I think its funny that New Yorkers always tell me how they're surrounded by a variety of industries whereas all us San Franciscans know is tech. My office in SF is in the Financial district, with probably 50 banks within a 10 block radius. 3 blocks over is Union Square, which has a Niemann Marcus, Macys, Nordstrom's, Tiffany's, Louis Vuitton, (essentially you name the high fashion company, its there), 2 blocks the other way is Chinatown, one of the biggest concentrations of Chinese culture. To imply that those of us out here are living in a bubble where all we can experience is tech makes me think one just needed to grasp at straws for why NY is better...
I'm with you here, I think San Francisco is an awesome and diverse city. But I think that people who talk about Silicon Valley being insular are talking about the actual valley: Sunnyvale to Menlo Park. And they have a point; if you're in the valley, you're definitely missing out on the many advantages of being in a real city surrounded by real people (whether it's NY or SF).
