good thread, tp for you all.
just to add my experiences to the above....
hong kong, china A+
jakarta, indonesia A -
istanbul, turkey A+
tashkent, uzbekistan B...but depends what you are looking for. quiet and clean and friendly....except the airport.
tripoli, libya C- but in a few years could be an A+, once it is cleaned up and the infrastructure is improved. stunningly beautiful ocean views and the best preserved roman ruins in the world. the old city is right out of the ottoman empire.
beijing, china is C- in terms of pollution, traffic, etc. but A+ in terms of history, sites, etc.
seoul, south korea C since living there is a challenge, what with the air and overpopulation. but since i did live there for a time, i knew all the good places...so for me personally B+
my experiences in these places is within the past 2 years, so fairly recent.