The Gold Rush. The Summer of Love. Silicon Valley. San Francisco is a like a chameleon: every few decades, it changes. This city means something different to everyone, it seems. It’s a city of promise, of hope. It’s also a city of WTF.
There are so many weird, totally unique things about San Francisco that totally threw me when I moved to this odd little microcosm from the Midwest, expecting to find some kind of cross between New York and Los Angeles (lol, no). I could not have been more unprepared for the culture shock I was about to experience: San Francisco is a city unlike any other city in the United States.
Jeremy and I have called the San Francisco Bay Area our home for over a decade. Today, we live in Oakland, just a few minutes away from San Francisco with tons to do. But we have lived and worked and played in San Francisco (especially Jeremy, who has lived in nearly every neighborhood in SF), gotten to know this city intimately, and fallen deeply in love with it.
We said goodbye to San Francisco temporarily when we left for a year-long honeymoon, but we knew we wanted to come back to this quirky, awesomely unique city. And now, we’re back! Like, officially! We’ve been reacquainting ourselves with this wonderfully weird city and remembering everything that made us fall in love with it in the first place.
And you guys: San Francisco is so weird. It’s what we love about it, and we embrace its weirdness entirely.
But like, it’s really weird.
I find myself trying to explain what to expect in San Francisco to people all the time, whether it’s our friends and family, or our readers, eagerly downloading their self-guided San Francisco walking tours and probably packing shorts and flip flops in their suitcases (hint: you won’t need those). “Wear layers” never quite covers it somehow. So I thought I’d take a stab at depicting this amazing city in the only way I know how: with a mildly helpful guide to stuff nobody tells you about San Francisco.
So here’s a bunch of relatively useless information about this amazing, unique, totally weird city. I hope you enjoy it.
San Francisco At-a-Glance ✍
Here’s a bite-sized snapshot of everything you need to know to plan your trip!
- When to Go: Visit in February, March, April or May, when the rains give way to flowers and green hills and before the foggy summer gloom and hot, dry fire season set in.
- Where to Stay: We recommend staying in Haight-Ashbury, Hayes Valley, The Castro, or North Beach at The Stanyan Park Hotel, The Hayes Valley Inn, and Parker Guest House. Vacation rentals in San Francisco are strictly limited as they have historically contributed to the housing crisis, so we recommend a hotel instead. More details in our guide to where to stay in San Francisco.
- How to Get Around: Use Bart and Muni to get around (a Clipper Card makes paying easy), Lyft and Uber when you need a car, and walk everywhere else. Driving in SF is difficult, and parking is impossible, so we don’t recommend renting a car.
- Top 3 Highlights: Do our free self-guided San Francisco Walking Tour (this quirky 70’s themed VW Bus tour is a great alternative without all the hills). Take a walking food tour of The Mission, Chinatown, or Little Italy. Take a day trip to Muir Woods for redwoods or Napa & Sonoma for wine.
- Before You Go: You MUST read Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love. Also, use our San Francisco packing guide so you don’t forget anything!
Psst: Visiting San Francisco and the Bay Area? We have several posts about our home that will be helpful for your trip!
- Where to Stay in San Francisco (& Where NOT to)
- The Ultimate Self-Guided Walking Tour of San Francisco
- 29 Things Nobody Tells You About Oakland, California
- What to Pack for San Francisco
Hey, looking for help planning your trip to San Francisco? Sign up below and we’ll send you a printable version of our self-guided walking tour, plus our favorite tips for visiting!
We also have a Podcast episode about San Francisco! Find out what to eat, where to drink, & the best things to do, plus answers to questions you never knew you had… like whether there is weed everywhere (yes) and if you’ll accidentally see nudity (double yes). We’re also spilling the fair-trade, organic, ethically sourced tea on our lesser-known life of crime.
1. San Francisco has its own little eco-system.
We exist in a unique micro-climate. Er, I should say, we exist in 7 unique micro-climates. Go from one street to another and the temperature may rise by 10 degrees. Enter the no-man’s-land of the Sunset on most days of the year and you’ll swear there is no such thing as sun and when did the world turn into Silent Hill? Keep venturing to Ocean Beach and you’ll end up in wind-whipped Antarctica. Bring thermal underwear.
On one hill, it’s freezing cold and foggy. On another, it’s bright and clear and sunny. Some days the Golden Gate Bridge is viewable a short distance away from the Bay Bridge, and other days you have no idea it actually exists due to the thick layer of fog blanketing most of the city.
It’s all part of the San Francisco charm. And it’s why everyone will tell you to wear at least 3 seasonal layers daily. We’re not joking. Wear layers.
2. Not only does each San Francisco neighborhood have its own climate, it also has its own personality.
You can actually accurately stereotype people based on where they live in our tiny little city. Like if I say to another San Franciscan, “they’re one of those Marina types,” we both instantly picture a dude wearing flip flops or Sperrys, a popped collar Polo shirt, cargo shorts, and still talking about the epic pranks his Fraternity pulled in college.
And if I say “he lives in SoMa” we just assume he’s a wiry billionaire techie who owns about 2 pairs of pants, 1 hoodie, and 16 t-shirts featuring the names of the various start-ups he’s been involved with. You get the picture. I find this adorable.
Meanwhile, back home in Louisville if you say “she lives in Germantown” I just say “that’s cool, how much did she buy her house for” because I enjoy torturing myself with housing prices in other parts of the country. It’s like when someone on a strict diet asks you to explain in graphic detail the dessert you ate last night. Spoilers: they always paid around the same amount for their house that I pay in rent each year. *cries*
3. Everything here is insanely expensive.
Everything. Drinks. Food. Rent. Ohhhh, rent.
The rent in San Francisco is the most expensive in the country. YES, even more than NYC. It is perfectly normal here, as a grown up adult, to share a tiny apartment with 4 other people. Possibly your apartment is actually a studio and 4 other people is actually 6 other people because 2 of them found significant others.
My husband once shared a studio with 7 people. He had a corner. Like, that’s it. The golden rule of renting an apartment in San Francisco is that the more people you share with, the dirtier each of those individual people will be and the more likely you will find yourself angrily refusing to do dishes or take out the trash yourself because you’re the only person ever doing it and fucking Steve hasn’t even left his room for the past 4 months because of his f***ing app which was supposed to launch last week and you aren’t sure if he’s even alive anymore but if he is maybe you can Tweet at him and make a passive aggressive comment about the trash or something.
