I Dream of Muni: Locomotive Streetcars 07.13.09
Beth W. has sent us another of her Muni dreams. This one is possibly even more exciting than the first:
I dreamed on Thursday that I was in Noe Valley and I meant to get onto the J-Church train, but instead got onto another train by mistake that took me to the far eastern part of San Francisco. I wound up by the Bay, which was clear and bright blue, like a tropical ocean, and the sand on the beach (yes, there was a beach!) was sparkling white. The roads were wide and smooth, and the medians and crosswalks were “paved” with pebbles in many shades of brown and gray. The best part was that the rail line, which ran through the center of the boulevards, had cars that looked like miniature locomotives rather than the usual LRV cars or streetcars. I’ve never seen anything like them. They were black and each one had a “smokestack” on top and a “conductor” at the front who took your money or looked at your rail pass. There were no buildings in the area, just vast stretches of blue water, sandy beach and all those pebbles. It was really beautiful.
If you’ve got a Muni dream to share, this is the space to do that in. Send us your dreams, fantasies, and real-life experiences.
Weekend Photo Diary: Purple BART Man 07.10.09
Photo by Flickr user natecardozo from the Muni Photos Flickr group
Something about the purpleness of this guy screams out “this weekend.” Maybe it’s also the fact that no one else seems to be on the platform with dude.
It’s gonna be one of those weekends where San Francisco weather doesn’t really totally suck (morning fog, 60-ish afternoon highs), but where, beginning Monday, the weather suddenly is all “Oh, haha, now I’m awesome. Now that the weekend is over and you suckers are back in the cube.”
Stay warm, have fun, and send us your Muni stories!
xoxo
Muni Diaries
Rollerbladers Turn Bus Shelter Into Skate Ramp 07.10.09
Andy at SFWeekly alerted us to this awesome video of a pair of San Francisco rollerbladers who rigged a Muni shelter into their skate ramp.
If I’m not mistaken, that is in front of Bistro St. Germain on Haight and Fillmore. For some reason this kind of stuff really delights me to no end!
Muni Mind Reader: The Tourist 07.10.09
We know them, we loathe them, but really, where would we be without their daily, monthly, yearly fiscal contributions to the livelihood of our little burg? Let’s face it — San Francisco is a tourism magnet, so best to suck it up next time you get annoyed during your probably-already-annoying Muni ride. Here’s the oh-so-insightful Muni Mind Reader‘s travel log from her journey far into the inner neurological reaches of the Tourist.
Excuse me, driver? This is the 43-Masonic yes? The 43? That’s what it says on the front of the bus.
DRIVER: Yes. 43.
Driver? This is the 43-M-A-S-O-N…I-C.
DRIVER: Yes.
And this goes to the Inner Richmond? We need to get over to 16th and Balboa. Will this take us to 16th and Balboa?
DRIVER. Yes. Just get on the bus ma’am, we need to go.
Okay! Come on everyone, this is the bus!! How much is it? How much do we need to pay to get on the bus? Oh honey, it says right here we need $2. Do you have $2? We’ll need $8 total. Driver, can I get change for a $20?
Muni trip turned Muni strip 07.08.09
Photo by Flickr user lexflex
The following account by Sonia involves real people doing real things. Really.
My mighty, mighty good man David and I were heading to an A’s game and decided to take the T-train from our apartment in Dogpatch to Embarcadero, where we could catch BART to the Oakland Coliseum or whatever it is called now. (For the record, I am a Giants fan, but David likes the A’s. Since both of us are good sports, we go to both teams’ games. Apparently, this is a no-no in the Bay Area. Too bad!)
So anyway, apparently, we picked the wrong weekend to use public transportation. Not only was it Gay Pride Weekend, but the Vans Warped Tour was also going on. The T was positively packed with drunk, sunburned people.
Even though the train was crowded, a woman in her tiny shorts, halter top and stripper heels decided to treat the handrail like a stripper pole. She lifted herself up and swung her leg over the railing, hanging upside down.
