Chicago

One of my favorite cities in America, although I've never lived there through a winter. Very decent, intelligent people. Spectacular architecture. Great food. The entire place seems sensible compared to Los Angeles -- the city exits because of the river and the gigantic water supply of Lake Michigan. The streets make sense. The buildings make sense. The transportation make sense. Look beyond the beaches and Los Angeles is a strange, not entirely logical, place. One could more accurately consider Los Angeles more a series of villages than a city at all.