You know who says NYC is awesome?  People who already live there.  Good luck finding a place to live in the city.  Your options: room with four other people in a two bedroom or have insanely rich parents who can co-sign a lease with you.<p>Of course, I disagree wholeheartedly with Thomas on Chicago unless you're bootstrapping.  If you don't want to do SV, Boston and LA (especially now with Jason's Open Angel Forum events) are pretty good options.