Here are some cities I've lived in: Tokyo, Xi'an, Harbin, Rome, Assisi, Florence, Jerusalem, Berlin, Munich, Lyon, Palo Alto, DC, Boston, Providence, Phila

Here are some cities I've lived in: Tokyo, Xi'an, Harbin, Rome, Assisi, Florence, Jerusalem, Berlin, Munich, Lyon, Palo Alto, DC, Boston, Providence, Philadelphia My general assessment is that American cities feel more vibrant while European cities feel more sleepy. Cambridge is one locus of intellect for its own, perhaps the best left although I think American pragmatism chokes great thinking. For true intellectual engagement I think you have to poke around Europe and find the older generation of scholars and artists. As for Florence, pg should know folks like Pietro Annigoni that at least were keeping old traditions alive. Europe is in many ways like a very wonderful museum with a few old curators, but that old museum beats most new museums by a large margin.