4. We named our fog.
The fog in San Francisco is called Karl. Karl the Fog has his own Twitter account. We’re all very fond of him. Sometimes we’ll be traveling to other cities and the fog will roll in and we’ll say, “oh, hello, Karl! So kind of you to visit us here, we’ve missed you” and everyone will look at us like we’re insane.
During the pandemic, Karl went MIA. Everyone was so sad that someone created a new twitter account to replace him. So now Karl has a friend, Karla the Fog!
5. San Francisco is geographically tiny.
It’s 7 miles by 7 miles. You can, actually, walk from one end to the other in a day. We wrote up a fantastic self-guided San Francisco walking tour that will take you through 8 neighborhoods in 6 miles which is a great way to see exactly what I mean.
6. There’s a race every year called Bay to Breakers where people run from the Bay to the ocean.
And then directly afterwards, the rest of the city follows right behind in a kind of walking marathon/party because we were all too cheap to pay for entry and too lazy to wake up early. And also everyone is wearing a ridiculous costume (or half of a ridiculous costume. Or nothing at all). And also everyone is wildly drunk.
It’s the oldest consecutively run annual footrace in the world, and also the most un-race-like party you’ll ever get a chance to attend. And it’s one of my favorite annual events every year! If anything is going to give you a taste of the “real” San Francisco, it’s going to Bay to Breakers.
7. It is legal to be naked in San Francisco.
And yes, people exercise this right. You’ll find naked people in the parks. Naked people casually doing their shopping in the Haight (yes, this has happened to me. Also, it was at a costume shop, so the most San Francisco of San Franciscan things). Naked people basking in the sun at Baker Beach (which is a nude beach – fair warning).
But don’t worry: they’re required by law to place something underneath them if they sit down. If you feel like letting it all hang out in San Francisco, please make sure you understand the law, because wow, that would be a REALLY embare-assing mug shot. Ba-dum-ssh.
Here’s a bunch of great places where you can freely frolic in the nude in San Francisco. Enjoy!
8. If you’re here in September, make sure you know about Folsom Street Fair.
If you happen to stumble upon Folsom Street Fair, a leather fetish/kink festival, you might see some things that are typically reserved for the dark recesses of the Internet in the privacy of your own home. Except on stage, in public.
If you see a lot of people wearing nothing but a few well-places scraps of leather and you’re a PG-13 kinda tourist, head in the opposite direction. If you’re an NC-17 type of tourist, follow them – and familiarize yourself with the rules of consent!
9. Everyone in San Francisco loves dressing up.
We all have a dedicated “costume” box or section of our closet. Whether it’s Burning Man, Halloween, a themed bar crawl, or just a random Saturday Night, San Francisco LOVES to dress up!
Don’t be alarmed if you hop on BART and everyone is in costume. Or walk down the street and everyone’s in costume. Or show up at a bar and everyone is in costume.
If blending in with the locals is a concern of yours, bring a sparkly feather boa or a pair of these in your day-bag just in case.
10. San Franciscans also love themed things.
We have themed bar crawls at themed bars. Themed parties. Themed festivals. Themed balls. The more themed, the better. I once hosted a monthly theme party group for my friends. We ended up with so many photo-booth props we had to get rid of them all to clear space for new ones. #SanFranciscoProblems.
Thankfully, there’s a Theme Party start-up to solve all of your San Francisco Theme Party needs, because of course there is.
11. Treasure Island is a real place and not just something straight out of a Muppets movie.
The island is halfway between Oakland and San Francisco, and the Bay Bridge passes right through it. Disappointingly, there is not much to do there. There’s a music festival once a year, a bomb flea market, and it’s a great place to catch the 4th of July Fireworks.
Jeremy once lived on Treasure Island. He had to go into the city for groceries. That’s …. that’s all he has to say about that.
That said, you can get some pretty sweet photos of San Francisco from Treasure Island, particularly if you happen to get lost because you missed your exit and suddenly find yourself crossing the Bay Bridge, which has only happened to me 2982768276 times.
12. There is a vicious rivalry here between California Mexican food and Tex-Mex.
Or as Jeremy likes to say: there is no rivalry, because there is no comparison. Californians will get extremely defensive if you happen to enjoy, say, queso with your chips, or if you’re more of a taco/fajita person than a burrito person. If you walk into a Taqueria and ask for queso, chances are you will get some angry looks and possibly escorted out.
This is a bitter debate between my husband and I (because Tex-Mex is DELICIOUS and my husband takes this fact personally).
Then again, my husband is actually Mexican and I grew up eating Qdoba in Kentucky, so.
13. San Franciscans take their burritos very seriously.
Ask any San Franciscan where the best Mission style burrito is, and you’ll get a zillion different answers and highly opinionated lectures on things that nobody else actually cares about, like whether lettuce or fries or rice belongs in a burrito, whether it should be grilled or not, and the length of the line you’ll stand in vs. the cost.
For the record: Jeremy swears by Taqueria Cancun. And I like Qdoba, so I don’t get to have an opinion.
14. Never, ever, ever, EVER call it San Fran or Frisco. EVER!
There are 2 acceptable affectionate nicknames for San Francisco: “SF” and “The City.” That’s it. Those are the 2.
If you call us San Fran or Frisco, we will get very irritable and might glare at you over our avocado toast and single-origin cortado, because it makes our ears bleed.
Look, it’s not pronounced “San Fran….cisco” it’s pronounced “San franCISco.” Emphasis on the CIS, and it’s not really a “Fran” at all, it’s like a “frun.” If you have trouble remembering to emphasize the CIS, just look around you and think “wow, look at all these cis white dudes in tech hoodies.”
Allowing “San Fran” or “Frisco” to pass your lips is a great way to out yourself as an out-of-towner, which has the added benefit of causing everyone near you to take a few steps back. Another good way to make it incredibly obvious to everyone that you’re not from around these parts is to wear shorts and flip flops anywhere in San Francisco. Want the locals to steer clear? You got it!
15. There is a vicious rivalry between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but it’s totally one-sided.
LA loves us. San Francisco can’t stand LA. We’re super snobby about it and we love to complain about everything in LA. It’s the traffic. It’s the weather. It’s the inferior burritos. It’s the rich people that aren’t in tech and are therefore must be way more materialistic. It’s the way they always say things like “Oh, I LOVE Frisco!” or “San Fran is AWESOME.” *shudder*
But despite all the hate, most of us are in LA multiple times per year, and nobody seems bothered enough to not go to Coachella.
16. The public transit systems, MUNI & BART, are SUPER easy to use, and also always inexplicably delayed.
They’re so much easier than the complicated system of scribbled lines that is the New York Subway or whatever that hot mess was that we couldn’t figure out in Bogota.
