Yeah, I just came from New York as well. Visiting here was fun, living here is a hassle. I try to get something done and they ask me what the rush is.
NYC is great but has its own set of headaches. I've found the tech scene pretty close to being on-par with SF if you're doing web or mobile, or even "BIG DATA". SV has a strong advantage if you're building things like routers, robots or electric cars. I miss TechShop.
Any decent cafe in SF is full of startup folks, for better or for worse -- I've only overheard similar convo at the Ace Hotel.
That was probably me, if you were there last fall...