I'm declaring you the winner because there is some no-kidding wisdom in your observations. Of course, its not my thread but I'm not letting that stop me.
the best city is the city you want to live and spend your life. live where you want then make it happen there. you'll be a lot happier in short and long run
give a city 6 months, figure it out for yourself. as soon as I am independently up and running I will be on the first flight to Rio, Buenos Aires, or Medellin and go from there till some whore tricks me into settling down.
The very best advice I can give on this, is to only consider an area which allows you to pursue your most important interests and hobbies. Anything less, I can assure you, will be a less than high quality life. In other words, live relatively close to what you love doing.