And yet, we all have a love/hate relationship with MUNI & BART. They’re pretty much always late or delayed or just slow, especially in the rain, or when you’re already running late. They’re often smelly and dirty. And we have a lot of feelings about the salaries being paid to people who, in our mind, do little other than push buttons that are probably labeled “go” and “stop.”
But we all rely on MUNI & BART, and honestly, every time I go somewhere else and try to figure out their transit system, I’m grateful for how wonderfully simplistic ours is. Even if half the time, nothing shows up or everything gets delayed and I end up having to take a LYFT instead.
17. There are a bunch of unspoken rules about transit.
Here they are:
- Stand on the right, walk on the left.
- Always, always, always line up in 2 lines on either side of the door to the BART, even if your train isn’t the next one coming.
- Make room for everyone, even people with bikes, until you cannot physically move anymore, and then start quietly panicking.
- Give up your seat for the elderly, pregnant women, or anyone with a child, or you will be silently shamed for the entire train ride.
- Avoid unnecessary eye contact and listen to your headphones during your ride.
- Try not to touch anything with your actual hands.
18. San Franciscans don’t handle conflict very well.
We would rather politely accept whatever is happening to us and live-Tweet our complaints instead. Like, if we see someone standing on the wrong side of the escalator backing up the entire line of traffic behind them, we will hate them quietly from afar. If someone does not follow the unspoken rules of standing in line, we will angrily mumble about it to ourselves and do nothing.
One time I watched a guy from NYC get on a bus and start screaming at the driver about how he was SO LATE and he was going to SUE MUNI. Everyone from San Francisco interrupted their own angry rant about the perpetual lateness MUNI on Facebook to speak up in support of the driver and remind the angry dude to just “stop and smell the roses, man, relax” because “we’re all going to the same place eventually, buddy.”
We just don’t do conflict. It’s not our thing. We’re like, hella chill. Can you feel the love?
19. San Francisco has their own inside jokes and nicknames and memes.
But like, the entire city. How did the entire city pick up on the same inside jokes!? What is this, reddit?
You’ll know a joke isn’t relevant anymore when you see it referenced on a billboard paid for by some tech start-up. That’s also around the time I usually hear about them.
20. San Francisco loves disrupting things and re-inventing things.
These are usually things that do not need to be disrupted or re-invented. Like the $700 juice machine that just squeezed packets of pre-made juice. Or the vending machine start-up that referred to its services as “unmanned pantry boxes” and explained, wide-eyed, exactly how a vending machine works.
These start-ups generally cater to their own employees and other extremely busy tech employees while the rest of us who don’t mind being mildly inconvenienced on occasion stand by and watch in awe and wonder.
21. San Francisco has its own cultural references that nobody else has ever heard of.
Like, for example, rappers. There’s a bunch of rappers in San Francisco that never made it out of Northern California, and everyone here references them all the time like it’s just common knowledge. Like the way everyone quotes Mean Girls. Only it isn’t Mean Girls, it’s some dude who makes a weird noise in 1 song that was only popular in San Francisco in like, the 90’s.
Another weird shared San Franciscan passion? Music! There are a few songs that just mean everything to San Franciscans. Sure, most of them are about San Francisco. But it’s not enough to just be a song about San Francisco (lookin’ at you, Train).
If I wanted to make a playlist of “Songs San Franciscans love,” it would start with this:
- San Francisco by Foxygen
- San Francisco by the Mowgli’s
- When the Lights Go Down by Journey
- (Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding
- (If You’re Going to) San Francisco by Scott McKenzie
22. San Franciscans are chronically late, and totally OK with it.
San Francisco time is not like regular time. The people are chronically late, the transit is never on time, and time estimates mean nothing. Driving a mile in San Francisco can take an hour for no reason, plus another hour to try to find parking. This is also why you should never drive in the city: the traffic, the parking, and the LYFT/Uber/food delivery/Amazon package delivery drivers who treat congested streets like their personal parking lots make it absolute hell.
But even though nothing is ever on time in San Francisco, it’s OK, because EVERYONE is chronically late. Which means you have a grace period of up to like, 2 hours before you start to actually piss anyone off. Everyone is REALLY chill about time. This also explains why we’re all cool with waiting for 2 hours in line for brunch or dinner or whatever.
This means that your friends will never show up to anything on time, and when they do, it will actually feel rude because you weren’t ready for them. It means that you’ll never make it to work on time, and instead show up up 30 minutes later than you meant to every day with a latte in your hand mumbling “BART delays.”
And as a tourist, it means you’ll make dinner reservations (mistake #1, no good restaurant in SF takes reservations) and then spend several hours trying to make it across the city to get there on time, growing more and more irritated as you’re inexplicably delayed on foot, by transit, and in a car, only to finally show up full of apologies an hour later than you meant to (the restaurant won’t care).
This anecdote was taken directly from the last time my East Coast family visited, by the way. The stress nearly killed them. Mentally prepare yourself: you will NEVER be on time in San Francisco.
23. We love watching the city get destroyed in movies.
San Francisco generally loves watching itself in movies and TV shows (The Room! Full House!), but we especially love watching our beloved city get totally wrecked on the big screen.
Whether it’s Godzilla or San Andreas, if it involves the Golden Gate Bridge folding like a paperclip or watching the Salesforce Tower topple (that one hasn’t happened yet – the building is super new. But like, can someone make that movie already?) the entire city of San Francisco will turn out to watch it and cheer along in the theatre, possibly dressed in costume as their favorite San Francisco icon. We’ve all got a Karl the Fog costume tucked away in our closet somewhere, just in case.
24. San Francisco has one of the highest rates of homeless residents per capita in the United States.
This can definitely be a bit of a culture shock if you aren’t used to seeing a LOT of homeless people. Remember that the people experiencing homelessness here are also our neighbors and residents, and not a blight or an eyesore. Many of the folks that you will see are also struggling with mental illnesses and cannot afford to pay for regular medication and treatment.
As a result, you may see people who appear to be talking to themselves or to thin air. Although this can be startling, remember that these people are in far more danger than you are, and are unlikely to harm you in any way.
Homelessness is traumatic, particularly for the mentally ill, whose conditions can be exacerbated by the stress of homelessness. Please have compassion for these individuals. There’s a fantastic resource for how to respond to the homeless in San Francisco on SF Gate.
25. There are far too few public restrooms in San Francisco.
This might suck as a tourist, but it sucks far more for the many folks suffering from homelessness. So let me be frank: you will see some unpleasant things if you happen to peer into alleyways or around corners. Don’t make a habit of doing so.
