I see! Well, I did travel a lot for my old job and spent a lot of time in some cities along the west coast. It sounds to me like you’d probably love Portland, Oregon. It’s a very young, very multicultural city with a pretty awesome nightlife, good bars and clubs, and it’s situated close to the mountains, which means you’re only about a one hour drive from some really beautiful locations for hiking, biking and fishing. It also has one of the biggest bookstores in the world, called Powell’s City of Books. I literally spent about 7 hours in that place when I visited and walked out with 18 books that I had to mail home because I didn’t have room in my travel bag for all of them.
Alternatively, Philadelphia, which is where I live now, is really something. It is pretty rough in certain spots, and just like any big city, there are a few areas you wouldn’t want to live in. But beyond that, there are some really fantastic places to live and visit in the city. The Manayunk neighborhood in particular is a very popular spot for young professionals. There is a lot to do in that area — great bars and pubs, lots of shopping and some really awesome seasonal events (my favorite is their food truck festival). It sits right on the river and has a wonderful atmosphere to it. And in comparison to the rest of the city, it’s very safe and very clean. I would move there in a heartbeat if I could, but the commute to work would take too long for me.
Anyways, those are just my two picks. I’ve heard that San Diego and Atlanta are great places to live as well, especially for young people, but I’ve never visited either of them so I couldn’t say. I’m sure some people will mention San Francisco to you, and it is a very cool city, but just be forewarned that it’s unreasonably expensive (and I know NY is very expensive, but San Fran is actually way worse). In any case, good luck to you! I hope you end up in a place where you’ll be truly happy.
And in the meantime, keep the articles coming! I’d love to read more from you if you plan on publishing more in the future. =)