Photo Diary: My N Line, My Life 07.08.09
Muni rider Lisa sent in this photo of the N on a beautiful, sunny San Francisco day.
Thanks, Lisa! In honor of today’s fabulous weather, here’s my weather forecast for today, SFist style:
Today’s weather is well-versed in useful domestic arts. She enjoys decorating herself as well as her home, and is ever ready to set an elaborate table laden with fine china should her husband bring home a last minute guest or two. Her mostly sunny disposition belies the challenges of managing her domestic sphere. Nevertheless, she keeps the chances of cloud at bay.
Photo Diary: Separated at birth? Muni Metro 07.07.09
Photo by Flickr user franciscophile from the Muni Photos group
franciscophile‘s caption for this photo reads:
Twins? Trick photography? These are two Light Rail Vehicles (LRV) opposite each other. The one on the left and in the foreground is about to submerge into the city’s bowels and the other one, in the background, is resting until it is time to go.
Got rad Muni photos? Be sure to add them to the Muni Photos Flickr group or send them directly to us.
dogs on the bus 07.06.09
Photo by Flickr user jovino
This short, frothy post came to us via the “Submit a diary” form. It’s by Janis, and it’s full of [sic]‘s*:
Ok. so first let me say I have nothing against dogs. But what is with the drivers allowing dogs on the bus? Yesterday was the second time in 2 weeks the driver on the 47 allowed an unmuzzled dog on the bus. Both times the driver didn’t even blink or ask for service papers just let them on. The first one was a Pit bull too! The second won was a tame enough looking lab, but both times the busses were standing room only and who knows what could have spooked a dog. What happened to rules?
Muni Diaries loves dogs. But we also love rules. And we also love drivers who enforce said rules. Feel free to send us other instances of anyone, drivers, riders, marching to their own beat.
* Editor’s mark for: We didn’t misspell this shit, okay?
A short, angry discussion of taxes on the 30-Stockton 07.06.09
Photo by Flickr user happy bachelor
This delightful tale came to our inbox from Muni rider Andrew …
It wasn’t so fun at the time, now that I think of it, but it’s funny in retrospect.
My girlfriend and I are regular 30-Stockton riders, from North Point & Hyde to Sutter & Stockton. As you may know, the 30-Stockton is a risk-life-and-limb kind of line (especially around 8:30am) but we were lucky enough after work last week to find ourselves on a relatively empty outbound 30 where we could safely sit in the far-back facing-inward seats without worrying about cans shuffling or random bowel movements.
Boarding with us were two young gentlemen, one of fifteen years (or so he later said) and one in his mid-twenties. The younger sat in the set of facing-inward seats across the aisle, while the other sat close to the back door. And no sooner had we cleared the tunnel when the fifteen-year-old pulls a quarter out of his pocket and begins scrawling Heaven-knows-what into his plastic seat back.
My girlfriend, not one to take vandalism figuratively sitting down, shouts, “Hey, kid, cut that out!”
No response.
“Hey! STOP.”
Now he looks up. “Hey, I can do what I want.” (yes, this is the most stereotypical teenager phrase ever. I wanted to say, “really? So I can rip your ass a second hole because I WANT to?” But he was a minor, and should a police report get filed, I wanted to keep my mentions of his ass to a minimum.)
Weekend Photo Diary: Muni Metro Goes A-Whizzin’ By 07.03.09
Photo by Rick Audet from the Muni Photos Flickr pool
Found this photo in our Flickr account the other day. It touches off all sorts of geek nerves in me — from the suggestion of speed and motion to the wide-angle aspect and blurring of imagery. Great photo by Rick.
Well, nothing much going on this weekend. Ah, we kid. Hell, the weekend seemed to start early for most of you (not us!), so you’re probably reading this Sunday or Monday. Hope you enjoyed it.
If you’re still looking for things to do Saturday, the day the country we live in was born, look no further — SF Appeal has a great round-up.
Weather in the city should be mild by July standards. Go forth … on the fourth. [the sound of fellow Muni Diaries editors beating Jeff]
xoxo
Muni Diaries
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