Don't Call It...

In which we talk city

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My Pops, over at the Yolo Papers, collects and deals in, among every other kind of junk, paper ephemera. Recently he purchased a photo album that included the snap above. Evidently, the "Linebarqer Bros" went on a long hike -- mayhap for charity? -- all the way from Fort Worth, in Texas, to "Frisco."

The sailor's term "Frisco" has historically been much maligned among San Franciscans. The late great Herb Caen even wrote a book called Don't Call It Frisco. But even he came around to the term's charm before he died. I have decided that I am fond of it and even use it on occasion. What bugs me more is the appellation "San Fran," usually intoned with a nasal Midwest accent.

But whatever. Apparently, the previous owner of the photo album was a die-hard San Franciscan, because the hand-written note at bottom of the photo reads "I don't care how damn cute your dog is, don' t call in Frisco!"