You will also smell some unpleasant things. Hold your breath and remember: you get to go home and use a bathroom or take a shower whenever you want. They don’t. Have compassion.
26. Golden Gate Park is freaking enormous.
Think of Golden Gate Park like Central Park, except a lot bigger and without the invasive tall buildings peeking out on either side.
On a given day in Golden Gate Park, you’re likely to stumble upon a festival, a bunch of hippies trying to sell you acid, some redwoods, a herd of bison (yes, that’s a thing), or an after-hours party in a science museum (which you should definitely go to, it’s called Nightlife and it’s the best).
Wander for long enough and you’ll find yourself at the beach in the freezing cold fog wondering how the hell you got lost and ended up in the damn Arctic.
27. The beach, Ocean Beach, is freezing cold. Like, sooooo cold.
If you’ve got this sunny, palm-tree-studded image in your mind of a San Francisco that’s kind of like Los Angeles but smaller and without the traffic, you’re going to be really disappointed.
The last time we went to Ocean Beach, we wore thermal underwear, winter coats, wool scarves, gloves, and warm hats, and were still cold. And we were there for a bonfire. The best thing to do at Ocean Beach is huddle up by a fire pit and try to stay warm as the wind whips sand into your face.
And don’t even think about venturing the mile or so across the beach to the ocean: you’ll probably never make it back and the journey will not be worth the effort. The primary exception to this rule is late-night freezing cold skinny dipping, which I can happily say I have done and highly recommend. Because if you’ve never been naked in public in San Francisco, are you really a San Franciscan?
28. Within a day’s drive of San Francisco, you’ll find everything you could ever want.
Sunny beach (like, an ACTUAL beach, not the frozen tundra that we call Ocean Beach). Snowy mountains. Alpine lakes. Wine country. Desert. Dense forest. Rugged coastline. And a zillion adorable towns to explore.
Most San Franciscans take weekend trips 1-2 times a month, which is awesome but also makes it difficult to coordinate schedules for our next themed costumed bar crawl or whatever. We’re no exception: we explore California all the time. Check out our favorite weekend trips from San Francisco!
29. The best of San Francisco isn’t found in the typical tourist destinations.
No self-respecting local would be caught dead at Pier 39 (except to visit the resident seals), or the “visitor’s center” at the Golden Gate Bridge, or Alcatraz (many of us have never bothered to tour Alcatraz).
Instead, you’ll find us sipping a latte at the Ferry Building, or taking crowd-free selfies in front of the Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach (just watch for nudists in the background), or drinking in Dolores Park, or hanging out with the bisons that inexplicably live in Golden Gate Park. The one notable exception to this rule is Fisherman’s Wharf, which has an In-N-Out, and is therefore acceptable for locals to visit.
Instead, you’ll get to know the real San Francisco on foot, walking through its streets, climbing up its hills, exploring its neighborhoods, and sharing friendly conversation with its residents (I promise we’re all actually really nice if you can get us to take off our headphones and make eye contact).
My favorite recommendation to really experience San Francisco is to take a self-guided walking tour of the city (specifically, the one we created).
30. There’s no place in the world quite like San Francisco … but in 10 years, San Francisco will be completely different.
San Francisco has always been a place defined by constant change. Actually, it’s always been a pioneer of change. Whatever the Next Big Thing is, it usually pops up in San Francisco, shortly followed by a crowd of optimistic and highly motivated people who want to participate in the Next Big Thing. This makes San Francisco a very exciting place to be for a while, and then the Next Big Thing becomes a thing everywhere, and people leave San Francisco again … until the Next Next Big Thing arrives and bring all new people with it.
This has been happening in waves since the birth of the city. My dad lived here during the 60’s, when peace & love were the Next Big Thing. My husband moved here to go to art school during that quiet, affordable lull between Tech Bubble #1 and Tech Bubble #2. And I arrived right at the beginning of Tech Bubble #2.
San Francisco means something completely different to me than it does to my dad or to my husband. My dad pictures San Francisco as a haven for hippies; my husband pictures it as a haven for artists, creative types, and broke but passionate young people; and I picture it as a futuristic tech city with drones flying overhead and self-driving cars careening through the streets.
All of these visions of San Francisco are totally accurate; but in a few years, San Francisco is going to change yet again. And the San Francisco of 10 years from now will look completely different from the San Francisco of today.
It’s what makes this city so magical, so tantalizing, and so exciting to explore: its history, its present … and its future, too.
Psst: Visiting San Francisco and the Bay Area? We have several posts about our home that will be helpful for your trip!
- Where to Stay in San Francisco (& Where NOT to)
- The Ultimate Self-Guided Walking Tour of San Francisco
- What to Pack for San Francisco
- 26 Hella Awesome Things to Do in Oakland, California
We also have a Podcast episode about San Francisco! Find out what to eat, where to drink, & the best things to do, plus answers to questions you never knew you had… like whether there is weed everywhere (yes) and if you’ll accidentally see nudity (double yes). We’re also spilling the fair-trade, organic, ethically sourced tea on our lesser-known life of crime.
Which of these things nobody tells you about San Francisco surprised you? Leave us a comment below!
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MiaNaja says
Hi, former Bay Area resident sharing this: The “Can we call it Frisco?” debate has resumed, courtesy of SFGate.
What they’re saying: “Frisco comes from Black San Francisco,” Gunna Goes Global, a local rapper and actor, said.
“To say ‘Frisco’ is to stand in solidarity with Black, Latino, Samoans [and] Filipinos who are still here,” Krea Gomez-Jones told SFGate. “That is why to ignore this as part of our lexicon is erasure. It’s another way to make us invisible.”
Be smart: Word on the street is Joshua Norton, a self-proclaimed emperor of San Francisco, tried to ban the use of “Frisco” in 1872.
There’s even a book titled “Don’t Call It Frisco,” by former SF Chronicle columnist Herb Caen.
As SFGate’s Alan Chazaro writes, the conversation on “Frisco” generally reflects the opinions of the city’s white, affluent residents.
Megan’s thought bubble: I’ve rarely called San Francisco “Frisco,” but I love its roots in Black culture. And I’m all for reclaiming the word, especially as Frisco’s Black population is the only racial group to consistently decline in every census count since 1970.
I have a good friend (former SO) who is a pilot for United and he’s been calling it San Fran for years (yes he’s Black but I think its a flight industry thing).
