3 ms·
When we first moved down to the bay area for YC, we moved into a new development house in EPA right next to Ikea. I frequently joke that EPA is not the same as
by dluan 12y ago
When we first moved down to the bay area for YC, we moved into a new development house in EPA right next to Ikea. I frequently joke that EPA is not the same as Palo Alto, and while the rest of our batchmates had apartments in dowtown Mountain View or houses in the Los Altos hills, I really enjoyed living in EPA.
It was grimy, I'd frequently hear cop car sirens at 4 in the morning. And, there wasn't much to do in the immediate area unless you wanted to cross the freeway into Palo Alto. Being there was always a stark reminder of how little that community had, and also how little we had compared to all of the riches around us. Being there felt appropriate for us.
I appreciate my time in EPA, because it was a little microcosm that trapped some of the larger, harder problems of the real-world, hidden inside the bubble that is silicon valley.
- toehead2000 12y agoSuch bravery http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Darkness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heart_of_Darkness
- AndrewKemendo 12y agoThis doesn't add anything of value to the discussion.
- salemh 12y agoLink below is dead dismissing your comment. To be honest, I'm not sure why your own comment adds to the discussion either. I appreciate my time in EPA, because it was a little microcosm that trapped some of the larger, harder problems of the real-world, hidden inside the bubble that is silicon valley. I suppose it is that. [1] dead link made a snarky comment towards bravery and a movie flick.
- lmm 12y agoI've heard Heart of Darkness called many things, but not "movie flick". It's a novel, or novella if you want to get fancy.
- dluan 12y agoI think you might be reading too much into it. Spending time in EPA was a constant reminder that I was voluntarily stepping into a bubble everytime we left. The dichotomy was and is still unbelievable. A lot of people have the distorted view of SV as some golden paradise, where the roads are paved with 1's and 0's. That is not the case. There are very real problems, but most times people try to talk about it, it's always rooted in some struggle to make SV better (e.g. housing).
- ForHackernews 12y agoThis comment is unbearably smug and lacking in self-awareness. You were almost certainly a bunch of kids fresh out of an elite university, choosing to temporarily forgo six-figure salaries in hopes of making millions by enrolling in a prestigious startup accelerator. Your situation had nothing in common with those of people trapped in a cycle of generational poverty resulting from years of segregation and violence. One would hope you might have learned some humility and empathy from your time there, but instead it seems to have become grist for your self-aggrandizing origin story.
- dluan 12y agoI was afraid that if you read my comment in a certain tone, then it might come off as smug. It wasn't meant to be. I've edited it so it will be less so.