i have a friend from queens - donofrio is his last name. he got as far away from there as possible.

That's exactly what I did 15 years ago and I have no regrets. I'd been out to Santa Cruz, Ca, to visit my sis. It was February. When I got back home to Chicago there were 14' icicles hanging off my back porch. My now X and I were growing apart, I just decided not to extend the inevitable and we made a break. Hell, I never promised to live my life in that big dirty cold city. I moved to SC about 4 mos later with no prospects but some connects and some $ in my pocket.
I just knew that I'd always regret it if I didn't go. My life has gotten so much better these years since that decision. Found pretty much everything I was looking for:)
Scary times, here & there. The familiar is alluring, even the not-so-good. I found myself missing X! Just the "normalcy" of what we were, together.
Don't live in SC anymore, have moved on to bigger & better places & things. Those beautiful sunsets are pretty pricey in Ca., and it's veeery crowded. But it's a magical place.
Now I live in a place where cars go slow so as not to alarm the horses:) I do love it:)

"I am not exactly poor but money can only make you be miserable for so long before you realize that there are more important things in life."

Right on!

Do it, you won't regret it. I promise that you will find yourself homesick, though. Impossible not to love the land of one's youth.