Was just there 2 days ago and I layered in sweaters, some thin some a bit more substantive, Ponte knit jackets, sweater knit pants, boots, black pumas, some nice patent Clarks ballet flats for meetings and some knit dresses. I brought an orange puffer coat I got on sale at Walmart which was fine in the rain and fog, but froze my azz off when I arrived back at Dulles at 1 am. (note to self, bring scarf, hat and gloves for the return trip) I did not need them in SF. Interesting article, I will definitely use your tips for Monterey, Napa, etc. now that I’m older and can afford to travel there. BTW I’m a boomer, grew up as a child out here in the 60s. Hippies ran my before and after school daycare at my school in Berkeley and the Panthers were like the crossing guards. Like another set of parents actually, telling me to stop eating all that candy and look when I crossed the street. So many people who never lived here (and so who do) don’t know how much of a community all these different groups of people were for those us who grew up in the Bay area as children. The village was everyone, so I never feared the Black Panthers. My family feared and avoided the police. What’s interesting is when we moved back to DC where my Mother is from (btw, real native Washingtonians call it The District- DC means District of Columbia) we felt the same way about the Muslim brothers who had a small place around the corner from Howard University. You felt secure because not every officer is friendly.
Lia Garcia says
This is fascinating and informative, thank you so much for sharing!!
Sarah the Princess says
Yes. We are in our own time zone.
Just let it go.
Or you will die or high blood pressure!
Honestly, no one here is that self-important!
How many super rich people have I stood in line with for my morning Joe?
Everyone rides the Muni/Bart.
Don’t be so pretentious. It doesn’t make you more interesting!
My G-d!! Do you know who that guy IS?
( That guy in the hoodie over THERE!)
Sarah the Princess says
‘Of’ high blood pressure!
Autocorrect lives to thwart me!
Yes, I know tech wizards!
And ALSO I have to say GOOGLE gives back SO MUCH to San Francisco!!
Nobody has spent so much time and money looking for ways to help its’ anchor city!!
Abd it does not spy on you or save data anymore than any other browser!
That other browser does not give entry level employment opportunities! Or spend millions on find and helping the disenfranchised in its’ community! Or spend millions trying to better the quality of life gif the the elderly, homeless, or uniquely disabled in its’ spheres of influence!
Mary Beth says
Hello! I am only saying this out of love and I think you will want to know since you care about the other stuff. Just like there is no Frisco, there are no trolly cars or trollys. Never. They are always and only called Cable Cars. And I am very serious about this – look it up and see. Anyway, like I said, it all love and welcome!
rodger says
“there are no trolly cars” ?????
Actually there are many trolleys in the city. They look like a bus or streetcar and make an electrical connection from their roof to wires running above the street. The rod(s) that connects the vehicle to the wires is called a trolley.
Omni41510 says
As a native born, raised, and still living here I still get annoyed when people say San Franciscans don’t call it Frisco. Yes we do. Maybe go out and meet some of the natives. We are a diverse bunch and we call San Francisco by many names other than the two you offered. We also don’t hate LA. I think that’s a transplant thing because most of my friends who grew up in the city love taking little vacations down there to have a good time. I can only think of a couple of friends who refuse to ever go back. Also, i think natives tend to be very direct and confrontational. At least my circle. We’re also not very politically correct. Other than that i think if you live in San Francisco you are a San Franciscan. Nice list though!
Native says
Ugh, Ever talk to someone from HP or the Excelsior?
Natives hella do call it Frisco. They just aren’t usually white. Herb Cane wrote a thing once and the Colonizers jumped all over it. LOL.
Natives do dine and enjoy Pier 39. In fact there are some VERY local places. We also enjoy tacos and tortas, not just burritos. Ever have a pupusa…maybe that resurant had to close down.
Anyway, ever few years, it’s like this exact article repeats again and again, written by a delighted transplant. Sigh.
Good for you.
-A displaced and bitter Native who can no longer afford the city they were born and grew up in.
barbara says
I was born in San Francisco 76 years ago and have lived in my current home for 41 years — 1.4 miles from my actual birth place. Both my mom and dad were born here as well. NEVER in a million years would I call my city Frisco — NEVER. And I was here looooong before the fog was named Karl and had a Facebook account. We’re old school San Franciscans and we’ve loved The City through all its changes. It’s Blue and liberal and brings tears to my eyes whenever I cross The Bridge (Golden Gate NOT Bay). It might not be perfect, but it’s home.
OldsklSF says
They’re still and always will be “Cable Cars”. Oy vey – and kinda what he said (above). Sheesh
Rob says
I see you yourself have evolved on this but, c’mon. It had to have sounded a little off-putting to even yourself when a self-admitted Midwest transplant started telling people about all things San Francisco and using the pronoun “We”. I’m a New Jersey transplant who’s lived here way longer than you and would never consider broaching this in the manner you did. I’m an East Coast native. It’s as simple as that. Never would claim to be a San Franciscan. And you really did give yourself away on a number of fronts: “Trolleys” (just terrible), “Karl” (I’ve never met one person who calls it that. A total invention by someone looking to promote themselves), “Don’t call it Frisco”. (That one’s been debunked too many times to mention) “The City” (I know everyone around the tri-state area refers to Manhattan as that. Only NY never makes it into a thing. In fact, I wonder if many residents of surrounding areas outside a big metropolis simply refer to said metropolis as “The City”. )
You guys seem like genuinely nice people, but this needed to be called out way before it was published.
Lia Garcia says
Hey Rob, honestly it never occurred to us before we published this that we aren’t considered locals here. It’s a concept that, we’ve realized, varies from place to place. We both grew up in places that out-of-towners don’t often move to, so the idea of “locals” versus “transplants” wasn’t familiar to us, and we simply never had an opportunity to reflect on those differences until we both transplanted in a place that is FULL of transplants who have long been viewed as crowding out locals. It was a new concept to us (along with many other new experiences and things that are a big part of an urban place that don’t happen or aren’t common in small towns). In my hometown in Kentucky, if someone moved in from out of state we would be thrilled that someone moved to our city and would welcome them as one of our own like we’d won a competition – like, someone chose living here over California?! We’d be ecstatic! It’s honestly such a different vibe. And we are STILL trying to wrap our minds around the idea that the place we have long felt is our home, the place we’ve lived longer than anywhere else, doesn’t feel the same way about us – which leaves us feeling a bit adrift and unsettled, to be honest. We’ve spent a decade planting roots here and are only just now realizing that those roots don’t go very deep. So it’s something we are really still grappling with. To your point about reflecting on this before publishing, it was publishing this post that gave us access to these insights and the opportunity to reflect in the first place.
