It sounds like you met a lot of good people. Unfortunately, the bad kind seem more common, at least from where I'm standing.

I don't think Silicon Valley vs. New York has a lot to do with it.

The problem is that when you run into bad people and they ruin your career or steal your future, then good people don't want anything to do with you (or, at least, have you at arms' length, and that gets annoying) so you get a string of more bad people (who are always happy to take advantage of your weakened position).