Is San Jose a world class city? (San Francisco, Oakland: buy, earthquakes)

[the topper]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

I'll take some of whatever it is that you're smoking, because I'd love to explore whatever universe you're living in. San Jose has better weather than a lot of world class cities, including New York, London, and Tokyo. Is that really your measuring stick? Architecture??? Name ONE globally famous building/structure in San Jose that competes with the Eiffel tower. I'm dying to know.

One: Eiffel is designed after San Jose's light tower! Now, Samsung new headquarters and Apple's new space ship headquarters! What about San Jose's new city hall? Can go on and on

[the topper]

Originally Posted by b.hughes

I have to agree with 04kL4nD. I'd honestly put San jose's peer cities as being something like San Diego, Austin, Sacramento or Oakland. San Jose is not a bad place but Im pretty sure a lot of the perspectives in this thread are through very rose tinted glasses.

In reality, your average travelled person is going to compare Paris with San Francisco in that both are in the tier 1 of world class cities. I'm not even sure how a comparison of Paris and San Jose makes any sense at all - its like trying to compare Dubai and Reno.

Nope: San Jose is high tech capital of the world! It's the world's capital of innovation. San Jose realistically is in the same league as Tokyo, Seoul, London and NY. It is the most important world's high tech region with all the big city trappings. It has world class infrastructure in place.

[dogandcat]

Originally Posted by the topper

Nope: San Jose is high tech capital of the world! It's the world's capital of innovation. San Jose realistically is in the same league as Tokyo, Seoul, London and NY. It is the most important world's high tech region with all the big city trappings. It has world class infrastructure in place.

Have you been to all of these cities? I have been. It is totally different cup of tea.

[the topper]

Originally Posted by dogandcat

Have you been to all of these cities? I have been. It is totally different cup of tea.

I've been to London, Paris, NY and Sydney

[marcopolo666]

Originally Posted by dogandcat

Have you been to all of these cities? I have been. It is totally different cup of tea.

Or sake, as the case may be.

[neutrino78x]

Originally Posted by dogandcat

Have you been to all of these cities? I have been. It is totally different cup of tea.

Yes, it is different.

But, look. The world has changed since the introduction of technologies invented in Silicon Valley. I'm not sure why some people commenting are speaking as if they do not understand that this change has occurred. In terms of economic influence and cultural influence -- cultural influence in that the technology invented in Silicon Valley has changed human culture -- Silicon Valley is EASILY on par with Paris. Easily. We are in a new era of human history: The Information Age. Silicon Valley is the originator of it and is still the driving force behind it. Thus, the impact of Silicon Valley on human culture for the foreseeable future cannot be overestimated.

This is not to say that somehow the Tech Museum has as much renown as the Louvre. For one, they have completely different purposes. The Tech Museum showcases the modern Information Age, whereas the Louvre is a beloved curator of the past several hundred years of European history. The Tech Museum is not even about tech history. For that, you want the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.

Paris has a much longer history than San Jose and San Francisco, and a much longer history, indeed, than the United States of America. Construction began on Notre Dame in 1163 in Paris, which was already established as a city and as the capital of France. San Francisco did not exist in 1163. So, don't be silly, San Francisco. You are not Paris.

Silicon Valley isn't Paris either, in terms of cultural history.

San Francisco has only existed for 200 years, and Silicon Valley has only existed for about 50 years. San Jose and San Francisco were founded in the same year, 1776. So the history of San Jose is just as long as that of San Francisco. It is just a different story.

But in terms of impact on modern culture and impact on humanity going forward into the future, Silicon Valley is on the same stratum as Paris. San Francisco itself has a rich and fascinating history, and beloved landmarks. But it does not have the same impact on world finance, communication, technology and the future as Silicon Valley does.

[neutrino78x]

This page has a lot of information on the history and culture of San Jose.

Soft Underbelly of San Jose

Here is some information on the San Jose Light Tower. The man who invented the Eiffel Tower was inspired in part by San Jose's Light Tower. I, for one, would support bringing a replica of it back to downtown (back to its original location). Its light would have to be tuned to the same frequency range as the streetlights, so Lick Observatory can filter it out. But it would be cool.

San Jose Electric Light Tower

The tower collapsed in 1915, but a replica is located at History Park in San Jose.

[neutrino78x]

The Pao Hua Buddhist Temple in San Jose is a beautiful building. It was constructed in 1976, so it isn't old. But it's a great expression of the Buddhist society in Silicon Valley.

Google Maps Pics of the Buddhist Temple on McKee in San Jose.

The address is 2946 McKee Rd, San Jose, CA 95127. Of course, it is a religious institution, not a tourist attraction. But it is neat to observe it from the outside.

[04kL4nD]

OK, so architecturally this one Buddhist temple you're referring to competes with the likes of world renowned places like Bangkok and Angkor Wot? This makes sense given how much better SJ's museums are than what you could find in Paris.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

OK, so architecturally this one Buddhist temple you're referring to competes with the likes of world renowned places like Bangkok and Angkor Wot? This makes sense given how much better SJ's museums are than what you could find in Paris.

Because one has civic pride in their city (San Jose), does not mean that their view of the city is universally accepted. If you're going to use population and strength of the economy as the key benchmarks, Houston would likely be considered one of the world class cities in the US.