thanks to my friend at No Fancy Name, here's an enjoyable little quiz to take that purports to tell you the best places for you to live, based on your answers to questions about the weather, recreation, etc.
My top results: San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, DC, San Diego. But, none of the places in my top ten had any category scores over 27% -- and the top result, SF, had very low individual scores in most areas, but I guess their algorithm deduced that I'd be generally satisfied there. (And I think they're right -- who wouldn't want to live in the Bay Area?)
Taking the quiz reminds me actually how adaptable we all are -- sure, we have these wish lists of features (I'd like to order NYC, with San Diego weather, with a dash of San Francisco for seasoning) but once you're in a place you learn to accept its good things and overlook the others. My actual location came in far down the list, at 37, but I'm far happier here than I think I would be in Boston. Or many of the others.
Of course, working in academia encourages adapatability-- to think about such a question as "where do you want to live" separate from work issues is pure fantasy.