There are a bunch of cities in the US whose positive sides I've missed: Cleveland, Hartford, Springfield (MA), Houston, St. Louis. Others are supposed to have lots going for them like Atlanta, maybe Philadelphia, that I have also missed. Like others, I was wildly disappointed by the pre-Katrina New Orleans.

Pittsburgh surprised me on the positive side (low expectations perhaps). I agree with the folks that LA has a lot going for it (food, art, beach towns, pretty women on the beach, beach volleyball ...). At the core, what makes it fascinating to me is that it is the center of much of the world's popular culture. Low brow, yes, but whatever you see in LA will be in most of America and indeed much of the world in a few years.

At the top of the list, San Francisco and Boston have a lot going for them. Other than the weather, the infrastructure, the politics and a surprising fraction of the original natives who who were racist and/or rude when I first moved here, I think the Boston area is a great place to live. I enjoyed living in NY, was happy to leave and enjoy visiting (I know where to go for various things and can sample the great restaurants, theater, art, etc.).