San Ysidro Ranch where JFK and Jackie honeymooned..up in the hills.
Four Seasons,.by the water.
Fess Parker Resort, by the water.

BTW - remove the term "Cali" from your vocabulary before you arrive

The Canary Hotel, a newly refurbished hotel, is lovely, almost dreamy. My wife especially loved the place.

it's downtown, so within walking distance of a dozen or more restaurants.

Just personal pref, Fess Parker is you want to be near the beach and San Ysidro if the beach isn't importnat. OR an excelletn B&B - Inn on Summer Hill.

You'll love the drive up the Cali coast!

Since it's just one night, Harbor View Inn would be my suggestion. You can walk the wharf across the street, and also walk or take the trolley to downtown restaurants.

I'm a native Californian, of an age when there were not very many natives.

PLEASE DON'T CALL IT CALI. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard!! Before I read your post, I was going to say it's as bad as calling San Francisco, "San Fran", but I see you did that too!

Argh!

Or 'Frisco'!!!

Iroche, I hope your one night in SB isn't a Friday or Saturday because most hotels have a 2-night minimum on weekends.

Agree. Saying 'Cali' or 'Frisco' will identify you as a tourist immediately and silly or not will subject you to eye-rolling or smirks from the locals.

The hotel recommendations up above are all good, depending on what kind of experience you want.

http://www.sbcastilloinn.com/

This is a very nice little motel, right by the water.

It isn't so much that these terms will label you as a tourist - people will figure that out pretty quick when you are touring around when most people are working And being a tourist is not at all a bad thing. Tourism is a big part of our economy here and we love that tourists come. There are just come terms that grate on people's nerves - I think it is mostly because it seems that people from other places think that they are in-the-know by using the nicknames, but the nicknames are ones that only people from elsewhere use.

As a second generation Californian I should be laid back enough not to let such things bother me.
But please do not use that name for our state. It was coined by the idiot gangbangers in their "music" and should stay with them.

I am a big fan of hip hop and those who coined the term "Cali" were not gangbangers, nor were they idiots. I believe we have LLCoolJ to thank for the term, and while I love LL and think he is one of the finest male specimens ever to walk the planet, I do not thank him for introducing "Cali" to the vernacular.

I have the same reaction to logandog referring to "idiot gangbangers in their "music" " Puhleeze.

November moon please read the lyrics to ".357 Break It on Down" by Mr. CoolJ and tell me the theme is not violent murder by firearms.

People have been calling it Cali for many years and will continue to do so.

What's more annoying is that people who are annoyed by "Cali" can't get over it, and ruin travel threads with their nitpicky pet peeving.

Keep using Cali, San Fran (or Frisco is even better). Not that it matters, but it labels you as a tourist. Which of course you are, which explains why you use those terms.

Clark, I don't know anyone who calls it Cali, other than a few rock singers.

It matters only in that, if your name was Clarkgriswold and people called you Woldy and you didn't like that term it would annoy you - that is all this is about.

Clark, You've been around Fodors for a long time. You know this is how we roll

logan - I know the lyrics to that song, thanks. I never said that the man didn't rap about violence, just that he wasn't a gangbanger - big difference.

I'm also a second generation native Californian. In fact I've moved back to my home 'town', which is a city not a town, some 30 years ago.

It's called California, nothing else.

Personally speaking, I don't think people who try to shorten it are tourists or ignorant tourists...I think they're idiots.

Ok everyone, I didn't go onto Fodor's and post my question to get chewed out by everyone over the words " Cali" or " San Fran"! Quite petty if you ask me!
Being from Boston, we have nicknames for everything. And not to hurt your feelings, but.... those are the nicknames that people use on the East Coast for your state! Come to Boston and lighten up.

'Frisco' is making a comeback among the young and hip

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/14/DD67721.DTL

Humm, my dad was a native Californian, was in the Navy in WWII, shipping out of San Francisco etc. As kids, I remember him always referring to it as Frisco. Was it a WWII navy thing?

And geesh, leave Iroche alone. Not a good way to welcome her/him to our state.

Michelle,
I believe the 'dont call it Frisco' crowd didnt get going until after WW2. Long before the 'dont call it Frisco' crowd was born, natives called it Frisco. Frisco TX was so named because it was on the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway and chose the name to honor San Francisco.

Thanks Frank. Interesting history!

LoveItaly would know this history since she was a native. Miss her here

Around here if one is going to San Francisco they are going to "The City".

I (native Californian) and hubby (3rd generation Californian) have never been to Cali. Columbia is not on our bucket list.

Welcome to California, Iroche!

Boston Mass, doesn't that just grate like nails on a chalkboard!

Why it's almost as bad as "Vegas" and "L.A" and "Cabo" and
"Chi-town"


Damn tourists!

Iroche I'm sorry we hijacked your post.
We would just like to request that fellow fodorites please not use the term.
It may seem petty to you, but is has meaning for us.
Have a wonderful trip to California.

Speak for yourself, I love to hear the term "Cali" and I also like to hear tourists say "highway" instead of freeway, "The San Diego Freeway" instead of "the 5", and "Route 101" instead of "the 101".