Rob says
I appreciate your thoughtful and well-worded reply. It seems like you really did come from a place of sincere joy coupled with a bit of naïveté. And I don’t mean that in a condescending way. It may have to do with where we started. New Jerseyites (? We usually just refer to ourselves as Jersey guys or Jersey girls, I guess, and yes, we’re fine with leaving out the “New”) are probably a more cynical, wary bunch. And to be honest, we’re probably just as proud of our Jersey/East Coast heritage as you are, or want to be, of your San Francisco connection. In fact, we’re probably too far the other way: often touting the pros of “back East” and pointing out the shortcomings (subjective of course, and completely in my control in that it was my choice to live here) of San Francisco. Which has probably made me as off-putting at certain times, but in a way that is the reverse of you. (Don’t get me wrong, there are things I love about SF too, maybe just not with your passion). So it probably comes down to me just not caring about the things you mention as much as you do, because I identify with my native home more than SF anyway. But looking at it though that lens makes the point: I would be equally (offended, put off, whatever the right word is) if someone not from Jersey started telling people what “We” Jersyites do/say/call things. Especially if some of those things were just flat out wrong or misguided. (ie., Telling people that Jerseyites love to go to the beach every summer, when in fact, we go down the shore). Again it seems like it really came from a place of love with you guys, but perhaps needed to be run by someone actually from San Francisco before you published it. And kudos to you for leaving the post up in its entirety, warts and all, without retconning it, so that it retains all its original items, which is what has led to all these comments. But seriously, one question: How did you not call them “cable cars”? I can only think it’s a Midwest/St. Louis thing? (“Clang, clang, clang went the trolley”) But still. And Karl may very well be a demarcation line between generations in the future. I just know that nobody in my circles has or would ever call it that. But that could change I suppose.
Hope you guys can come to some sort of reckoning about your standing in SF. No, you are not and never will be natives, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still love it. And maybe your kids will be natives. Mine are. They have like dual CA/NY and SF/NYC citizenship. 🙂
moose says
Hey, I’m sorry, I read your comment responses and appreciate you actually taking the time to understand. It’s emotionally painful for a lot of us to see other people claim and reshape our city while simultaneously pushing out people who lived here for generations. You do mention being sad that you can’t be a local, and I can sympathize with the sadness, but you made a choice to be in the city, when so many of us can’t even live in the place we love and grew up anymore. We don’t get to be locals anymore. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating. I’m so glad people love this city, but I wish the “transplants” (sorry, legit can’t think of a nicer word and I know that’s loaded) would stop for a minute and think about what already existed
Lia Garcia says
I definitely can understand that perspective, and our point of view has changed and evolved in the years since we published this. We struggle with not wanting to be gentrifiers while understanding that as “transplants,” we are inevitably part of gentrification and displacement. We do our best to be positive, mindful contributors to the community, seek out and support locally-owned businesses, and be conscientious of what existed here before us and the things that we really don’t know and can’t understand. And we’re making our peace with the fact that we won’t ever really be “locals” no matter how much we love where we live or how long we live here. I feel for your pain and I’m truly sorry if we have contributed to it.
Jay says
You spent an entire year on honeymoon. I was done right there. You may not intend to be a “gentrifier” but that’s almost all you can ever be. Whether you can look in the mirror and admit to it or not, you’re in a socioeconomic class utterly detached from the vast majority of people who made these places the “authentic” places they are – the people from San Francisco to Austin to Brooklyn who can’t even afford to live where they grew up anymore because people from across the country moved in to exploit what they built.
Honeymoon for a year… Jesus Jumped-up Christ.
moose says
You guys, please stop moving to our city and telling us what we can/can’t call it. Believe it or not, we had a culture before every other Lia and Jeremy moved from the midwest. Y’all have as much of a right to be here as anyone, but show some respect.
Yam says
Long before you came…Frisco is what the old-timers call it. Joe DiMaggio, too. Jack Kerouac. My 70’s in-laws and their friends and many who have long passed have called it that. Man, I think techies completely ruined San Fran especially in the last 20 years. I wish to move, just to where? Homeless, techies, and neuvo wealthy Chinese are so unbearable. If these would leave it would make San Francisco great, again.
Lia Garcia says
The thing about San Francisco though, is that everyone is always ruining it for the last group of people who ruined it for the people before that. There’s always a new wave of newcomers to San Francisco, and those people will change the city completely from the last group. But that IS San Francisco! The hippies ruined it, the gold panners ruined it, the techies ruined it, and whoever’s coming next will ruin it too. San Francisco has no “true” identity, only the identity of change… and cranky locals who are forever being overrun by newcomers 😛
Lia Garcia says
Thanks for your comment! We’ve had the unfortunate realization, since publishing this post and a few others about the Bay Area, that we are considered outsiders in the city that we claim as our home … which sucks. Not saying it’s not OK, we understand it and why it’s important to make that distinction, but it’s been a sad realization for us to come to. It’s something unique to the Bay Area, and for those of us who have settled here later in life, it makes us feel adrift knowing we can never really call ourselves locals even when we feel firmly rooted here. On the other hand, that realization has been the source an interesting topic of discussion between Jeremy & his high school students, who determined that in order to call yourself a local, you have to have gone to high school here – so we’re playing by those rules from here on out and working on managing our own feelings about it.
As for gentrification etc, we’ve addressed it in just about all of our other posts about SF (& Oakland) so we felt it was redundant here, but you’re right, that was a miss on our part. Thanks for pointing it out!
Bernard says
Just moved away from San Francisco after 9 years. Everything above is true, however, I believe the city is in a state of decline. The tech industry has brought with it an influx of temporary labor (2 to 3 year contracts) that have driven the rental rates through the roof. I was paying $3200 a month for a 900 sq ft apartment, while friends were paying $6k for something slightly larger. For such a liberal city that bans plastic straws and charges for bags at grocery stores, they hand out free hypodermic needles under the guise of preventing diseases when in fact it incentivizes individuals to keep their meth-habits going. Watch out where you step, the streets and beaches are littered with them. You can stare at the scenery, and take selfies at beautiful locations, only to crop out or turn a blind eye to individuals defecating on the streets or shooting up at every corner. I wanted to leave my heart in San Francisco, but I couldn’t.
Lia Garcia says
It’s very true that San Francisco is a city of extremes. Nowhere else better illustrates the divide between the rich and the poor in the country quite so well as SF does. However, I have to disagree with you re: needles.
