| Aspen, CO Pros: - Can be outside all year round (provided you love snow like everyone else here). - Tons of activities, culture, and interesting people. - I get to play hockey and snowboard / mountain bike in the same day, with maybe 20 minutes of time in my car. - The weather is impeccable (again if you like winter). - Small town airport is amazing. Get there 15 minutes before boarding and walk right onto your plane. Cons: - Small town. 10k people means you run into people all the time, people build reputations, etc. - Airport can be unreliable in weather. - Cost prohibitive for most friends or family to visit easily. - Everyone is white, and mostly rich. Lack of real diversity. - Eating out is prohibitively expensive and feels extravagant. (Pro to this is I spend more time with my fiancé at home cooking together and eating healthier) I lived in NYC for nearly 20 years, and I visit for 3-6 weeks a year. I love NYC more than anything, but also for now really love my life I've built here, even if it gets lonely sometimes -- I always remind myself that I was lonely sometimes in NYC too. Its been really nice to get out of the day to day commute to work, get coffee at [insert favorite local coffee shot], get lunch, commute home, go out to dinner or order in, go to bed, rinse repeat. I get to snowboard daily in the winter, ride my mountain bike in the summer, see gorgeous scenery on every ride or drive, and really have mother nature as my playground. I am physically and mentally healthier than I've ever been. But I miss NYC |