Although I hate to find myself defending Clint!!!
...From what I understand, "Frisco" is a very old nickname which goes
back to some of the earliest seamen in the 19th century.
In the late 50s (perhaps early 60s) "Frisco" became declasse --
especially once our legandary columnist Herb Caen published his famous
"Don't Call it Frisco" column
About 5 years or so ago, it gained pretty wide usage by 20-something
trendsetters in black. (rebels!) Since I have more hips than hipness
these days, I don't know if it took hold -- but I doubt it. Personally,
I'm not comfortable with it and still use (the smugly provincial) "The
City" -- or occasionally "SF" From my experience, people who say "the
Bay Area" are usually from outside the city or are specifically
referring to the wider region.
...and by the way -- the damn recorded voice in announcements in the
Muni Metro subway stations has been calling the station "Embarcadara"
for the past ten years!
Mark
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