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Hello everyone. Well I normally just look around, instead of post things, but I'm going to put my oar in for a moment. If you're talking geographic places -- Shire, hands down. Although one does note that the Shire doesn't appear in all his pre -hobbit stuff -- which makes a lot of writing that he poured out of his heart and mind that's basically Shire-less. I think, second place would be Rivendell, no? Tolkien, like Bilbo, had a love of lore and storytelling, and where better to get that than among the elves of Rivendell, and even from Elrond Half-Elven himself? (I rather get the impression that Lorien, though full of elves, is much less friendly to the poor hobbit seeking tales....)

But I'm going to turn away from geographic places for a moment, and say (is this too sappy?) -- I think that Tolkien's favorite place is hidden in the heart and spirit of Gandalf. Wise, loving, kind, cranky, humble, courageous, pyromaniac, apparently immortal, and, (at least in middle earth,) homeless -- friend of hobbits, elves, ents, dwarves and even men, (if they will have him as their friend) -- cryptic, fallible, powerful but not *all* powerful -- if ever there was one who set to the task given him, and inspired others to do the same, regardless of the difficulty, Gandalf was it.