Medusa-
If you want to "keep things simple", your best option, by far, is to work hard
one time, by installing an outdoor roof antenna, or having one installed. After it is installed, you will probably get good reception on every channel from that city (if there are no big hills between the TV stations and you). Your reception will probably be good now, and will probably look as good or better when we all switch to digital in February 2009. You can get two $40 coupons for the converter boxes you will need from this Web site:
www.dtv2009.gov
(The converter boxes will cost as little as $40 each, so they will basically be "free".)
To find out what kind of antenna will work for you and what channels you can receive, go to this Web site:
www.antennaweb.org
The one-time hard work of getting a roof TV antenna installed will absolutely be worth the trouble. Roof antennas just plain work (in most locations like you describe), it is that simple. Indoor TV antennas require constant twiddling and fiddling, and it is still always just luck when they do work, amplified or not.