I can't compare it to most of the country, but I like the Cambridge/Boston area.

Cons: high cost of living, serious winter.

Pros: more smart/interesting people than you can shake a stick at, pretty, good public transit, smallish but active LW group. I also liked that it has enough universities (though I don't know about your field) that after I moved here I could choose from 4 grad programs without relocating.

As for travel, you can do a lot of the east coast on Chinatown buses for a fraction of the cost of flying. For all the bad press, it's safer than driving. More annoying, but if it makes the difference between going and not going...