Comparing life in Berlin, Dresden, and Frankfurt

So I wonder for the move which would be better Berlin, Dresden or Frankfurt. Naturally I am thinking Berlin but want to hear good things about the latter two.

What would interest you? Are you looking to do something specific while you're here?

I love Dresden. They don't call it "Florence on the Elbe" for nothing. However, you might actually be more of a Berlin type guy. Frankfurt is just a shithole.

Make a list of pros and cons.

Dresden- very pretty, low-key yet cultural, interesting history, ...

Berlin- very big and loud, lots of artsy fartsy stuff, also lots of history, ...

Not sure why anyone would want to move to Frankfurt (an extremely attractive job being the only reason I could imagine).

FFT is not that bad. sure it's smaller than the others but depending what you are looking for it could be a good option. good airport, lovely countryside and towns near by that are linked by train to the city. big finance, IT and comms industries can mean good job opportunities.

Going out is more of a challenge but when you get some insider tips then you can find some good stuff. There are a surprising number of decent bands/dj's that play here, Ok, nothing like Berlin, but if you are past 30 then every few weeks rather than Thu, Fri and Sat, can be enough.

Downsides are the number of bankers here, but they can easily be spotted and looked down upon. The Zeil shopping street on a Saturday and the hoards that decend from the dodgy suburbs and the hills.

If I could choose, having been here for 3 years, I'd probably pick Berlin for the last 5 years, Munich, maybe FFT for the next 5 years. (I'm 32)

I was drawn to FRA because of the job opportunities and lived there for a short while but hated every minute of it. To me it seemed like there was no beating heart/life to the city. Unless of course you're into suit guys and corporate c..., then I'd imagine you'd be in hog's heaven.

I didn't find the FRA locals that friendly, the Amt on Mainzer Landstr. was awful and they took ages to process something. The bars were half empty - even on a weekend, and I found it really difficult to strike up conversations as it was terribly "cliquey". Ironically, all the down-to-earth / up for the craic people were all working with the Airlines - I still travel there to see them every now and again.

At the time, it seemed like FRA was a place where everybody works and nobody lives. My German friends always refer to it as a BWL stadt. I haven't lived there for a long time, but I do hope it has changed since then.

As for Berlin - still not quite a capital city like Paris or London etc... but it definately has a certain something about it. I know a few americans there, and they always seem to say that the Berlin spirit/attitude is similar to NYC - I guess that's open to interpretation...