i guess mostly the weather thing -- summers filled with humidity and mosquitoes. but this isn't the case in nashville. i got here sunday evening and went out for a walk, and it was really nice. i think one thing that it has going for it is that the sky seems really high; in california there is this amazing effect where you can always see so much of the sky and the environment, because of the hills and the general lack of tall buildings. here, near vanderbilt, it's similar; the world seems so open and free. this despite the fact that yes, it is 95 degrees and not inconsiderably humid (although no swarms of mosquitoes yet.)
i just have a good intuitive feeling about the city, i guess. my people are coming next week, for the bridge tournament; in the meantime i don't have anything resembling a traveling companion, and i am too chicken/socially well-adjusted (take your pick) to accost semi-random people on the street. so mostly i just chill by myself (which is nice; it's a complete absence of social pressure, which is quite rare for me) and walk around. anyway, the riverwalk is very nice, and there are some nice cafes, and mostly it just seems like a quality city, even if the downtown bars blare country music and the tall buildings look like they're made out of legos. i guess that second part is not necessarily a bad thing.
i could see myself living here someday, which really surprises me.