For future reference on the West Coast

- No one in California has ever referred to our state as "Cali". At least no one who's spent a significant portion of their lives here. Saying "Cali" automatically labels you as being from elsewhere.

- In that same vein, never call San Francisco "Frisco" unless you're doing it with deadpan irony. Don't even call it "San Fran". If you really want to be cool, call it "The City", or just bite the bullet and call it San Francisco. Trust me on this.

- It's easy to buy into the quick stereotype of places you've never been, or visit rarely. You know, like, "All New Yorkers are rude," and so on. For example, the idea that all Los Angelenos are shallow people who are only focused on vacuous superficiality is only partially true. For example, my car is filthy and I shave every other week or so, and I'm damn proud of it.

And now, you know.

- Jeff

This San Franciscan hates the term "the City," its so provincial (as if we are the only city in the world) and it is most popular with the bridge and tunnel crowd. Ess Eff (SF) is a well accepted, and in my opinion, better alternartive.

Good point. I should have listed "SF" as an acceptable alternative.

I also should have listed that SF and LA couldn't possibly be more different places, and that traditionally, people in SF aren't particularly fond of anyone south of Santa Cruz.

Strangely enough, people from LA don't really seem to harbor any reciprocal ill will toward Northern Californians, since we're too busy working out and getting botox injections to be concerned with such things. The exception to this rule is when the Dodgers play the Giants, but sports is a universe unto itself.

- Jeff

Who the {censored} says that?

And in the same vein, please stop referring to Buffalo as an "armpit," and take a stand against conveniently calling Utica a "classic example of a dying northeastern industrial city." The residents Westchester County would be most obliged if you'd stop calling their accent "Chappaqua Lockjaw," and the millions upon milions of residents of New Jersey, NY, and Connecticut, NY, would sincerely appreciate a little more recognition of their autonomy. Thx.

Here's another phenomenon: when people think of the West Coast, they're generally referring to California.

However, taking a look at the map, you'll note that Seattle is WAY further west than LA. But at that point, latitude takes over longitude, and you're in the Pacific Northwest.

Isn't that odd? No? It's just me? Never mind.

- Jeff

Cali has sports?

Well, I just returned from a week in Seattle, my fourth trip there. There's no doubt that it is, culturally, West. "Coast" is the problem. Them damn Olympics keep getting in the way.

One step toward fixing this would be to have a few more "New York" sports teams to actually play their games in the state, if not the city, of New York.

- Jeff

Here, we get away with calling New York "The City" because it actually helps us differentiate NYC from NYS. But of course it is "THE" city for other reasons as well.

The NY problem is that when 99% of people say the city, they mean the borough Manhattan, which, of course accounts for only a fraction of the area and population of NYC. Be kind to your brothers and sisters from Staten Island.

The place where I live (a mere 70 or 80 miles north of the city) gets called, provincially, "upstate" even though it is solidly in the southern part of New York, and even though it bears more cultural resemblance ot the city than to, say, Utica, Binghampton, Syracuse, Johnson City, Elmira, Malone, or Watertown. Thank god.

In a similar vein, Iowa people instantly know you as a 'foreigner' if you say "see da rabbits" instead of "Cedar Rapids"

OTOH, it is perfectly alright to say San Antone

....

unless you're in the South Side, where you had best use your strongest Spanglish accent, and say it as one quick word

"Zanantonio"

Yeah, in the 19 years I've lived here, I've never heard anyone in California call this place "Cali."

And while we're at it: Arizonans generally don't wear cowboy hats or speak with a twang. If you want to hear an Arizona accent, listen to famous Arizonans like Alice Cooper, Ted Danson, Lynda Carter, Garry Shandling, Linda Ronstadt, David Spade, and Steve Allen.

Best,

Geoff

>

Colombia! :)

I call California "Cali" sometimes.

Usually it's when I'm mocking those who say it and aren't from around here.

Hehe.

I was going to add the one aboot SF but JEff beat me to it, as I now see.

I think if one lives in "The City" (whichever one) the most important way to express it is to

say "well, let's just say I'm most definitely NOT a bridge & tunnel -er -- I actually have a life " (make sure to dismissively do the eye roll otherwise people may think you are joking)

MYK - your avatar is creeping me out

We use other words to describe LA and SF. It is rare that anyone cares what the locals may think of us outsiders.

Saying "Cali" automatically labels you as being from elsewhere.

this can be a good thing

I had some Norwegain pals tell me when I go there just say "FJORD" -- then they'll know your American and speak to you in English!

I think prog brings up a good point in that while one wants "when in Rome..." one doesn't want to "pretend to be a Roman"...being labelled as being from Elsewhere...as it's true

Originally posted by -=MYK=- I call California "Cali" sometimes. Usually it's when I'm mocking those who say it and aren't from around here.

Exactly. Even then, I can't seem to get the word to form in my mouth properly.

Do we go out to "Ari" to visit Lake Havasu? Head down south to "Flori" to hit the clubs on South Beach? Go to college in Boston, "Massie"? No, we don't.

Should we blame LL Cool J ("Goin' back to Cali") for all this? He was born on Long Island, so I suppose it proves my point. Do I even have a point? Not really, but it's proven anyway.

- Jeff

And remember, that county to the north of SF is

mar-IN' county, not MAR'-in county.

Man, this is ENTIRELY weird. I just this morning corrected someone who said "MAR'-in" on the phone to me. And then he had the nerve to negate my pronounciation!

"No, it's MAR-in. I've been there before."

"Whatever. Did you drink any pienot noyer while you were there?"

- Jeff

So these 2 travelling slaesmen are sitting in a Denny's and they are arguing about the KY city's pronuncation

A : "no no it's loo-e-ville"

B : "nope, the locals must say Lou-IS-ville, after all it's versales here"

A : "Ok when ther server comes back we'll ask her to say it to find out"

B : "OK, but don't bias it with a leading question

Server appears

Server : "you guys doing OK?"

A : "yes we are - By the way...where are we?"

Server (looks confused ) : "Denny's - you're in a Denny's "

FYI - locally, it would be Loo-a-vll. Or if you are a Louisville expat, "the Lou" or endearingly "Looserville"

No, we go to Ari to negotiate our next movie deal.

Best,

Geoff

With all due respect... I've lived in Cali since long before you were born and I've been calling SF "Frisco" since long before I realized how much it irritates people who identify with San Francisco. Of course, realizing how much that irritated them only accelerated my usage...

Anyhow, here in SoCal, we like to think of ourselves as with it, now hipsters... so, even though we used to call my town "Iowa by the Sea" it seems more appropriate these days to call it the LBC.

Anyhow, living language, yadda yadda...

(But don't say "enormity" if you mean "enormousness" -- OK? I draw the line someplace.)