A nice place to visit...but I wouldn't want to live there....Or would I?

I have a dirty secret. Lean in close and promise not to let it out and I will spill the beans and let you in on it.

I love Syracuse, NY.

I know. It's horrible...and for most people I know, it's unheard of and unthinkable. They would all rather be somewhere else.  My friend's that grew up here and moved to warmer climates post passive-aggressive status messages on facebook, designed to elicit bitter responses about how much they are enjoying the weather where they live.

But I do love where I live.  It isn't perfect, but nowhere is.  Yes, we get a lot of snow. It's winter. It is supposed to snow.  Last I checked, winter is also supposed to be cold. So we have no issue there. I love the beautiful fall foliage, the explosion of colors as you watch the leaves change. The perfect crispness of the air in the fall, that time of year when you go outside and you can SMELL someone starting a fire. Absolutely perfect.

But, as much as I love my home city, it only natural to think about how it would be to live somewhere else.  I have been lucky enough to do some traveling, being in some places for only a few hours, some for days, and there are some places that I would like to visit and possibly live there.

1. San Francisco. Absolutely gorgeous city. Completely different type of city, beautiful architecture, beautiful, cool climate. Not a big fan of earthquakes, and I think I would miss the snow, but as a whole, truly my number one.

2. London, England.  I know, crazy, right? But after spending almost a week in London, I totally would want to go back.  I can't imagine that a lot of people would consider a trade of the weather in Syracuse for the weather in London to be anything but an even trade, but remember, I am one of the few that isn't bothered that much by the weather. I truly loved everything about London.

3.  Pittsburgh, PA. I only spent a few hours in Pittsburgh, but the time that I spent there, I truly enjoyed.  I really got that blue-collar feel and none of the pretension that many larger cities do carry with them.  The sporting stadiums are some of the most beautiful in all of sports and do the city proud.

4. Chicago, IL.  Another beautiful and distinctly unique city.  Once more, some extremely harsh winters, but Grant Park and Soldier Field in the summer and fall, along with some incredible steakhouses and other food would make it completely worth it.

Now, there are many other places that I would love to visit and see for myself.  And maybe one of them could take a spot on my list and maybe even persuade me to move there and live there. I've always wanted to go to the Pacific Northwest, maybe take 2 weeks and spend it driving from Portland to Seattle to Vancouver, where I've heard it rains quite a bit, but it is completely lush and beautiful and the food scene is to die for. There are a few notable places that didn't quite make my list of place I would want to live.  Washington DC, a great vibrant city, but not a place I would ever want to live and the granddaddy of them all...the city so nice they named it twice, New York, NY. I have been to NYC numerous times and I have always felt the same way about it. I love going there. I love being a tourist there. I would never want to live there.  In fact, I think the only place that ranks below NYC is Paris France, another beautiful city completely ruined by the French.