Anyone noticed this about Downtown San Jose and Santana Row?

[jaijai]

Originally Posted by Doctor Blues

Spot on for SR, however, in Santa Cruz they are all obligatory "left-of-Fidel" dems/green/alternate lifestyle/anti-fast food/anything American is evil,etc. and that's just as much a poseur trip, just different. If you are Joe Mainstream from Dubuque, you will not be welcome in Santa Cruz.

S.C. and the entire county is full of "regular", "normal" people going to work, raising their kids, enjoying the bay, etc..
These stereotypes of Santa Cruz are just so silly and so off.
It's such a limited take on a place.

[mysticaltyger]

Originally Posted by ilushka

I lived quite some time in both areas and I can tell you that the people in Santa Cruz have the same herd mentality as the people in Santana Row, or anywhere else for that matter; it's just wrapped differently. In Santana Row it's the wannabe rich/posh culture, in Santa Cruz it's the hippie/druggie/surfer counter-culture BS. In general, both groups are as authentic as the meat in Chicken McNuggets , with some exceptions of course.

Ding, ding, ding. We have a winner

[LexusNexus]

Originally Posted by alexxiz

Must been all the vicodins? Is this what you're suggesting?

No, I'm saying that life is what you make it. I've spent quite a bit of time in downtown SJ, it has always been a positive experience for me. Depends on where you are in life and what you're doing. I never go to Santana Row with expectations other than to enjoy the ambiance, whether that is in the company of someone I am enjoying being with at the time, or strolling while in quiet contemplation.

I think people who criticize these places are either not happy with themselves or where they are in life, or overly critical because they are ignored by the hot girls they see.

The woman in the wheelchair likely was just happy to be alive, enjoying the natural sunlight and mild climate. She was happy to be moving, where she likely could imagine herself walking with legs. She was likely glad to just be able to be among people, hear traffic, and get from fresh air. To her, downtown SJ was a place that was invaluable to her sense of well-being. She wasn't concerned about what the OP was complaining about. Perspective matters.

[oldtrader]

The is an old saying:

Birds of a feather, flock together.

You don't see Eagles, and Canaries flocking together. Nor Turkeys and Buzzards.

People are the same. If the normal dress is suits and ties for men, and suits or business dresses for women in a particular area, that is what people are going to wear.

If like where I live in Montana as I now do, people dress more casual, others are going to do the same. We can easily spot the ranchers, as they dress ranch style with Jeans, snap shirts, Big Hats and Boots. Suits only worn, for dress up, church, and formal business settings, but many may wear boots. These are not the same style of boots, the rancher wear when they run to town for a few minutes. But most ranchers, when they put on a suit and town boots, you would not know they were ranchers.

A good example is one of our U.S. Senators. When in Washington he wears suits. When he flies home for a weekend to run his farm/ranch and you see him, he looks like any other farmer/rancher.

San Francisco has a great China Town, where the people with Chinese Ancestry live and run businesses. They also have parts of the city, where the old hippies have ruled for 50 years. They have Italian Sections of town, and African American dominated sections of town. And even gay/lesbian sections of town. There are very wealthy sections of town, and unfortunately there are also poor sections of town. Etc., etc. Again, it is Birds of a Feather, flock together. People live and associate, where they are comfortable being, in a style that fits their neighborhood. When one says they are not really diversified, they are wrong. They have never really got to know San Francisco.

It has been that way as long as I remember, having been in and around San Francisco, and San Jose for over 80 years. Raised our children in San Jose and the Bay Area, and still have lots of family there.

[gone down south]

How many times are you going to get banned and reregister here?

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by gone down south

How many times are you going to get banned and reregister here?

They keep him around for those slow news days. Keeps the conversation, uh, lively, or something. Ironic comic relief.

[coldPlay]

Originally Posted by Backbreaker

Another thing I wanted to add.

I don't see how any female would think they'll have a good time with any of those guys there. The types of guys I would imagine that females really want deep inside and give them a better time are guys like Leonardo decaprio's character in titanic (who was dirt poor) and not that girls fiancé who looked and acted like he came straight outta Santana row. Anyone agree?

okay, I'll bite

You are right, the wealthier guys have been the most dull. It's like they tread too carefully and are way to cautious in pretty much most anything. My last boyfriend of 3 years was that way. But I also recall his desire to show me his portfolio early on in the relationship, which I was not interested, but endured.

Then shortly after I left that nightmare, I started a relationship with a poor artist who didn't have a cent to his name, so I usually paid the bill for our outings, which was fine by me.

We eventually had to end it because of his drug habit, but when I think of romance, I think of him. He's the type who couldn't afford to buy flowers but he picked them once for me from a meadow just meters from the sea that he knew about, or when he would rent a nice car, (only once) I knew he spent money he didn't really have to spend. Our meals together were simple things like ramen noodles and maybe a chunk of salmon, and we'd share a cup of coffee - that was amazing and romantic to me. That was about 3 years ago, and guess who I miss most?