicago to see if it's a lot like how I imagine.

From everything I've read, Chicago sounds a lot like my own home city of Toronto. With a similar variety of restaurants, diverse music and entertainment scene, shopping, sports events, 4 distinct seasons, etc., I think I might feel most at home in Chicago, if I ever relocated to the U.S.A.

I love San Francisco for the food, the architecture and the walkability without the crowds of Manhattan.

I love Manhattan for the sheer energy, Broadway shows and Christmas window displays.

I love Orange County, California (sorry not a specific city because it's an amalgamation of cities) for the weather and the variety of activities available.

Boston, New York and Providence. This selection makes me sound like I never venture far from home but that's not true. It's just that the more places I go the more I appreciate the places I frequent often. Everybody knows about Boston and New York but Providence is an undiscovered gem, a small city with a really eclectic population and great food.

Chicago, San Francisco, and Charleston, SC. I do love NYC, but it frazzles me a bit.

Reading everyone's comments is so fun!

Fun2BHere & Casey- I love the walkability of San Francisco too! I love China Town.

Sleeper- I love Charleston too! The history and market are so neat.

Fran- I have been to Cape Cod, just a few towns. I haven't been to Providence. I am so glad that everyone is full of ideas.

Picky- Chicago is great! I have only been once. I know you will love it!

Eld6161- Saugerties sounds interesting I will Google it.

Brushworks- I haven't been to Santa Fe but have heard great things.

Chicago is my 'home city' -- greatly changed from the human-sized place I recall so fondly from my childhood.

It's not a city, but DH and I love South Maui.

San Francisco is on my list.

fran1523 -- I would not have thought of Providence, but I agree with your reasoning. (I've no idea what it's like now, but I enjoyed all of RI as a child. It was my mother's home.)

I lived in Chicago and the 'burbs. Moved away only when jobs forced, but I kept returning.

San Diego is really neat. Lots to see and do and the weather is generally delightful. Lived there for almost one year.

Milwaukee is a beautiful city with lots of festivals. Lake Michigan is right there. Quality symphony and theater; and the variety of food choices is spectacular.

San Francisco is good, but I won't want to live there. I lived in Santa Fe and it is expensive, too. NYC is just too much for me. I have visited New Orleans several times and enjoyed myself. It is a bit touristy for me, but I will return some day.

New York City - for every reason under the sun

Santa Fe, New Mexico - for the food, the sky, and the arts

Grand Rapids, Michigan - for the beauty of Michigan, the closeness to other places, and the summer weather

Honolulu

Jackson Hole

Salt Lake City

• Monterey, CA-the terrain, the food, the weather, the bay, it was home
• Nashville, TN-it is home! everything about it except the current traffic
• Charlotte Amalie, USVI-do I really have to list why? Hello? It's in the Caribbean

Jakkom- I love Monterey/ Pacific Grove / Carmel too! I lived in Seattle many, many years ago and the Washtonians complained about Californians back then lol!

Grayton beach, Florida because of the fabulous white sugar sand beaches. Laguna Nigel, California love the Ritz-Carlton there and the beaches, shopping and dining. Lots of places in Louisiana, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, it's all home to me, the food, friends, family, and the fun.

I have never been to Hawaii but I am sure it would be number one any city I don't care.

I liked Manitou Springs when I lived in Denver such a neat little town.

Rob333- I lived in Nashville years ago and it is a great city! The people were so well mannered and friendly.

Ravencajun- I love New Orleans, what a city! The best part is how NICE the locals are to tourists. I love the food too! The Brass Bands and the Art! I bet you learned how to cook growing up in Louisville - I am jealous.

NYC,, Boston, Philadelphia tied with DC.

Favorites change. But currently it's:

Portland ,Oregon for the eccentricities, the laid back vibe ,the food trucks and of course it has Powell's. Books. For it's density it's super clean and I love staying at McMenamon's Crystal Hotel smack in the center of it all.