TM says
I love your style of writing and your enthusiasm. I’d never heard of “Karl,” though, or of naming the fog… but then when you grow up in the City, it isn’t worth discussing, it just IS. After reading this, I looked it up. Found an article explaining that its roots go back to 2010 (only nine years!) and then this spot-on comment by one native: “No one local gives a squat about Karl. It was probably coined by the first person to use San Fran to describe The City. Ugh.” In other words… use that term and define yourself as a relatively recent SF transplant… or worse, a Southern Californian. 🙂 (I even heard a rumor that it’s a term coined by a Dodgers fan!)
Lia Garcia says
Well, by SF native terms, 10 years here does make me a relatively recent transplant, so I suppose I can’t argue with that one!
LJ says
I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 20 years, 18 in the Castro. I’m a so. Cal native. Had to move here for work. Love it, but like most bay area residents, in particular SF residents, So Cal could care less about SF. They think it’s a nice weekend getaway with crappy weather. They wear shorts year round and only have one coat.
Lia Garcia says
SoCallllll! *shakes fist* damn them with their shorts and their nice weather! We’re doing JUST FINE up here with our freezing cold beach that is frequently full of great white sharks…. who needs LA?!
Born and raised says
A way out west they’ve got a name for wind and rain and fire, but the fog is just the fog, who says different is a liar. A liar, a liar, the fog is just the fog, and I know I’m not a liar.
In SF I’ve a bridge to sell made of steel and woven wire, and if you believe that Karl shit, I think I’ve found a buyer. A buyer, a buyer. If you believe that Karl shit i know I’ve found a buyer.
Er says
I thought your article was great but would have loved for you to include street boundaries for all the areas you mentioned. We booked our hotel the day before arrival, I know bad planning, and thought we were in nob hill but actually in tenderloin. All the places you mentioned in suggested areas were booked so I had to find another a place. The maps aren’t the best . So street boundaries & more hotels would be most welcome.
Our hotel isn’t bad but would have been better if in a better location. Most offerings through booking.com etc put you in FiDi, union square, which I found out encompasses tenderloin, and fisherman’s wharf so really hard to find places outside of those areas.
Can’t emphasize enough how horrendous the parking is! It’s hard not to have a car when you come from other travel locales. We did the central coast and ended in SF, so we were stuck more or less with the car. Yikes!! Had to use garage$$$
Lia Garcia says
Thanks for the feedback! Unfortunately there really aren’t exact street boundaries for most of the neighborhoods in SF, but Google does a pretty good job of showing where they are, more or less. There are also quite a bit of overlapping areas like you mentioned, and sometimes things change from one year to the next and a new neighborhood springs up in an area that used to just be “edge of X neighborhood and Y neighborhood” so it’s really hard to know sometimes, even for us locals!
Darcy says
Great article. However, as an SF resident, I’m going to offer some pushback on the Transit tip… I’ve lived and traveled to a lot of major cities in the US and internationally, and really in comparison (considering how cramped we are in SF) MUNI and BART are pretty darn reliable in my opinion. Also, I would urge tourists to be more considerate with their use of MUNI— especially folks who are not paying on top of filling up bus space to the gills! If they don’t want to piss off residents, they need to pay for public services that have limited space, and like you side, refrain from sitting in seating reserved for elderly/disabled folks.
On a fellow resident note: LYFT and Uber are a bit controversial in terms of environmental/city infrastructure/economic/social issues (especially with proper training), and I would like to suggest that we discourage anyone, residents and tourists, from using these companies’ services in order to help improve the city’s living condition.
Peace and Gratitude,
Darcy
Lia Garcia says
Really good callouts – thank you Darcy!
Amanda Sexson says
You guys are THE BEST! I’m planning my honeymoon to French Polynesia, sadly a place you haven’t written on, and we’re spending a few nights in SF on either end. I was so excited when I found this blog. I was going to book a hotel in one of the areas you said not to, so thank goodness I read this first 🙂 The Fairmont hotel is only $220/night for when we need it..SCORE! Thank you again, your blogs are always dynamite, I have taken your suggestions on many of my travels in the last year.
Lia Garcia says
Yassss the Fairmont is amazing! And also where we got engaged 😉 So happy our suggestions were helpful! And we’re totally going to go check out flights to French Polynesia now ….
Tara says
Thank you SO much for this article. Amazing.
My husband and I are planning to sell our home next year and move to SF.
Also, we just sold our home in Germantown last year! So ironic to see this post is written by a Louisville native. Everyone here thinks we are crazy to move our family out there but we cannot wait.
Thanks again for this awesome resource!
Lia Garcia says
Omg! Welcome to the Bay! How funny 😀
FuSF says
San Francisco is the most overrated city I have ever lived in. Textbook full-of-shit city full of the most easily offended assholes I have ever met. Couple that with the rampant racism I have experienced (Liberals are racist too). The people are corny and struggle to be honest.
Fuck SF!
Lia Garcia says
So have you tried … not living in SF?
YouWish2BeNormal says
Lia,
thats just like you dumb, mother fucken idiots of San Franciso, and yes Oakland. San Jose gets a little family, like but still assholes, and dumb fucken idiots of the entire Bay Area. Not go a bit north like 1.5 hours and you get really amazing normal American or people from the rest of the world! San Francisco and Bay Area = Dumb Mother Fuckers and on purpose they are suppressed and repressed. Take BART-FART and MUNI-PUNY , Eat Shit and DIE!
A TOTALLY FAKE , DISHONEST BUNCH OF FUCKEN LOOSERS and SEXUALLY CONFUSED , and SOCIALLY CONFUSED, and UGLY with BAD SKINNED (dry people) PEOPLE!!!!!
Lia Garcia says
Like … I have no idea how to respond to this, but I did want to make it publicly available for everyone else to enjoy, so. Thanks?
Peter Albert says
I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 47 years and moved, as a newlywed with a new college degree, into SF in 1984. I say all this because I have always felt the pull of the City and love living here, for all its quirks — because of the quirks, even — and you have nailed it. You flawlessly outlined some of the basics to understanding the city and the people who live here. You’ve written a fun, perceptive, spot-on and fundamentally-timeless overview to San Francisco and San Franciscans.
My only difference is a minor one: I love being in LA, and find it a fascinating and rewarding place to visit. But I think that’s a growing sentiment here: the old-guard anti-LA crowd is aging out, and more and more, you’ll only hear LA bashing at a Giants game.
But otherwise: I agree completely with the spirit of your article and thank you (double thank you) for reminding folks where to walk and where to stand on a BART or Muni escalator!
Lia Garcia says
Thanks for the kind words, Peter!
Ken says
Would have liked to see some of the charming points of interest, especially cultural differences, in each of the San Francisco districts–not just the ones shown above.
Lia Garcia says
That’s a great idea for a post, Ken!
