# Where would you live? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 19, 2008, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285 "2008-09-19T09:43:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/41 "2008-09-20T16:26:32Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > Buffalo, New York. I’m serious. You get a lot for your money. > > There was [an article in New York Magazine](http://nymag.com/realestate/features/49491/) recently about people moving to Buffalo. Don’t do it! Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/42 "2008-09-20T16:39:11Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > Huh? Are you sure you’re not confusing Denver with Des Moines? I’ve never heard that complaint about Denver, and I’ve lived in the area a long time. Usually it’s the opposite - Oooh, that’s too spicy! Denver/Boulder is a great food town. You must have been taken to Casa Bonita or something. But Des Moines does have a large underground homosexual population. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/43 "2008-09-20T16:57:05Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > **Stranger** shows impressive erudition on a wide range of topics, but dissing Kansas City? Cleary he has never enjoyed a night he can’t remember in Westport. Certainly he has never visited the Nelson or enjoyed the stark beauty of Northwestern Missouri or strolled through the Plaza in the Christmas season. I’m a vegetarian, and I’d still eat the barbeque in KC. Comparing it to Terre Haute? Perfidy!! I’ve actually done all of the above. The Nelson-Atkins is a pretty nice museum and the Westport is the one area of individuality, but that’s four hours all done and done. I hate Christmas, and Northwestern Missouri is only beautiful if you like cows and fields. The BBQ is good, and so is the steak at Plaza III and game at my old kitchen, The Peppercorn Duck Club, but I’ve had as good and better elsewhere. Color me completely meh on Kansas City. You could do worse, but if you’ve got the pick of the nation, why go for a “4”? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/44 "2008-09-20T17:12:51Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Color me completely meh on Kansas City. You could do worse, but if you’ve got the pick of the nation, why go for a “4”? Fair enough. I thought it was a fine place to spend four years, but different strokes and all that. ---
**Author:** ![incidental](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/22d042/32.png) [@incidental](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/incidental)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2008, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/45 "2008-09-20T22:25:16Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Madison does indeed have a brand new free-standing children’s [hospital](http://www.uwhealth.org/americanfamilychildrenshospital/madisonwisconsin/10260?utm_source=vurl&utm_content=kids), along with 4 other “regular” ones, if regular includes veterans’ hospitals. Wow, I hadn’t heard this. I had heard that Denver and Pittsburgh were/are building brand new hospitals, but not Madison. I’ve actually heard very good things about Wisconsin programs. I think it was Milwaukee that had wooed some very good facility away from other “big name” programs. For the record, I’ve heard the people at Iowa Children’s are extraordinarily nice as well. My knowledge of the Des Moines homosexual scene is somewhat limited though. 🙂 [QUOTE=Bayard] Children’s hospital in St. Louis is free-standing in that it’s a separate physical hospital, although it is part of the Barnes-Jewish-Children’s conglomerate. [/QUOTE] Yup, that’s what I meant by free-standing hospital. Some smaller programs have a “children’s wing” of an adult hospital, which is what I’m looking to avoid. I want a big program, preferably with a nice large catchment area for patient referrals. [QUOTE=Bayard] I’m married, so I don’t know about the singles scene, but I do like Cincy overall. I have heard nothing but good things about Cincy Children’s. (I’m not a doctor, but I eat at their cafeteria a lot, since I work about a block from there; the food’s good). My wife is a doctor at the University if Cincinnati hospital, FWIW. Anyway, if you come in town for an interview, PM me and I’ll buy you a pint. [/QUOTE] Wait, wait, wait…are you saying that people go to the hospital for the food? :eek: _Really?_ I eat the food at my program because the alternative is starving. And sometimes starving is preferable (taco day, I am looking at you). The word on the street about Cincy is that the residents are happy there. Given that curriculum is pretty much nationally mandated, things like resident-satisfaction/morale are huge in my opinion. I think my mother is far more concerned with the singles scene than I am. And also…thanks **Bayard** for the offer. That’s very sweet. Thanks again everyone. So much of residency program selection is word-of-mouth advice and geographic preference. I have no geographic preference (besides the CA thing), so I’m scrambling to compare cities. This is all very helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/46 "2008-09-21T01:04:06Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > But Des Moines does have a large underground homosexual population. Are they spicy? ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/47 "2008-09-21T01:10:33Z")
BBQ is not Colorado cuisine. You might as well have been judging New York City on the quality of their chile. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/48 "2008-09-21T01:20:37Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > BBQ is not Colorado cuisine. You might as well have been judging New York City on the quality of their chile. Okay, tell me about the awesome cuisine in Colorado and where it is to be found…'cause I haven’t discovered it yet in Colorado Springs or Boulder. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Linty\_Fresh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Linty\_Fresh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_Fresh)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/49 "2008-09-21T01:21:20Z")
Seattle. In a heartbeat. _Maybe_ Portland. I’ve seen Boston mentioned a couple of times. I live in Boston now, and it’s the second big city I’ve ever been around long enough to get to know my way around (The first was Seoul, Korea.). You know, years and years ago when I first came to Boston, I really enjoyed it. Museums, used bookshops, the colleges, and whatnot. It really is great for culture. I guess I’ve just burned out on Boston, though. The job situation is pretty lousy, and the winters are awful. The driving is a nightmare. Most of the better used bookshops are long gone. Also, the college students are starting to get on my nerves. I don’t agree that the people are rude. I’ve found them to be _very_ friendly and helpful. Still, as soon as we get an opportunity, we’re moving to the west coast (Seattle, if at all possible), and we’re NOT looking back. Ever. Or maybe Boston’s as good as it’s always been, and I’ve just lived here too long. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/50 "2008-09-21T01:34:18Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Another former Las Cruceno here. Las Cruces is a poor man’s Santa Fe, in a way; really more like a mini-Albuquerque with a very funky edge and a lot of very interesting people. It’s a place that can infuriate a long-time resident, yet being the “Land of Entrapment”, it’s hard to leave. Probably too small for the OP, though. I used to live in Albuquerque. That’s a great city. Sandia Mountain looking right at you. Great weather. The U of New Mexico in the middle, making it a nice college town. Santa Fe an hour’s drive away. Lots of interesting pueblos and nature areas nearby. I really liked the place. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/51 "2008-09-21T02:18:10Z")
What about [Houston](http://www.houston.org/rankings/)? Not as self-consciously groovy as Austin. But we’ve got interesting neighborhoods, great restaurants & cultural happenings. Also a world class medical center. Yes, summer weather sucks; everything is air conditioned. But our winters are mild. And the city’s mostly recovered from last weekend’s hurricane, except for power outages in some areas. Settling down on the coastal is a bad idea because of Storm Surge; quite a few of us have known this for many years. After you’ve finished your program, you can consider some place more cute & quaint. ---
**Author:** ![Purgatory\_Creek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/74df32/32.png) [@Purgatory\_Creek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purgatory_Creek)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2008, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285/52 "2008-09-21T02:22:24Z")
I recently went to see a physican at the University of MN Hospital in Minneapolis, and she worked there while her husband did his residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, and they lived sort of in the middle (though further south than I’d have chosen). I think there are big children’s hospitals in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, also, and Mayo’s just starting one up, if I remember correctly. However, having lived in MN all my life, I can’t see why anyone would want to live this far from an ocean, given a choice. It would be Seattle or Portland for me, I think, if I were forced to live in a city. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-would-you-live/464285.md?page=2)