🚀 go-pugleaf

Not to beat a dead horse into the ground but...

I was also one of the few born in the Bay Area, and I've also wondered what
the origins are of the distinction between 580 and "the 405". Growing up
in the Bay Area I always called the freeways: 580, 17, 40 (anyone
remember that one?), 50 (another oldie), 101 and so on. I also 
used the "names" assigned to them by Caltrans, "Nimitz", "(Bloody) Bayshore",
"MacArthur", "James Lick", "Eastshore", etc. I never called 17, "The 17",
or referred to taking "The Nimitz" to "The Eastshore". 

As a side note, I lived in San Diego for 10 years and noticed that native
San Diegans don't put a "The" in front of their freeways either. It's "805"
not "The 805" or "8" not "The 8". This "The" business is most likely limited
to the Los Angeles Basin and surrounding environs.

One more funny thing, is watching a show that's supposed to be in
San Francisco or San Diego but the actors run around saying "The 101" or 
"The 1". The old "Simon and Simon" tv show was notorious for this one. 

Steve

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Stephen Lau                 lau@ai.sri.com| "If there's nothing wrong with me,
SRI International                         |   there must be something wrong 
333 Ravenswood Ave., Menlo Park, CA. 94025|   with the universe!"
(415) 859-2925              (415) 326-6200|    - Beverly Crusher, Star Trek:TNG
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