Stranger
But Des Moines does have a large underground homosexual population.
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
Fair enough. I thought it was a fine place to spend four years, but different strokes and all that.
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. 
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.
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.
Are they spicy?
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
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.
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.
What about Houston?
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.
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.