@HImom - I would not mind spending a year in Honolulu as long as my pad has a big lanai with a nice view of the ocean and there are no neighbors above me. 
I spent 10 years working towards our move to San Diego. No regrets after four years here and I donāt think Iād want to spend more than a month anywhere else now.
@HImom Yeah, in our year or 18 months in HI, Honolulu would get very little time - perhaps a couple days. Itās the rest of HI we love. Oahu itself is our least favorite island, but on the āotherā sides it can get interesting (shrimp trucks, uncrowded beaches, etc). Oahu has the worst snorkeling!
Bald Eagle wise, we get sightings often just in our back yard. Herons too. Nature is how we detox. Cities build up the stuff we need to detox for.
I am happy in HNLāwe have a decent airport and cultural events, great community theater and restaurants. Sadly, bad traffic, but I do my best to avoid it. I love the temperate weather. Iām fine living near but not on the water. Thatās close enough to visit. Iām not a water person.
I love mountains and my body hates heat&humidity. We loved the Denver area last summer. I felt better hiking at 10,000 feet than I do at sea level in the muck.
I read an article a few years ago about people working for the national parks. They would stay at one park for 18 months and then move onto the next one. Lodging Came with the job. I would love that! My H not so much. That might be a back-up plan if something happens to him in the next 10 years.
Los Angeles January through August, then NYC for the remainder of the year.
While I love NYC, Iām not sure I could do a year there. I like several short trips.
For some strange reason, Iām really drawn to the city of Anchorage.
Somewhere in Arizona - so much beauty in that state and close to many NPs (including those in Utah). Itās sunny, close to skiing in the winter and varied weather depending on location and time of year. Give me Lake Powell in Page, AZ on a houseboat during the summer, snow for Christmas in Flagstaff or the Grand Canyon and, if I get tired of the chill during the winter, warmer weather can be found in Scottsdale. Sedona is also beautiful when itās not their crazy busy season. My avatar picture is from when we visited The Chapel of the Holy Cross in Sedona. Oh, and the enchantment of living in a ādark skyā community and checking out all the varied constellations throughout the year would be so magical.
Also, during my year in AZ, Iād take a road trip to CO to see a concert at Red Rocks - something funky and fun like Phish, Widespread Panic or one of Bob Weirās (Grateful Dead) groups (Rat Dog or Dead and Company).
My second choice, bc I also love looking out at the ocean and hearing the waves when Iām sipping on my morning coffee or enjoying an evening cocktail, would be Monterey, CA - or more specifically, Pacific Grove in a little B&B looking out at that beautiful bay and seeing the water crashing on those craggy rocks. Just traveling up and down that beautiful northern CA coast is so much fun - Big Sur, Carmel (17 mile drive, Pebble Beach, The Links at Spanish Bay, etc.), going over the Golden Gate Bridge on the way to Muir Woods - again, so much beauty.
@rjm2018 , hereās your perfect B & B:
Every time I walk past this place I just want to move in!
I wouldnāt mind living in Pasadena again, or somewhere else in the LA area. I really loved it when we were there, and thereās even more to do and see now than back in the early 80s.
When I was in my 20s I was dying to live in the City which is a big part of how I ended up at Columbia for grad school. Now Iām a half hour train ride away. I feel badly that we donāt get in that much. Iām now taking a class there once a week, but since I have a backpack full of art supplies, Iām rarely in the mood to do a lot of walking and I prefer museuming with company.
The Sierra Madre Canyon or La Jolla Beach.
I think the answer to this question is partially dependent on where youāve lived so far and where you live now. Iāve lived in Colorado, Utah and Alaska, and was lucky to have many outdoor adventures and enjoy true wilderness. For summers, Iāve lived on a lake in Maine, and on Cape Cod. For the bulk of my life, Iāve lived in the suburbsānever in a big city.
So it makes sense that I would want to try a city, and NYC is my favorite in the US (maybe even āthe greatest city in the worldā). Especially love the Met, the High Line, The Frick, Ellis Island, Lower East Side Tenement Museum, Natural History, NY Historical Society, Intrepid, Top of the Rock, NY Public Library, and all the parks and theaters. On my to do list: Met Cloisters, Governorās Island, St. Patrickās Cathedral Catacombs, the Morgan.
@LVKris, went many years ago and stayed just up the road at The Green Gables Inn in the Balcony Room. At night, we left the windows open so we could hear the waves as we slept and we woke up to that beautiful view of the bay. In that room we had to share a bathroom but I didnāt care bc it had the best view from the bed and the cute little day bed room. Monterey Bay Aquarium was a real treat and strolling through Cannery Row was pretty interesting - lots to see and do in that area. We walked by The Seven Gables Inn and that looked like a great place too. Seven Gables Inn was featured in one of those credit card commercials in the 90s.
The room we stayed in at Green Gables Inn. https://www.greengablesinnpg.com/guest-room/balcony-guestroom
This is a short clip that shows both inns from an aerial view. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GZFomzXhuxM
@ClassicMom98 that sounds like dream to me!
@3SailAway I agree - I lived in a major city from birth until I was almost 30. I miss nothing about it!
@rjm2018 , that one looks fantastic, too! I just love walking along the coastal trail and seeing all the Victorian homes.
We were standing/sitting in a beach park with our friends, playing pokemon go today (online phone game). No one else was there. It was a gorgeous sunny day. What more can anyone ask for? Life is good, but honestly we have enough folks so please donāt feel you have to join us here.
This thread sort of resembles my life. Five years ago, after our kids were done with HS (youngest was between sophomore and junior years at out-of-state college), we embarked on a new adventure. H is a consultant with short-term engagements (most average 18-24 months). His job prospects were fairly limited where we were living, but he knew heād be in demand if he could go to where the work was.
I took a new job that allows me to work from anywhere. We were previously living in a small city in the midwest, and our first move was to NYC. The job included housing (really NICE housing) on the Hudson River. We ended up staying 2.5 years. We were both working full-time, but in our free time visited tons of museums, went to hear speakers, attended shows, etc. Especially going in knowing it will be short-term gives us impetus to get out there and explore the area.
After that posting, we moved to a southern state to an absolutely charming college town. We went to hear special speakers on campus, attended sporting events, and other events the town and college offered. That position just ended.
While in the area, we have taken vacations to nearby locations like Savannah, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, and Asheville, NC.
H had a couple offers for the next position - one would have taken us up north, but we ended up staying in the south, in a different location. Just starting on that adventure.
Itās a little crazy to pick up everything and move every 1.5 to 2 years, but so far weāre enjoying it. Before this career change we previously lived on both coasts and the midwest, and enjoy experiencing different places.
^^^ Not everyone could do that move that often, but I have to say itās a cool opportunity as long as you both are up for it!!!
Cape Cod or La Jollaā¦I have never spent a whole winter on the Cape which I think would be cool to do ONCE and I have never seen the dreary, misty weather they claim happens in La Jolla. I have never been to Monterrey but I I think I could handle 12 months there.
When we retire (2-4 years from now), I hope to actually do this on a somewhat smaller scale. As I posted upthread, I want to be in NYC and would like to try to sublet a place for 3 months and āget it out of my systemā. H and I have discussed this.