I get a number of questions about the truths and myths of San Francisco. A common one is about the Golden Gate Bridge being painted end to end each year. In spite of an official refutation from the Golden Gate Bridge authorities, that notion persists.

Every travel book mentions the possibility of biting fog, especially on the bridge. And yet, tourists blatantly identify themselves in shorts and tank tops.

There's the issue of "the five" and "I-five" when referring to California highways. I realize some people get their knickers in a knot when anyone says "the five" up here in the Bay Area. It's associated with Southern California, after all. I have no problem either way but LA transplants take note.

And street names. If you have a background in the Spanish language, you won't be thrown by too many pronunciations. But, for the uninitiated, there are a few twists. "Gough" is like "cough," "San Rafael" is san-ruh-FELL, and "Bernal" is BURR-nuhl. (Although you'll still find nuances and syllabic variations.)

I won't get into the various political misconceptions about San Francisco from dittoheads trolling the SF Gate message boards. For the record, no, it's not a constant, naked bacchanal out here on the West Coast. (Well, not constant.)

So -- what are the San Francisco and Bay Area myths you most like to take on? Send them to me, and I'll post a compilation in a few weeks.