Personally I can't imagine living anywhere else. I know there are some very pleasant places to live but to me they're nice for a day or two before I start going nuts with the endless peace and quiet and slow pace. I have a friend who lives upstate, it's beautiful enough and he has a great house but they have to drive for 45 minutes to do a grocery shop or eat out.
You get used to the crowds and bustle in New York. It's like every other big city, there are tourist traps and you know to avoid them. Elsewhere, there is a colorful liveliness which prohibits so much as a minute of boredom. I step out of my apartment and there's people playing music on the streets, marching bands, street performers, theater in the parks, protests, parades, magicians, a million dogs to pet and all manner of general eye catching craziness. I can buy anything at almost any time of day on every day of the week and nothing is more than a couple of subway stops away. I've probably got about 20 restaurants within a 2 block radius alone. I frequently stumble onto movie sets, see famous people all the time, and on any night of the week I can go see some of world's finest musicians perform small, intimate gigs.
When it gets to the point where I'm napping in the afternoon, maybe I'll move somewhere quieter and less exciting.