Some sort of FAIL going on underground 08.31.09
Photo by Flickr user satanslaundromat
Twitter is literally going bonkers right now with a reported Muni Metro FAIL taking place as we type. Here are some choice tweets:
- Whole Wheat Toast: http://twitpic.com/g1im9 – Muni fail in progress as seen from this snapshot
- Whole Wheat Toast: More screens from the Muni Meltdown http://twitpic.com/g1ivw
- Metroliner: Muni street supervisor is directing trains into the Metro at the Duboce Portal. #munifail http://twitpic.com/g1gh2
- Metroliner: 6 (!!!) N-Line Muni trains stacked at the Dunoce portal waiting to enter the Metro. Inbound delays cascade at rush hour. #munifail
- JensHansen: Muni at a dead stop at the Duboce end of tunnel. Again.
To reiterate a question from Whole Wheat Toast, “Has SFMTA released a TroubleAlert yet?” Doesn’t look like it. If you know something about WTF is going on, let us know. If you have pictures or anecdotes, same thing goes: muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.
Photo Diary: Modern Transportation 08.31.09
Photo by Craig
Muni rider Craig has only this to say about the photo above:
He got the floor all wet and sandy :-/
Got a Muni story to share with the rest of us? Send it to: muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.
Cable Car routes, explained 08.31.09
Pardon the slightly pamphlety approach here, but CBS 5 ran this story about the three cable car routes over the weekend, and it’s just too feel-good for us to pass up on a Monday morning. Call this Getting the Week Started Right.
The story also links to a cool map of the extensive network of cable car lines that existed in the late 1800s, when South Van Ness was called (properly) Howard Street. That map is hosted on the Cable Car Museum’s website, by the way, which you should while away the hours on. You should also visit the museum. If you’re into that sort of thing.
Weekend Photos 08.28.09
“Bowels” by adotjdotsmith. Taken at the Embarcadero station.
I’m tethered to my computer, daydreaming of hot weather, watermelon, public transit, Muni Diaries’ next spoken-word party, ice cream, steak … I can go on and on.
While I daydream away, here are some new photos we saw this week in the Muni Flickr pool.
Tough day with the start of school. Photo by David Gallagher.
Photo by bingolio.
Another by adotjdotsmith, taken on the 38L.
Happy weekend, everybody.
Muni Mind Reader: Haight-Bus Punker and ‘Service Dog’ 08.28.09
Photo by Flickr user Mat Honan
It’s summer. It’s hot. Muni Mind Reader took the week off last week. But never you fear — she’s back and in fine form this warm August Friday. For this installment, Tiffany (aka, Muni Mind Reader) checks in with that colorful character you sometimes see on the 6, 7, or 71. Any of the Haight Street lines, really. He or she is known by many names and aromas, but enough of this intro. Take it away, Mind Reader!
Hey, what are you all looking at? You’re all just a bunch of society-lovers, aren’t you? Oh I’ve seen this before. You look at my duct-taped pants, weather-beaten trench, and standard-issued Doc Martens, and think, “If only he’d shop at The Gap or Banana Republic, he’d be such a nice boy!”
Well, listen up SOCIETY, I refuse to conform to your capitalistic, material-obsessed, world. Lucky for you, I’m not going to try to sit next to any of y’all. Instead, I’ll just sit up front where I can spread out a little bit, have more space for this radio, trash bag filled with other trash bags, sleeping bag, tarp, and duffel bag. The last three items I just picked up from the army surplus store on Haight Street. Incidentally, it’s where I do all my shopping. These pants are really just second-hand army ACU pants. I added the duct tape myself to enhance durability, cred, and had absolutely nothing to do one Wednesday afternoon. If you’re going to be a middle-class, early-20s, homeless-by-choice punk in this city, freakin’ army surplus stores are the bomb.
This is my dog, Warrior. Come here War! We’ve been together a long time. I got her at the SPCA. Now, anyone who has tried to adopt a pet from an animal shelter can sympathize with me over the long-ass process. Originally, I lied and said I had a job, thinking the key to having a pet in this city is to prove you have daily responsibilities and income to provide for the health and well-being of my furry friend. But then they worried I’d be out of the house all the time. So then I fessed up. Hell no man, I don’t live in your conformist world. My job is to let passers-by know they are the enemy and my decision to live under a few bushes in Golden Gate Park is a passionate statement on what’s wrong with the world. That’s when everyone realized I’d be “home” all the time. She’s been really instrumental in helping me carry around all my belongings. That’s why she always gets free passage on Muni. Cuz she’s a SERVICE DOG! Haaa! Stupid society.
Nah, he ain’t got no muzzle. What the hell do you want me to do? Conform some of the time?
