Sometimes I just don't know... It's nice to work in the US for a lot of things - money first and foremost. But San Jose is also a good example of what's unpleasant about the US. Even a small town in Italy has (at least) an order of magnitude more character and interesting things, rather than sameness and right angles. It's difficult if not impossible to attach a monetary value to, but I think there are definitely some externalities involved in living in a beautiful place, that at least for some people, compensate for the other things that are wrong.