San Francisco or San Jose? (Oakland, Anaheim: move, stadium, suburb)

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

Their city is the one validation of their life, so they must constantly reassure themselves that it is the best city and all others are terrible.

Funny thing is, they hate on L.A. all the time, yet are well on their way to becoming L.A. North (thanks to the yuppie infestation). Maybe they realize this, and must flog themselves accordingly.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Funny thing is, they hate on L.A. all the time, yet are well on their way to becoming L.A. North (thanks to the yuppie infestation). Maybe they realize this, and must flog themselves accordingly.

It's true. Oddly, they apply that description to San Jose. We may look like LA, but they act it.

[vdy1985]

LA is better than both!

But I love SJ and SF too!

[krudmonk]

Who said you can't like them all?

[JSS]

Just hopped on so I'll throw in my 2-cents. San Jose is to San Fransciso what Milwaukee is to Chicago, Baltimore to DC, Providence to Boston....you get the point. Its okay for some, but definitely not a world-class city like San Francisco. What I dislike most about San Jose is that it lacks uniqueness/originality....nothing here that really makes it stand out from any other city. Sorry, just a small town trying to act big.

[Alexus]

Originally Posted by JSS

Just hopped on so I'll throw my 2-cents. San Jose is to San Fransciso what Milwaukee is to Chicago, Baltimore to DC, Providence to Boston....you get the point. Its okay for some, but definitely not a world-class city like San Francisco. Lacks stuff like:

A decent airport w/ international flights
-- Sorry, the airport expansion project is a complete joke
An art museum
-- San Jose Museum of Art doesn't count
Attractions
-- Winchester Mystery House, Great America, Santana Row -- sorry, not impressed

What I dislike most about San Jose is that it lacks uniqueness/originality....nothing here that really makes it stand out from any other city. Its really a small town trying to act big.

Excellent post and spot on!

San Jose, while a nice city in the shadow of San Francisco, is a magnet for one-dimensional people who use their address as a crutch to fill the void where there'd normally be a personality. They needn't be artistic or worldly if they live in a place that is not known for being such. Their city is the one validation of their life, so they must constantly reassure themselves that it is the best city and all others are terrible. There is an ever-present example of that here.

[krudmonk]

Alexus, shouldn't you be able to write something better than what I did? After all, you're a totally creative and open-minded progressive who's in touch with the world and all, right?

Originally Posted by JSS

Just hopped on so I'll throw in my 2-cents. San Jose is to San Fransciso what Milwaukee is to Chicago, Baltimore to DC, Providence to Boston....you get the point. Its okay for some, but definitely not a world-class city like San Francisco. What I dislike most about San Jose is that it lacks uniqueness/originality....nothing here that really makes it stand out from any other city. Sorry, just a small town trying to act big.

The only cities SJ would be mistaken for are a handful of others in California. It's harder for any city of its size to not have any distinguishing characteristics.

The "acting big" thing is true, though. Unfortunately, the neverending quest for big leads to overlooking many long-present urban qualities. People ***** and moan about a skyline and miss the walkable streetscape. It is rather lame that many seek the superficial city qualities alone. A good example right now is bringing the A's to town.

[t_thibaud]

Originally Posted by Alexus

No sophistication in SJ, nothing resembling a real city ambiance. Just a place where people wander around chewing on straws.

The city tries to embrace an identity as the "Capital of Silicon Valley." But all this does is identify it as the place dominated by the most boring of people: mind-numbingly corny techies, engineering geeks, nerds, and dweebs....

SJ shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence with a great world-class city like San Francisco. Maybe in 50 years, when all these cowhands and country folks have moved on, the place may begin to emerge as more than a cow town, a big Campbell, and a location for Gomers, Goobers, and Geeks.

Some doth protest too much. That your kids may have been outscored and outshined by les enfants des geeks doesn't mean that the world's most advanced technologists are hayseeds. In any case, while San Jose isn't a great city, neither is San Francisco. It's a small city without a single world-class employer and with architecture, museums and theatre that are all second-rate.

Given that all nearly all the wealth creation and economic dynamism-- y'know, the dynamism that ultimately props up SF real estate and tax revenues-- are out in Intel/Cisco/Google-land, methinks it behooves you to show a mite bit more gratitude to your economic masters down on the Peninsula. If/when they leave the state (wonder how that rumored increase in CA income taxes to 11.2% will play out?), you and yours in SF will be well and truly californicated.

Also, I have no idea what you're on about hockey, which is several orders of magnitude-- oops, sorry to get techie on you-- _extravagantly_ more international and worldly than good ol' 'mercan football or basketball. Most of the players are from countries where the kids read Tolstoy and learn to play and dance to music by Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Sibelius and their ilk.

As to that "great world class city" SF, I've not met many New Yorkers, Londoners, Parisians, Romans or Muscovites who'd consider SF more than a small outpost with great scenery. Charming, well, to some, but let's get real here: You can find better and richer art collections in half a dozen cities back east, many of which also have better symphonies than SF. Cleveland, Pittsburgh and possibly even Detroit come to mind. Chicago and Minneapolis have better theatres; Austin and New Orleans have better non-classical music scenes.

Basically, SF is a small town living off its fabulous setting, our wannabe version of Rio de Janeiro.

[Alexus]

Originally Posted by JSS

What I dislike most about San Jose is that it lacks uniqueness/originality....nothing here that really makes it stand out from any other city. Sorry, just a small town trying to act big.

This is the key point about SJ. God, the place is one big Cowtown. In fact, I looked up "Cowtown" and what do you know, Cowtown was once a nickname for San Jose. Interestingly enough, so was Chicago because of the slaughterhouses. In SJ's case, Cowtown means "hicktown" and is more accurate. SJ feels like a big hicktown.

Cowtown - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But SJ is a pleasant place all in all if you prefer that class of a city.

[Alexus]

Originally Posted by t_thibaud

Some doth protest too much. That your kids may have been outscored and outshined...

My kids? Oh, now I understand the knock on Vassar. You'd be surprised to know the school she really chose....part of your "prestigious" category I believe.

The SJ spin. Best in its class. The problem is, who cares?