Edited by author 02-15-2002 06:33 PM
I like how, according to Nick, San Francisco is "at the northern end of Silicon Valley." For the record, SF is not at the northern end of anything; it is not an appendage.

One cannot compare SF to any of the cities listed below. And why would one want to? Why does it need to "stack up"? It's not like any other city in the world and that is one reason why it is considered a mecca for many, many people.

This stereotyping of our neighborhoods indicates that he doesn't really know what goes on here. First of all, the Sunset is rich in many cultures. Not just Chinese. Does he assume that all people with slanted eyes come from China? We have Vietnamese, Japanese, Hong Kong People, Malay, Korean, Mainland Chinese, Taiwanese, etc. etc. etc. in our neighborhood. Those are in addition to Russians, Irish, Middle Eastern and an overall international mix. Including little old me from Los Angeles. Our local fishmonger is a Parisian transplant.

I think the seperatist ghetto is in Denton's mind. He sees somebody who speaks Spanish and assumes they are Mexican. The Mission happens to be another neighborhood that is diversely populated.

And those "wilder writers" moved to L.A. when people like Denton started showing up. I have many friends who were part of that siliconvalleyboomtime exodus to L.A., New Orleans, and NYC.

Denton's editorial is rife with fallacy but I don't have time to go point for point.

I don't think it's fair to cast such disparaging criticisms of a city one doesn't really know. Come to think of it, this reminds me of the Texans in Paris who claimed that Houston was better because:

1. There was more parking.
2. They had airconditioning.

Oh, and I entertain almost every weekend. Come to one of my dinner parties and see what it's all about. Or is the Sunset too foggy for you, Mr. Denton?