Sophia says
I’m from San Francisco and this is a great post!
Lia Garcia says
Thanks, Sophia!
Maria says
Please learn the difference btwn a “trolley” and a cable car. And tone down your enthusiasm. San Franciscans are a proud snobby people.
Lia Garcia says
Ha! Duly noted.
wendy says
fabulous article! giggled and enjoyed all of it! Visiting and working from South Africa and loving your blog.
x
Wendy
Michelle says
I loved this article so much! You had me laughing the entire time! Thank you! My husband and I have visited San Francisco once and are returning soon. I loved this honest, humorous approach to your great city!
Susanna says
It is literally all the information I never knew I needed all in one fantastic post. I feel like I need to visit SF again with a fresh insider perspective and listen to all the songs you all know haha. Good thing I usually say SF, but I have to use the whole word in Munich!
Amanda Koh says
I love your city! I tell people that it’s my favourite city in the whole world and I’m not even kidding!! I’ve been there twice and already making plans to go back even though it’s 20hrs away from tiny Singapore I will be sure not to call it San Fran anymore (I’m sorry I didn’t knw!) love the summer weather and how everyone loves to dress up. I had an amazing time this summer experiencing your city especially with my new man
Kristin says
SO much truth in this post! Even though I no longer live there (I married a San Franciscan), the Frisco thing STILL calls me bonkers! I don’t, however, miss Karl even a tiny bit 😉
Taylor Johnson says
San Fran is really a unique one. Been awhile since I’ve been there, this post made me want to book a trip!
Candiss says
All sooooo true. Being back in NYC for the moment makes these special SF quirks all the more real haha. I also didn’t know there was an after hours party at the Academy of Sciences, I need to go to that!
Lia says
Let’s go!! It’s soooo fun!
Carol G says
So here’s the thing…while it might sound cool that you can run around SF naked…don’t get too excited about it. It is NEVER the hot people who are running around naked. You are more likely to see an old wrinkly guy sauntering down the street naked but for a sunhat and sensible shoes. And once that image is burned into your retina (as it is into mine), the bloom is off the rose.
Lia says
Oh man, I didn’t even consider that people might be stoked about the naked people in SF. You’re right, it’s NEVER the attractive people. And I’m including myself here, as someone who was naked in San Francisco exactly 1 time, so I speak from experience.
Tracy says
First, I absolutely loved this post and laughed out loud a few times. I was once on a flight from SFO to JFK and had a conversation with the lady next to me. I asked something like how long have your lived in San Fran and she turned, stared me down and said I don’t call it New Yor so please don’t call my home San Fran. Let’s just say I never made that mistake again.
My cousin lives in Oakland and her BART stories sometimes are crazy.
I love San Francisco and would love to live there one day!
Lia says
LMAO we aren’t usually that rude about it! But it’s true. Don’t call it San Fran. We hate it so much 😛
I need to get more Oakland posts out, honestly. I love SF, and people are always more interested in it than Oakland, but I LOVE Oakland and I LOVE living here!
Emily Hines says
Can’t wait to use this walking map next time I’m in town! I’ve yet to make it to Oakland so I’ll add it to the list.
Theresa Goodrich says
Brilliant and hilarious, as usual! A good friend moved to San Francisco about a decade ago and he never looked back. Through him I learned that people actually SWIM to Alcatraz. Y’all are crazy.
Lia says
THEY DO! THEY DO THAT! Which is INSANE to me because other than being FREEZING COLD, there are also GREAT WHITE SHARKS IN THE WATER. Yes, y’all, there’s an annual migration of Great White Sharks on the coast and sometimes one gets it in his head to go sight-seeing in San Francisco and ends up casually swimming underneath the Bay Bridge and taking selfies in front of Alcatraz. HELL NO you will never catch me in that water!!!
Jennifer Schlueter says
Love Frisc… ooh.. I mean San Francisco 😀 Really enjoyed this article learning more about this awesome city! I lived in LA for 8 years and I totally agree with “LA loves us. San Francisco can’t stand LA. ” HAHAHAH
Lia says
It’s a love/hate relationship where LA loves us and we hate on LA 😛 <3 Meanwhile, my family lives in LA and I go there all the time. So I'll complain about it, but you'll also catch me on the beach with a fresh squeezed cabbage juice or whatever like 5x a year.
Nicola says
Wonderful article. You made me laugh quite a lot. I was in SF two years ago and I loved it. Didn’t know the thing with San Fran… 😉
tina says
This is an awesome post! I love SF and have been many times, but since I don’t live there I want
to hear the the inside perspective from people who do!
Kelly says
Totally love this! I had the opportunity to visit San Francisco while my sister was attending a trade show. I spent the week walking and touring. So fun and can’t wait to go back with my hubby.
Kareemah Ashiru says
What a brilliant post! I thoroughly enjoyed this probably because I secretly wish to live in San Francisco. It has the natural scenery and cultural ambiance I crave for. I love how you mentioned the rivalry between San Francisco and LA and how they think LA’s burritos are inferior. Lmao! But real question though who has the best Mexican food; California or Texas? don’t be biased :p
p.s. I am one of those people that calls San Francisco, San Fran lol.
Lia says
According to Jeremy, Tex-Mex isn’t even Mexican food, but its own category of cuisine that has nothing in common with California Mexican.
According to me, I LOVE Tex-Mex and I could eat it alllllll day.
At least we can both agree that after spending a month in actual Mexico, the best food of all comes straight from the source 😛 (Well, that, and the recipes Jeremy inherited from his family. I still can’t stand menudo, but I have to admit their chicken chile verde and tamales are bomb.)
Amanda KOh says
I love this article! i just got back from San Francisco from a holiday and been there two times over the past 4 years. Absolutely love it, I’m so glad for you that you’re in San Francisco. Would love to move there one day but you’re right… the rent is crazy!! Will take note never to call it San Fran ever again!! :/
Leah says
Wow, America has never really been high on my list of ‘do to’ but, this actually makes me want to go. SF sounds a lot like Melbourne – Melbourne and Sydney have rivalry, we take our coffee as seriously as you take burritos and the weather here is 4 seasons in a day! Great info here thanks!!!
Lia says
Welp you just convinced me to go to Melbourne. We take our coffee very seriously here too, and honestly the only place in the world that I’ve heard is as snobby about their coffee as we are is Melbourne. I’m dying to visit! I mean, I’m also terrified of the dinosaur sized wildlife you guys have hanging around (I just picture Australia as covered in 8-foot tall spiders or whatever) but for the coffee, I’ll brave it 😛