We Chicks hail from north, south (well, Southern California), east, and west. But our favorite cities may not be the ones we live in or even write about…

Ellen Byron

I may live in Los Angeles, but my heart has always been in my hometown of New York, New York. However, lately I’ve been cheating on it with New Orleans. That’s how it feels – like NYC is my smart, wonderful wife and NOLA is my flashy mistress. There’s just something magical about the Crescent City, with its party-hearty atmosphere, historical buildings, and steamy weather. It’s a sexy city, while New York is more of a power city. And the food in NOLA! Oh, the food. It costs a fortune to get even a mediocre meal in the Big Apple, but in the Big Easy, twenty bucks can get you a drop-dead delicious oyster po’boy at Mother’s or a fantastic omelette at Camellia Grill. So N’Awlins is now number one on my list. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Marla Cooper

I have to admit, I have a hard time playing favorites. From movies to books, even down to colors, I can never choose the one that makes me forswear all others. That said, I’ve had a longstanding love affair with New York City. I’d love to live there, but I feel like I’ve aged out, due to my stubborn insistence on closets and a dedicated parking space. So instead I content myself with visiting once a year and seeing as many broadway and off-broadway plays as possible. My other favorite activity in NYC? Just walking down the street. There’s an energy there that no other city has, and it recharges me on some level that I never realize I even needed until after I’ve left.

Right at this moment, though, I’m in one of my other favorite cities: Austin. I lived here for many years before I moved to California, and I’m drinking all the margaritas and eating all the BBQ that I can stuff into my mouth. The people here are friendly and relaxed, and even though it’s a lot trendier than when I used to live here, it still feels like home, except with more facial hair and skinny jeans. Of course, I really love Portland. And San Francisco. And Oakland and Amsterdam and ….

Kellye Garrett

Unlike Marla, I don’t have a hard time playing favorites. Hands down, my favorite city is New York City. Although I’m a loud-and-proud Jersey Girl, I’ve worked in Manhattan for years. And I even spent a year living in Harlem. Like Marla said, there’s just this amazing energy about New York that just can’t be described. Why? It provides you an up-close-and-personal view of people like no other place can. It’s the only place where a homeless person, a silver-painted mime, one of Forbes Richest People and a family just in from Tokyo can all be within feet of each other (even if they don’t realize it.) You want concrete? We got concrete. You want green? We got an entire park of green (and it’s Central too!) You want quiet? Well, you’ll have to go to the suburbs for that.

Readers, tell us what you love about your favorite city!

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