San Diego - The Zoo, the ships, the bay, the beach, the food. The climate.

Another vote for Monterey. My go to place for a day when I need to refresh and re-energize. The Aquarium, the parks, Municipal Wharf 2 ( not the tourist wharf), The smells, listening to sea critters settle down for the night at sunset. Now I want to go. Maybe tomorrow.

You just described it better than I watchme! I'll meet you in Monterey tomorrow

Portland Maine

Washington DC

Newport RI, Boston, Chicago, or Philly can't decide

Boston for sure

San Francisco for sure

Not sure on #3...definitely not Anchorage! :)

According to realtor.com people are leaving detroit, nyc and chicago and moving to charlotte, tampa and jacksonville.

colder to warmer climes? Maybe?

Have lived in, or near almost everyone mentioned. While N.Y., Chicago,
N'awlins have their charm, I'll go with smaller Pensacola, Fl, Shreveport, La, and Tacoma, Wa. But then there is
New Hope, Pa. , Tyler, Texas, and dang, I did love Santa Fe.

Do not like any big city, except Nashville. Give me small town or no town any day.

The only one I could think of is Tucson, AZ. Haven't been there in a couple decades, though. Loved the desert museum, Sabino Canyon and Mt. Lemon. Loved the fact that there were no high rises and you could see the stars.

Raven, I spent a week every May from 1998-2004 in a house at Grayton Beach. As you drive into town, right across the street from what was then a little market on the left that had a restaurant on top. You had to turn left just after it. Our house was the big aqua 3-story on the right, across from that market/restaurant. At that time it was the tallest in town. Loved the Red Bar and the whole atmosphere down there. I also loved living near New York and Chicago but then, I lived in Grand Rapids, Mi. for 10 years... There are others too so I can't limit it to just three!

I'm with joanmn, I'll take small town over metropolis most any day. Duluth, MN used to be a favorite place and I still go there on occasion, but they've changed so much in the past 20 years or so, trying to cash in on tourism and with all the trash coming in the crime has grown so much it's not a frequent destination of mine anymore. I won't name certain towns because so many have certain things that are attractive. But for the most part, my favorites then would be a number of small towns in northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin because of the lifestyle, the cleanliness, beautiful views and so much more. There's shortcomings for sure, but you give to get.

I haven't been to all the major cities but I have been in many of them. My favorites would be Charleston, Nashville and Seattle. I like several small ones too. Gatlinsburg. Duluth, Santa Fe. I just like to travel.

Seattle - my current favorite. We go there annually to visit family, and enjoy the very friendly vibe, the activities, ferries, parks and restaurants (especially the Salish Lodge).

San Diego - The sun, the flowers, the many thngs to do, the excellent Mexican food, Coronado Island and the Hotel Del, and best of all, La Jolla! During the years we were in Tucson we went to San Diego every summer for a break from the extreme heat; it was called "Tucson West". What a great city!

Monterey - what can I say, I live here. Everything everyone else has said is true! It's all that and more. Both rustic and polished. Friendly. Among the most environmentally conscientious people in the country. Even our sanitation/garbage/landfill park is famous, and actually worth visiting, especially to see the little sculpture garden filled with artworks created by the workers out of discarded "junk". For tasty French food in Pacific Grove - Moulin Bistro (the gnocchi, omg). Just outside Carmel, the Rio Grill (great cocktails and all the food is delicious). For a wonderful drive - take Ocean Blvd. from the Monterey Aquarium out along the Pacific Grove coastline, time it for when the tides are out for safe beachcombing (stay away from the water!), try late afternoon, when there won't be many people and the deer will probably be out and the air is fresh and clear with a slight ocean tang. Heaven!

Houston

San Francisco

Aspen

Key West, FL. I lived there for a year - June '67 - '68. We've been back several times in the past ten years.

Santa Fe/Taos. I lived in Albuquerque for three years - Sept '68 to Sept '71. We've been back twice.

