I'm not sure what kind of climate conditions contribute to seeing. Let's just say that its almost always like a sauna during the summer, but nice temperatures in the winder/spring months but the high humidity still lingers. On the bright side, cooldown isn't a problem then its usually warmer outside at night during the summers anyway.
So, in a nutshell: the scope needs to be able to handle moderately high magnifications (about 200x), but also be able to give a good view of a wide star field with a good eyepiece (although with light pollution, I don't know how impressive this view will be, I would still like to have to ability if I ever find myself under a dark sky). Good contrast/resolution is a high priority. I also wouldn't mind paying a little extra for high-quality optics.
So that's about it, thanks for taking the time to read this. If anyone has had experience in my situation/conditions, your reccomendation would be most helpful. I would go to a star party, but there really aren't any clubs here or back home. While I have a few scopes that I am interested in, I would like as many "clean-slate" reccomendations as possible, so I won't mention them.
Clear skies and thank you again,
George