That's true actually, I know an echte Hamburgerin (3 generations both sides) and she's nice, as are her family. The "locals" I just meant the German inhabitants of the city, many of whom of course did not grow up there or are from there or have strong roots in the city.
Like I said, it's a pity, but for a city that claims to be Germany's "gateway to the world", its people are awfully parochial, small-minded, and terribly lacking in curiosity.
The mother of Karl Lagerfeld once told him that, yes, Hamburg is the „gateway to the world“ but you have to go through it.
She meant, being willing to exit through it.
One could argue, that this entails a selection bias in who comes and stays and who actually goes. And over time you got a population which prides itself to be something others have been/are.
Like I said, it's a pity, but for a city that claims to be Germany's "gateway to the world", its people are awfully parochial, small-minded, and terribly lacking in curiosity.