Where would you live, if you could live anywhere?

This question comes up a lot in my family.

We’ve lived in California — both Nothern and Southen — for the last 8 years, some improbable and short detours (Memphis and Dallas!) notwithstanding. We are currently in the process of moving to Southern Florida, largely because of our kids’ tennis.

My wife and I lived on America’s East Coast (Boston), in England (London), and Moscow, our home city.

Our kids always have a loud say in this debate, often mentioning the places where they’ve never lived. My oldest son screams “California is the worst!” and “New York City is the greatest! California will be a wasteland in 50 years”. He says he’s sick of the hot weather and how it’s bad for his running, how it’d be so much better to run in a colder place.

Maybe he’s spoiled, we’re spoiled. Or maybe, he has a point.

I’m currently in Washington DC for a couple of days. I don’t often visit the East Coast these days but when I do, I’m always stunned by how different it is from California. I stepped out of the hotel late last night. Suits! Leather boots! Expensive handbags! Everyone’s dressed up! It’s like there is a fucking gala of the year and everyone’s heading to it! I went for a run in the morning. It was lovely. The weather was perfect — not too cold. But even the runners were overdressed! They were wearing long pants, gloves, and sometimes hats. It really wasn’t that cold.