I get the same impression. I have worked at startups in SF/SV and recently relocated to NYC. Even if you look at job posts in both cities/areas. The SF tech scene is much more vibrant, the startups cover a broader range of sectors and interesting problems, and VC money is easier to find, i think, in SF than in NYC. NYC is definitely 2nd, but it's still quite a ways away from the SF/SV area. I also observe that there are riskier startups in SF/SV than NYC and as a CS researcher, I think the SF/SV area has much more interesting positions and opportunities. For example, Nanosatisfi is launching mini satellites into orbit. I don't think you'd find something like that in NYC.