Ahh I over looked NYC - I thought you were just talking about New York as a whole. But yeah, I've been to NYC...it's a nice place, but as you've suggested I would probably be looking for a *bit* more quiet and perhaps closer to the Canadian border - are you familiar with the Buffalo or Rochester areas? I was originally considering something close to south central part of NY (like Middletown - for purely geographic purposes) and briefly thought about NYC but I'd like to build up a bit more in state *assuming* that's where I decided to go.
Right now I'm fairly settled on the hwy 5 strip in Oregon (probably Eugene or Salem or one of their local communities) and SE of Ann Arbor, Michigan. This is more based on prospects of returning to school because, fortunately, my situation has improved enough that I feel like I have the room to play this move smart.