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Comment by dionidium | Hacker News Reader

I don't know what drives others, but San Jose doesn't have any of the history, architecture, or institutions that made me fall in love with Pittsburgh and Detroit. And it certainly doesn't have any of the grit.

San Francisco has those things in abundance.

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What exactly is "the grit"? The homeless people and crackheads?

It's like pornography. You know it when you see it.

I'd argue it's the reverse, you know when it's lacking.

San Jose is boring, cookie-cutter suburbia.

Right. Nice place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit there. Unless it's for WWDC, of course!

Abandoned warehouses that are being renovated into office space, people who have struggled to get where they are today, success stories, personal loss and tragedy, you know, the human factor. A lot of people like places with "character", where character is defined as "not perfect".

I've never been to San Jose so I can't comment on it, but I've been to Pittsburgh and Detroit. They have character. Those cites are more human than many actual humans I've met.

I totally agree. My partner just came back from a trip to SF and a lot of her colleagues (neurosci grad students) were really disdainful of her being from Pittsburgh, but we both really love it here. There's so much culture here that was hard to find in Boston for me or SF for her.

>Abandoned warehouses...renovated into office space

I can't read this and not get sad about Ghost Ship

San Jose has everything you describe. Literally next door to the train station is a block of almond factories converted into modern apartments. I wouldn't describe a place I've never been to...

Edit: you aren't the GP, sorry.

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