Dhalphir, you're the only one updating in this forum with any regularity, so you get the feedback and advice. Let me provide you with some thoughts on your proposed second city location. Here it is as I understand it:
![[Image: PBEM53-1.jpg]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19563179/PBEM53-1.jpg)
That's not a bad spot to pick. The advantages are access to two resources in the first ring (5/0/0 dry corn and 3/3/0 plains cattle) along with the ability to share cottages with the capital. I've drawn them in with white Xs where this city can share riverside cottages with Liberty Island. (The grassland tile immediately north of this city can also be shared, but as a non-riverside tile, it won't be getting worked for a very long time. Not with so many riverside cottages available.) So the arguments for this city are basically the corn, cattle, and two shared riverside grassland cottages with the capital.
The downsides include the fact that pretty much everything else about this spot is fairly weak. There are no other resources claimed on a map that appears to be heavily fertile, including no strategic resources. The city will be placed one tile OFF the coast, which isn't a disaster but isn't desirable either. It's not on a river, it wastes a potentially choppable forest tile, and so on. Again, this isn't a terrible spot, but I do think there's a better location available. Try looking here:
![[Image: PBEM53-2.jpg]](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/19563179/PBEM53-2.jpg)
This is where I would settle instead. Like the other spot, it's 3 tiles from the capital and has a pair of resources in the first ring. It also shares two riverside grassland cottages with the capital, again marked with white Xs. However, there are some other sizable advantages here:
* The horses tile is 1/4/3 yield as opposed to the 3/3/0 of the plains cows. This does slow down the city's growth noticeably (only +4 food as opposed to +6 for the other spot) but it grants access to a critical strategic resource, has more production, and even gets the Financial commerce bonus for being on a river. Plains cow tiles aren't all that strong - I would argue that this is a better tile, especially since any food issues will disappear once borders expand.
* While the other city gains little from a border expansion, this spot grabs the fish (6/0/3 with a lighthouse) and gems tiles (1/2/7 after the jungle is gone). This city will be effectively as good in the early game, and much, much stronger down the road.
* This city is also on a river, and opens up the possibility of putting further grassland riverside cottages south and southeast of the city center before borders expand. That gets you six good tiles (corn, horses, two riverside cottages shared with capital, two riverside cottages of its own) even before expanding borders. This is again noticeably better than the other spot.
* This city is also on the coast, speeding your path to whatever is across that body of water faster. It looks like there's a small island out there which would grant the intercontinental trade route bonus, something that's critically important to get. Planting one tile off the coast would not allow this. (Disclaimer: I haven't seen this map, I have no idea what it looks like.)
Anyway, I would argue that this is the strongest location available from what's been posted thus far. It's not perfect, of course: there are no forests here compared to two for the other spot, and it potentially orphans that clams resource (although I think the clams could be taken by an island city). Still, I think it's your best bet, at least barring something amazing showing up in the fog to your north and east.
I don't want to take over your thread with too many posts, but if you have any questions, ask away. Good luck.
