In my 25 years I've lived and experienced the following places:
Boston, MA
Washington, DC
Baltimore, MD
New York, NY
Stamford & Fairfield County, CT
Central, NY (oneonta)
Western NY State (corning)
Staten Island, NY
Central, NJ (middlesex)
In my opinion, NYC is where its at. True, cost of living is high but well worth it and can be manageable.