Santa Barbara in the spring with the trees blooming. Eeek - senior moment - they had purple flowers - we don't have them here on the east coast - jicardia?.

We travel a lot, here and in Europe, so it is hard to pick just three. For short trips - Richmond, VA, Wilmington, DE, and New Hope, PA. (I'm in Arlington, VA just eight miles from the White House.)

The state Park at grayton beach is very very nice. Great area for camping and rv Park. The beach is pristine. I am not a big city person either.

Maybe jacaranda, sherwoodva?

They're pretty to look at from a distance but underneath they're a nasty, sticky mess. Be careful where you park so that the sticky purple flowers don't fall on your car. It's not nice to have to clean up from one in your yard or patio.

Sherwood - Jacaranda!

>>For tasty French food in Pacific Grove - Moulin Bistro (the gnocchi, omg). >> Umm.....sorry, but as I recall and Google states, isn't Moulin Bistro in Monterey? It IS right on the border of Monterey/Pacific Grove, though. Very close to the Aquarium, tiny place, easy to just walk right by it without realizing it's there? We liked the gnocchi, too.

Just didn't want folks to get confused if they went to look it up!

Our favorites for French are Bouchee/Carmel and Fifi's/PacGrove. Fifi's foie gras was to die for, seriously. As good as anything we've gotten at La Folie/SF. We were so impressed on our last SoCal driving trip that when we hit Monterey both at the beginning and end of the trip, we ended up canceling some other restaurants to make four visits to Fifi's over five days.

For those who enjoy walking - sableincal is quite right about doing weekdays rather than weekends when it's much more crowded! - the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail runs from downtown Monterey all the way through Pacific Grove. We usually pick up the Trail from the Aquarium; you can walk all the way around the Point to where the 17-mile Drive starts. The Monterey end is more crowded; by the time you get past Lover's Point the # of people starts to thin out.

Monterey Bay Coastal Trail

http://www.evansmonterey.org/evansmonterey/trailTours/trailMRY/index.html

Jakkom - You are right, Moulin Bistro is in Monterey, on the border with Pacitic Grove. We also like Fifi's a lot; it's a Peninsula fixture, very popular with locals. Prefer the Bistro for special occasions, though.

Truly surprised nobody listed Gotebo, OK as one of their faves.....

Sedona, AZ for its scenic beauty, laid back atmosphere, alien-looking rock formations, and campy new age culture.

Chicago, IL for its world class arts and architecture, the Blues, the ethnic neighborhoods, deep dish pizza, and Lake Michigan.

Woodstock, VA for its rural appeal, Blue Ridge Mtns, rugged hiking trails, and some of the most awe-inspiring sunrises that have ever calmed my soul.

Oklahoma City, OK because I love its people, the flatness of the landscape, the winds whipping across the grassy plains, and the wildness of its weather.

I thought about including Chicago, because I love the architectural heritage that's everywhere (oh, the Robie House! so rarely toured now). And of course, Colleen Moore's ultra-glam Dollhouse, which destroyed any childhood wish for a dollhouse of my own because there was nothing that would ever come close. I have her autobiography, as well as the only photo book published on the Dollhouse, and every once in a while I still leaf through them.

I wish the Museum of Science & Industry would agree to send it on tour again.

But jeez, that weather.....ugh. Hate the summers and winters, and that doesn't leave much on the calendar. Probably doesn't help that none of my family lives in Chicago any longer, either. Everybody's on one coast or the other, or up in Canada, so it's all too easy to just fly right over without stopping.

For visiting I would say:

San Francisco

New Orleans and Santa Fe tied

Washington DC

All of these cities have a wide variety of things to do, have walkable districts (I spend so much time in the car during the week that I like to have a vacation from my car.), and have a unique look.

