San Francisco is really "Frisco" after all?
 

Zagat's Guides -- whom I thought should know better -- has a headline "The Washbag returns to Frisco". Are all the natives going berserk?

http://www.zagat.com/blog/EntryList....zid=mar09week4

Now we are! :-)

Frisco is in Texas - I think (or maybe Kansas).

Stu Dudley

I had seen that and wondered what the reaction here would be

How do you the think the washbag feels?

Does anybody know how and when anything short of saying San Fransisco beame a mortal sin?

Many credit Friscophobia to the now-deceased newspaper columnist and San Francisco icon, Herb Caen. His first book, published in 1953, was "Don't Call it Frisco."

I saw it too! I am cancelling my subscription to Zagat's!

Apparently Zagat's is try to be cute in referring to Herb Caen and San Francisco's past, and the writer doesn't realize that Caen would not have used the F word.

Consider the source!

the reaction here to frisco is horrified!!
what was zagat thinking?
washbag has always been a beloved nickname for washington square bar & grill.

Well... I was curious to see what "washbag" is, and clicked on the link. Got a virus warning :(

Do you think anybody got a flight to Frisco instead of San Francisco?

((6))

Washbag is the affectionate term for the old Washington Square Bar and Grill.

Some hipster from New Jersey straight out of journalism school (who has never been west of St. Louis) probably wrote that blurb. Or maybe not.

Dayenu, I've lived here all my life, and nobody I know calls it the Washbag. Except for a few newspaper columnists.

I should have added: I was never a Herb Caen fan. That whole "Mr. San Francisco" was a bit of a farce, in light of the fact that he was admittedly a Sacramento kid. I guess it worked for tourism, though.

"I've lived here all my life, and nobody I know calls it the Washbag. Except for a few newspaper columnists."

That seems odd. We were sent there years ago by my partner's niece, a long time stock broker in SF who ate there a lot and always called it that. She said it was partly because of the sign which simply said "WBSG". She said the locals all called it the Washbag as it was shorter than the full name. And I can tell you who DID call it The Washbag -- the host, who answered the phone for reservations with "Washbag", which really surprised me the first time I called. I can't imagine locals spitting out "let's meet for lunch at The Washington Square Bar and Grill" instead of "Let's have lunch at the Washbag".

And look at this link of dozens of posts from Chowhound -- a website mainly of local foodies (not newspaper writers). Nearly everyone called it Washbag!

http://tinyurl.com/dcuy8m

Ooops. When will I learn to edit? The sign was clearly "WSBG" not "WBSG" which would never be translated to Washbag.

Born/raised/still live in N. Calif. - and it was always the Washbag to everyone I know.

Herb did call himself the Sacramento Kid -- but that was sort of self-deprecating since he never lived here after moving to San Francisco. (sort of like Bill calling himself the "Man from Hope" ).

He was a San Franciscan through and through (w/ "down home" Sacramento roots)

Well, I am clearly in a minority, then, and happily so on this one...As I said, I know nobody who calls is the Washbag.

Re: Herb Caen...my opinion remains: he was a phony. A social-climber & a sycophant, who had a desperate need to be Somebody. He had a way with words, I'll give him that...just not my style. :)

My late Mother always called it "Frisco" and regardless of how I explained to her that it wasn't correct or liked, she still did.

So everytime I hear that in reference to SF, I think of her.