The tech sector and the energy surrounding it is palpable here; it's incredible. But, thankfully, it's not the only dominant voice in the city. I hear more and more people at every meetup I attend saying they moved from San Francisco to escape the "tech-centric" culture there. While Silicon Valley is likely still "the" place to be for tech, I'm glad NYC is emerging as a viable East coast alternative.
I think it's unfair to "tech" to label Silicon Valley's unique tech culture as merely "tech-centric". Just because tech is a big part of it doesn't mean that all of the rest of the cultural encrustations of the SV frat-house environment are non-existent or unimportant. There are, and have been, many "tech-centric" urban areas that are still incredibly different from silicon valley.
Most of the startups based here are very much fluffy and will vaporize when the VC/angel bubble pops. They are either "lifestyle" businesses (read: small businesses. make some money but should never have taken VC, because they will never have a real exit) or just e-commerce masquerading as "tech."
Anything that changes NYC's economy to make it less dependent upon those who play with money is a good thing. I'm even happier that tech companies are finding NYC a place with plenty of talent.
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