Have you been to: Boise, Ljubljana, Aberdeen, Reykjavik, Port Louis or Sydney?

I live in Sydney

it all depends on what you are into

pretty good city and there is alot to do


what you into?

 

Having lived in Austin in the 70's, and living in Boise now, I think your description is pretty good. The Treasure Valley (Boise, Nampa, Caldwell) has grown a lot since I moved here in '88. It is an awesome place if you like to do things outdoors. The economy is strong, and the best thing is I can watch all the Rocket games on DirecTV!

 

Are you really, really into the Arts? If so, you'll like Santa Fe. It's a town for the Arts (as opposed to a town with an Arts scene).

 

I will 2nd all this & rimrocker's too. Just an awesome, awesome town. One of my favorite places in the States. Not sure I could handle living through the winter, though.

 

I did but that was a lifetime ago (or so it seems).

 

I am going to Iceland in June Australia rocks too. Travelling is so much fun.

 

Been in AZ for about 18 months and now moving to the Medford, OR area in 4 weeks.

Santa Fe, I think, is one of those places that used to be great but is inexorably sliding due to population growth and the increasing influence of the national economy... when you have an Eddie Bauer and other national chains on or within walking distance of the Plaza something's wrong. Also, I think Santa Fe is becoming Californiaized and with that brings high property values and the infusion of a cultural outlook that in many ways is the antithesis of the traditional Santa Fe/Northern NM culture... they've also, I think, ruined the traditional art scene... it's become about money and name artists. It's also becoming a tough town if your economic situation doesn't allow you to pop for $300,000 houses and private schools.

Santa Fe still remains one of the best places to actually feel history (New Orleans, the Mississippi Delta, the Gullah region of SC are others)... in other words, it's not just a Chamber of Commerce slogan, but the history of the place infuses the present in a way that is palpable. It's a great town for visitors and on your first trip, you do feel the specialness of the place. I would encourage anyone who hasn't been there to get there post haste as it is part of America that everyone should experience.

Albuquerque is hit or miss, depending on the neighborhood. The second home/real estate investment types found Albuquerque late, so property values are still somewhat reasonable. There are a number of good schools, though most of them are private. A bunch of amenities, but not as much as you might expect of a town with 500,000 and a decent sized university. Still, I like Albuquerque and wouldn't hesitate to move there. You've got some good forests close by, skiing, good weather, the Rio Grande (if you're a Texan and live on the east side of the river, you can always say you live in what used to be Texas), a nice little zoo/aquarium/botanic gardens, and some great neighborhoods.

 

Winters are really not too bad. The elevation in the valley is around 2200 feet. When it snows here, it usually melts from the roadways by the afternoon. There is probably more rain in the winter than snow. It snows at the higher elevations, of course, but that's a good thing. Bogus Basin Ski area on the outskirts of town usually can't open before Christmas. One year I skied in the morning and played golf in the afternoon, just to say I did it. Go north about 75 miles to Tamarack or McCall and you are quite a bit higher with much more snow that hangs around until spring.

 

it all depends on your age really

there are plenty of nightclubs in the city and other places (though not as concentrated) so if you here for "fun" then you wont be disappointed

on the other hand, if you are into travelling...then there are heaps of destinations within and outside the city

great wineries, forests, beaches definitely beaches, and other scenaries

if you have more time on your hands then you can take one of those tours that takes you out to the great barrier reef, various islands around Australia, Uluru (that huge rock thing you always see)

and you get to experience indengious cultures etc etc etc


i should be getting paid by the australian government for promoting australia btw

 

okay, i'll comment on ljubljana. i don't kow if you've been in eastern europe much but here's the deal. prague is totally touristy and pwned by american, british an german money while budapest is a little less so. ljubljana, when yugoslavia split, went straight west mentally and economically. the town seems slovenian- they call the shots. prolly helped that it's not as big or as historical town as the others. vienna, which never had to go under the iron curtain is so different and doesn't even appreciate how fortunate they are. oh, and go to trieste in italy and you'll then have a pretty good idea of what the former holy roman empire looks like today.

 

Sydney!?