[Normy]

Man, whenever I wind up in New York on an overnight, if I have any time at all I get on the train and go into Manhattan! I don't think I could live there [way too cold for me, and I just prefer a little more room], but it's fun to visit.

I'm 100% Florida. I like Fort Lauderdale/Broward county the best. Palm Beach county is either blue hairs or criminals, and Miami-Dade county is either Spanish-speaking or criminals. Both places have crime problems. Broward on the other hand is a younger crowd, quite diverse, and much less crime than the other two counties. It's also clean and the downtown is fantastic.

I've lived in West Palm Beach [boring and borderline dangerous], Vero Beach [boring!], Orlando [sprawl, bad traffic, rapidly increasing crime...though it has a great downtown scene], and Daytona Beach. This last is probably the worst city in Florida. I don't go there unless I absolutely have to, and don't even like driving past it on I-95.

If I could afford it, I'd live in Key West. I like the funky "Margaritaville" atmosphere...even if it really is kind of dumpy.

Other places: Michigan: artic winters, nothing to do but get drunk and fat. I grew up there and though I don't mind visiting in the summer, I generally stay away. Vermont is a nice place to go if you want cold weather- I've visited Burlington many times and liked it each time.

Virginia: I was forced to live in the People's Republic of Virginia for a year, and hated every minute of it. Too cold, too taxed, too anal about stupid rules, and too muddy. No thanx!

You know what is a nice place to live? Dallas, Texas. I was there for a year as well, and only just barely made the decision to move back to Florida. It is clean, the people are nice, and there are plenty of things to do and see. I had a good time there, even if it is over 100 degrees F every day in August...

In the end, you can find good and bad about every place. All the above are just my own opinions, YMMV. Check this out: I landed in Anchorage, Alaska one chilly morning in January, 2006, and after going through customs/immigration, found myself sitting in the hotel shuttle van. Looking out the window at the blowing snow. The lady driving the van asked me where I was from, and I told her Fort Lauderdale. "Oh....wow! How can you stand to live there with all the hurricanes?" This as the rear-drive Ford van fishtailed down the highway from the airport through about 6 inches of fresh snow....!

Hello?