And I just love it when they say "excuse me" instead of "my bad", and "I'm sorry" instead of "No worries".

Now does anybody have any more suggestions in Santa Barbara?

"Speak for yourself, I love to hear the term "Cali" and I also like to hear tourists say "highway" instead of freeway, "The San Diego Freeway" instead of "the 5", "
___________________________________


Tracey
If tourists looked puzzled because you tell them that, its because those tourists know the 'San Diego Freeway' is the 405, not the 5

My point exactly, Frank! (and "No worries" doesn't mean "I'm sorry", either.) Tourists are all mixed up, give them a break!

Second generation Californian here. I started a thread a few months ago about my dislike of the term "Cali". Glad to see I'm not the Lone Ranger!

FrankS - Did you read the article you referenced?

First, it was a tattoo artist, and the next reference was a T shirt shop selling to tourists.

Then there is an interview with someone who said ""Most of the young people rockin' Frisco stuff are probably not from here".

The article further says that sailors back to the middle ages called any port where repairs to their boat to be made was called frisco.

It's The City, or San Francisco, nothing else.

It's California, nothing else.

Sounds stuffy, but I also try not to denigrate other cities or states. "Did you hear the one about the man from....?"

Yes, I read the article. Im understand the people, like the tattoo guy or t shirt vendor, that dont believe California and San Francisco are sacred names.

Its a name, get over it already

november moon, I don't think we can blame that on JJLcool whatever. I remember some newyorker back in the 70's saying, "Cali" and "Frisco" I bet he wondered why no one liked him.

The OP should note already "Cali" has already lessened her chances of getting some good information.

Its a name, get over it already...
really franco, would you like us to change your name?

I personally don't care what someone calls San Francisco or California - it merely says to me the person is uneducated or uninformed.

It's like when you come to San Diego and Americanize local Spanish city names. Love La Jolla (La Hoya) which becomes La Jol-la. Or El Cajon (El Cahon) which becomes El CaJOHN!!

It just makes you stand out as not the brightest bulb in the chandellier.

(My favorite is Jacumba)

If you don't want tourists to say something annoying, then don't annoy tourists with some idiotic obsession about an abbreviation.

In other words....who gave the natives a free pass to be the annoying ones?

It's bad enough that tourists have to put up with your idiotic habit of driving around one-person per vehicle all day and night, and never using a turn signal until after you've already merged.

clarkgriswold - I agree. California would be a much better place without the tourists.

Only tourists don't use their turn signal? Our local Roadshow person has a bumper sticker that effectively says "I can't read your mind, Dammit - use your turn signal".

Or as Cuzin' Al has said, when asked about earthquakes and people being afraid to come to California... "thank you".

One of our local sports (in SF) is to count how many tourists are wearing shorts and Alcatraz sweatshirts because it's cold in the summer. Schadenfreude lives.

Wow! I can't believe my little posted question created all this chitter-chatter! It's been fun though! Thank you everyone for your tips on coming to California for the first time, I appreciate it! I did not mean any disrespect for mentioning Cali or San Fran! And yes, I call them highways also! We don't have freeways in Boston!
I cannot wait to come a visit your beautiful state! My son is a Marine stationed in San Diego and I am sure he will correct my slang terms also when I visit! Thanks everyone!

You're most welcome. And don't worry about standing out like a "tourist" when you're in California. I have no idea why that would be a problem. It's not like they throw tourists into the ocean and feed them to the sea lions.

Iroche, is your son stationed at Camp Pendleton (Oceanside) or the MC Recruit Depot (San Diego)? I was born on Camp Pendleton and lived in So Cal until I was 40. All my husband's family live in Oceanside, La Jolla and Escondido. Wonderful place to visit(hehe). I live in Nor Cal now.

Have a wonderful time visiting your son and California.

Please give your son my thanks for his service to our country.

clark, << If you don't want tourists to say something annoying, then don't annoy tourists with some idiotic obsession about an abbreviation. >>

Clark, for me it has nothing to do with being annoyed at tourists - so much as it I would think tourist would appreciate knowing the correct spellings, prounounciation, and proper use of city & street names rather than to sound foolish or uninformed.

It's kinda like people who say Illinois and pronounce the S at the end.

Anyway, Iroche, I'd also like to give a special thank you to your son for his service.

Thanks everyone, BarbAnn my son is stationed at Miramar. He's been out there for almost a year now. He said the weather is so beautiful. I cannot wait to visit! Any suggestions on what to do while we are there? We are staying on Coronardo Beach and I certainly want to see the zoo!

I don't think it's "foolish" not to know how to say "Los Feliz". It's hard to tell the difference between a tourist and a resident in California anyway. The residens use GPS to travel locally, and the tourists seem to know more about what each city has to offer than the residents do (Fodorites are exceptions, of course).

As for Santa Barbara, it's getting to that time of year where it will be hard to book a "one-nighter", so don't wait too long. Marina Beach Motel will do in a pinch, and the Hyatt has just been renovated.

thanks joesorce

Have fun in Cali. It's really different from Beantown.