SFist Mail: Stop Using "the" Before Freeway Number
Due to yesterday's Day Around the Bay, SFist received the following, like, totally awesome request today. It touches on an issue that will one day have Northern Californians and Southern Californians battling it out in a blood-soaked, brutal massacre to the end: using the article "the" before freeway numbers.
I have been enjoying SFist. Thanks for the neat articles, links, etc.As a native San Franciscan, one of the things that I would like you to please consider is how the writers refer to freeways in the Bay Area. In the Bay Area (unlike SoCal) there is no article “the” that precedes the freeway identifier number. For example, The James Lick and Bayshore Freeways (US 101) are “101”, NOT “the 101”. The Southern/Junipero Serra Freeways are “280” or “Interstate 280”, NOT “the 280”, and so on. (Unless it is used to refer to “the 280 Extension”). In SoCal, the use of “the” is perfectly acceptable; in the Bay Area, it simply demonstrates the ignorance of the writer or speaker. “I-280” can be somewhat acceptable, but it ranks right up there with the use of the word “ain’t”.
I am sure that you are aware, being a San Franciscan now, how utterly important it is to preserve the distinct Bay Area heritage from the ever increasing “SoCali-nization” of the San Francisco region (with the exception of Trader Joe’s and In N Out Burger, of course) . Your attention to this seemingly minor issue will be most welcome by many San Franciscans who recoil at this improper terminology regarding Bay Area freeways. And many of us will be able to sleep peacefully at night, knowing that the creeping encroachment will be postponed or even reversed by your deliberate action, should you choose to do so. You CAN make a difference and prevent the Bay Area from becoming merely “North SoCal”.
-- Bryan Mion
Well, first of all, better being known as “North SoCal" than "Little New York". (Ick.)
And B, we'll try to stop, Bryan. We really will. But it's hard to let it go of it since even les artistes indies seem to prefer the article as well. Take, for example, Lisa Marr's "In California" (as performed by Neko Case) sings about "another suicide on the 405," Switchfoot croons in "Amateur Lovers" about "driving home on the 805," and Death Cab for Cuite's "405" has the line about taking "the 405 and drilled a stake down into your center."
OK, the aforementioned artists might be a reason to actually stop using it, but you see our point.