It seems if you want to get your city on the map, the best way to give it some exposure is to compare it to Brooklyn. Two years ago, the New York Times handed this lofty accolade to the city of Oakland, calling it the ‘Brooklyn of the Bay Area.’
Now, another Bay Area region is hoping a Brooklyn-infused headline will bring with it some glitz, or at least a couple of retweets. The San Mateo Daily Journal’s headline on Monday, “San Mateo County: The Brooklyn of San Francisco, garnered some head turns and gentle chuckles and snorts from a region that’s always been in the shadow of The City.
Er, really? The Brooklyn of San Francisco?
Sure, San Mateo County has its share of gorgeous nature trails and redwood forests. It's even got Facebook in Menlo Park. But can the ho-hum cities of Daly City, Foster City, Redwood City, Brisbane and Belmont really be compared to the most populous and hipster borough of New York City?
It turns out that even history columnist Jim Clifford, the man who wrote the article, doesn’t agree.
Clifford told NBC Bay Area he was simply trying to explain the 1960s phenomenon “Manhattanization,” when cities become crowded and cramped with people and skyscrapers.
Perhaps Clifford should have a sit-down with his headline writer.
