Plus if it's really bad in other cities - I want something that can work where I travel.

It all depends. I have taken my phone all over the country (I travel for work sometimes), and have had no noticeable difficulty, unless on the road in heavy traffic somewhere like LA. In which, dropped calls=the norm. But I think that the other providers also have a hard time there. *is not certain* But Chicago, though I have heard a lot of complaints from locals about Sprint, I had no issues. No I think that it's a mileage may vary situation.