So I know you’re wondering why it is I don’t smell quite as bad as I usually do. Usually you can smell the potent blend of my urine, my dog’s urine, weed, BO, and compost before I even get on the bus. I saw you all look up horrified when you heard all the plastic I was carrying rustle. But then you thought, Well that’s weird, I don’t want to throw up in my mouth. FOOLED YOU! I had my monthly visit with the folks. STUPID PARENTS. Nah, I’m just kidding. I love ‘em, and even though it can be pretty embarrassing to be picked up by your parents in the Panhandle (especially when they show up in their vintage Mercedes-Benz) I think they’re proud of me. Yeah, we headed up to Sonoma for the weekend. I got to take a shower, wash my clothes. I gave Warrior a bath too. It’s real pretty up in Sonoma, have you ever been? YEAH YOU HAVE BECAUSE YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM MY FRIEND!
All right, I’m ready to blow this joint. I promised my parents I’d at least fill out one college application today, though really, I’m just doing a 40 run for the kids at camp. Smell me later!
NYC Shuts Down Muni T-Shirt Maker in a Major WTF 08.27.09
Photo by Flickr user joe.moore
You might’ve noticed a nice little Muni merchandise post Eugenia did for us the other day. I liked it. I like seeing creative people do their creative stuff and possibly make a little bit of moolah off it. I also like poking fun at things like struggling public transportation agencies. Sometimes, the two go well together.
Like in the case of the 40withegg blogger. This guy made a set of shirts with the letter logos of Muni’s Metro trains, substituting words like “Judah” or “Church” with words that match the route’s letter, like “T-ardy,” and mocked Muni. (see image, above.) Good, clean fun, right?
Not according to CafePress, where 40withegg meant to sell some shirts. Before he closed a single deal, CafePress took his wares down, citing a cease-and-desist letter it received from … New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Agency.
New York City? WTF, indeed! Is this a case of transcontinental, inter-agency FAIL?
In case you were curious, here is what the New York subway route bullets look like:
Our Muni route bullets look like this:
Again, WTF?
Thx: Plug1 for story tip
Photo Diary: Another kind of Outside Lands 08.27.09
Photo by adotjdotsmith from the Muni Photos Flickr pool
adotjdotsmith’s location info: Palm Avenue, Treasure Island. Such a nice subtlety to this photo. I’ve still never been to Treasure Island.
Updated with Editors Note: Cobra Malt Liquor Through a Straw 08.26.09
A lot of you objected to the publication of a photo that rider Matthew took on the 19-Polk, of someone who he thought was a dead-ringer for Whitney Houston. Your comments are really valuable to us at Muni Diaries as we constantly walk the fine line between democratic forum and editorial integrity. We don’t often turn your posts away because we want to create a place where you can tell your stories, but we definitely don’t want to do this at someone’s expense. We’ve taken the picture down but left the text of the story here in the post. Agree or disagree with our decision? We want to know. Please tell us in the comments section. – Jeff and Eugenia
Original post:
Muni rider Matthew writes to tell of a possible celebrity-sighting on a San Francisco bus.
Tell me this wasn’t Whitney Houston! She was a “BOBBY!!” shriek away from a dead ringer.
Seriously, her makeup looked professionally applied, if a little too glittery for 3 p.m. If she wasn’t so wasted and her top wasn’t so stained with spilled liquids, I really would have thought it was the Diva Herself. God I hope those stains were just her drinks…
“Whitney” fell asleep long enough for me to snap her photo. She woke up soon after to root around in one of her bags for another Cobra Malt Liquor (which she drank through a straw, because as you can see, she is a LADY).
I can snap photos and poke fun because lord knows I’ve been that drunk lady on the bus a time or thousand.
Matthew has just become the first Muni-razzi. Seen any celebs or dead-ringers on Muni? muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com
No Man-Sitting! 08.26.09
Remember the big-balls-having guy from the first Muni Mind Reader episode, the guy whose nuts are so big they take up two seats?
Well, the ladies of Boston had enough of these guys too, and they’ve created a button warning against such behavior.
The AboutWomen project in Boston, who made the button above, also wrote a letter to the MBTA expressing their concern:
We’ve designed a badge for public transportation customers to wear in order to encourage passenger civility. We hope to raise awareness of fellow passenger’s comfort with this visual reminder.
Often, we believe, some T-riders aren’t aware that they’re taking up three seats with their knees. Of course, there are many other discourteous behaviors, like occupying additional seats with your belongings, but the particular posture depicted on our button is the most commonly complained about offense found in our survey of T- passengers.
Read the rest of the letter here.
Thanks to our friends at Tenderblog and the London Underground Tube Diary for this hilarious find.
L-Taraval Crash This Afternoon 08.24.09
Photo by Earthnik
Update (8:36 p.m.): Earthnik sent us this photo (“one more showing minimal damage to the robust Muni train”)
Original post: Our Twitter feed is all abuzz about the L-Taraval crash this afternoon. Reader Kath also sent us an alert from her building guard, who saw the aftermath. According to SFGate:
The inbound L Taraval train was on Taraval Street when it collided with the car heading south on 34th Avenue at 12:09 p.m., Muni said. The male driver of the car was taken to San Francisco General Hospital with unknown injuries.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. There are stop signs at the intersection for traffic on 34th Avenue but not for traffic on Taraval.
Another pic from Earthnik after the jump:
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