For living the list is much harder. There are lots of places I'd love to live but few areas of the country where my dh could work.

well lived in los angles and great for a vacation (at least 40 years ago) san diego lived there amd now Detroit...actually the big d does have a few goodies...to see, and if you come in the sprin or fall??yummy... but all the others I love have been listed...

I am not much of a big city lover. I don't like the unnecessarily high living cost in some big cities. However, large cities do have interesting things like museums, theaters, trade shows, and libraries. I love the scenery in western states. At the moment, my picks are Asheville, NC, Sedona, AZ, and Portland, OR.

NYC

Asheville NC

Pittsburgh

San Francisco and the Greater Bay Area

Los Angeles and SoCal area

Tie between Chicago and NY

I've been to most of the other places mentioned and many don't ring the same bell for me as for others. I especially found Asheville disappointing - I went there based on what I'd heard and expected much more than is there, It's more a large town and not so much a city. I didn't find the leading attractions to be particularly interesting. But to each his/her own.

Cities? Nope, no way, none. About the only thing that comes to mind when I am in one for whatever reason, is "How soon can I get out of here!". But I will admit, I really did enjoy walking Bourbon St. in New Orleans once quite a number of years ago. Lots of interesting stuff there. But that once was enough. DC was horrible for me! Hated it. Was forced to spend a few days in Philadelphia several years ago, tried my best to enjoy it, but felt like I couldn't breathe. What a relief when we left!

I live in a fairly small town, and am often frustrated by the lack of many things here, but not so frustrated that I would ever move to a city that had those things. There is a city about 50 mi. from here that I can shop in when I need to, but no Trader Joe's, no Cost Co, no Aldi's, stores I often wish I had access to. But I don't wish for it enough to contemplate a move there. With a Naval Air Base and a University here, it's getting close to too big for my tastes as it is.

Rusty

I haven't been to all the major cities, but I'd say:

New York City -- I know my way around this one more than most cities since I live near it. Manhattan and Queens within NYC - museums, ethnic restaurants galore, New York Botanical Gardens, the harbor, Central Park.

San Francisco -- Been there twice and loved it. The climate, the sights, the food.

Seattle -- Been there three times. Very fresh, bold, laid back. Okay, I haven't been there since the 90's.... Maybe it's changed.

(I did also enjoy several trips to DC, but other than the awesome Smithsonian presence, it was something of "okay". I've been to New Orleans twice -- both pre-Katrina -- the music and the Cajun/Creole food is great, but things even then seemed so just simply trying to get by once you get away from the French Quarter. (Last visit was Halloween 2003 -- enjoyed the fun as a one off -- Halloween is nearly as raucous as Mardi Gras -- but this would seriously drain me quick.) Plus I utterly despise the heat and humidity that I experienced during my first visit, on a business meeting at the convention center. Chicago just seems like a great Fields Museum and Aquarium, but I don't really have much draw to learn more about that place.)

PS: Would I live IN any of these places?? I did live some formative childhood years in NYC, but no. I'm a country girl.

PPS: Can't believe the spell check doesn't accept "Mardi Gras"....

Seattle & Portland

Chicago, because it is home

???

Just based on visits, except having lived in San Diego county -- that is my #1 -- I go back for a vacation there regularly.

I'm not sure about a #2 or #3.

I enjoyed my visit to Richmond, VA last September when they hosted the UCI World Cycling Championships. I'd like to go back and see more of the region.

I really enjoyed my 2 trips to New Orleans (both pre-Katrina), but it isn't high on my list to go back. Being warned to not walk anywhere by myself put a bit of a damper on the experience.

Chicago, San Francisco, California Central Coast, all fun. Lots to see in NY and Washington, of course. I've been to Philly, San Antonio, Phoenix, Tampa, Miami Beach, and Seattle, but all business trips and didn't really experience the cities. But I did enjoy the absence of mosquitos in Phoenix!

Galveston and Ashville I saw so many decades ago that I doubt they are anything like I recall now.

I do like living in Columbus, Ohio.