It's always interesting to hear outsiders' perspectives when they visit for just a bit. Yes, the history is interesting and there are nice museums. Here are some countervailing properties of the city that reduce its lustre upon familiarization: it has the lowest life expectancy of anyplace in the country, similar to that of the Gaza Strip; taxes are high; property is overvalued; there are large swathes of the city that are very poor and you'd best not travel through them at all; the museums are only interesting the first time; it is full of persons of "progressive" political orientation, meaning they are some of the least tolerant people on the planet (if you aren't also "progressive," you must be primitive, so it is often assumed); there is a huge cadre of homeless people; there is lots of corruption among its officials; the winters can be utter shit; there are lots of african americano whores on offer for the cheap but you will drive to some shit hotel in a poor area and get held up by a guy named Lamar who jumps out of the closet, etc.
It's nice to visit or stay for a time if you are there for work, there is a good night life, and you are liable to meet some sophisticated professionals, but beyond this the people who stay are either government officials/journalists/political organization people who are relatively wealthy and thus have homes elsewhere, or kneegars who cannot afford to flee.
