Places I've never been but would consider living in

1. Copenhagen. It looks gorgeous in photos and the Danes seem like pretty cool folks. I bet they would accommodate me by always speaking English.

2. Athens, GA. I have a bit of a phobia about the South, but this seems like a pocket of hipness. I'm a sucker for college towns, and any place that spawned R.E.M. and the B-52s is good enough for me.

3. Boulder, CO. My sister (who has actually been there) pointed out that Boulder consistently gets named the Best City Ever in magazine articles. Don't take her word for it, though -- the Convention and Visitors' Bureau has the proof. It's arty, it's green, it's got mountains... yeah, I think I wanna live in Boulder.

4. Davis, CA. When I was a kid I always thought I'd live in California when I grew up. (My grandparents and aunt and uncle all moved there so I guess I thought it was what one did.) Southern California is a non-starter for me, but I'm intrigued by the northern part of the state. Again, I like college towns, and this one is appealing because everyone there rides bikes. Not that I've owned a bike in 15 years, but the hippie in me thinks it's the best mode of transportation.

5. Portsmouth, NH. Let's face it: the thought of living more than six hours away from New York kind of freaks me out. I need to know I'm within a day's drive of decent bagels. New England always sounded like a reasonable alternative, and Portsmouth seems like a decent small city with an interesting harbor and some nice old buildings. Plus, I liked Joe Coomer's book Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God, which was set on a houseboat in Portsmouth. (Houseboats are also cool. Not that I've ever lived on one.)