Ripping Up the J-Church Track 03.22.10
Reader Brian M. sent us these photos from the construction on replacing the J-Church tracks at Church and 18th Street over the weekend. The J-Church rail improvement project continues for two more weekends when San Jose Avenue will be closed to southbound traffic between Day and Dolores, but the dates of those weekends have not been announced. We’ll keep you posted.
More of Brian’s photos after the jump.
Thanks, Brian!
Weekend Photos: Faster, Muni, Faster! 03.19.10
Photo by Flickr user Daniell Lefebvre
I was on the 1-California today, and the driver tried for what seemed like forever to get the passengers to move back in order for a wheelchair passenger to get off the bus. There certainly can be ways to speed up boarding, and Streetsblog SF has a video and great story about some simple ways to improve boarding to make Muni more efficient.
“Muni spends about half of its time on any given run not moving, so the bus is either stopped at a light or the bus is stopped at a bus stop. Speeding up boarding would be hugely important in getting Muni in being more reliable and faster,” Tom Radulovich, executive director of Livable City, said in the video.
In other news, transit funding is nowhere in sight as the bill dies (thanks, Arnie), and the 14-Mission has the dubious award of being the most dangerous line (Examiner).
Watch out this weekend as the J-Church construction impacts traffic and Muni, starting tonight (SFAppeal).
Have a great weekend!
Photo by Flickr user Patrick Boury
Photo by Flickr user Patrick Boury
Photo by Flickr user captin_nod
Homesick for Muni 03.19.10
Photo by Flickr user bingolio
What would you miss about San Francisco if you had to move away? Muni turned out to be on the top of the list for many people. We got a nice email from rider Andrew, a San Francisco resident currently finishing school in Southern California. Muni reminds him of home, he said. “Having gone to high school in the city, I never got a drivers license, and I still don’t have one, so Muni is a big part of every day.”
On our Twitter feed, rider @tlarrywong said, “Is riding Muni to church for the first time in fifteen years! Kinda miss it! : ).” Auto registration and smog test made @polinadou miss the days of Muni (come on back, it’s not too late!). Meanwhile, @wilmeleene is in San Diego and misses our transit: “I miss SF and I’m bored in SD!!! no more BART no more Muni no more cable cars!”
According to our web stats, some of you are from cities as far flung as London, New York, and Chicago. Are any of you former SFers? And for those who are still here, what would you miss about Muni?
Photo diary: A virtual world aboard Muni? 03.18.10
From Muni rider Anthony:
If Cloud from Final Fantasy 7 was a kid, this kid would be him.
*Scratches head*
Who?
A little internet search showed that Cloud is a young man with what I previously thought was an impossible-in-real-life hairdo, which this cool young man has replicated to perfection.
Thanks, Anthony!
No Green Buses Today 03.17.10
Photo by Telstar Logistics
But we’ve seen a few noteworthy St. Paddy’s Day-related tweets cross the wires, including:
I’ve already been pinched twice by total strangers. Is everyone on my commute Irish or just jerks?! by @Hilary_Laurie
priest on the muni isn’t wearing green. hmm. by @rachelpartdeux
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, folks. Party people, do me a favor, do not get on a muni metro between 11pm and 12am please. Just let me get home. by @rnaglejr
I’m guessing the drunken, stumbly man in a green t-shirt on Muni at 4:30 pm is related to St. Patrick’s day festivities. by @pui_ling
What about you? What did you see/who did you pinch today on Muni?
Chance Meeting With A Muni Driver 03.17.10
Photo by Thomas Hawk
I was walking from Potrero Hill to the Mission last night, taking advantage of the good weather. At Treat and 16th a Muni driver got out of a bus and stood at the corner, waiting for the light to change.
When he saw me walking by, he smiled at me and said, “Hey, how are you? Why don’t you ever take the 22 anymore? It’s been a long time.”
I smiled at him, recognizing him immediately. He was a driver who drove my route in the evenings. He always had a kind smile for the passengers and was the kind of driver who would wait at the light for someone to run across the street to catch his bus. One of the good guys, really.
I said, “Well, on a nice night, I like to walk, you know?”
He nodded. “I agree,” he said. “Good to get the fresh air and the exercise, too.”
“So true,” I said. “It was nice to see you,” I told him, because I needed to keep walking.
“You, too,” he said. “See you around.”
I caught a quick glance at his badge, so I am not 100% sure but I think his name is M. Ulloa.
It was a lovely little chance meeting, and I was happy to see him.
‘Muni Diaries Live! Breaking It Down’ at the Make-Out Room 03.16.10
BART train operator Kelly Beardsley shares a story at our second event. Photo by Troy Holden
Muni Diaries will be back at the Make-Out Room on Friday, April 23, for our third spoken-word party. Muni has had its ups and downs in the past few months, and the wacky stories just keep coming. So join us at Muni Diaries Live: Breaking It Down to hear some awesome Muni stories live and share a few delicious (and mean) cocktails with your fellow riders.
Our story tellers this time include comedian Will Franken, whose Muni tales promise to be absolutely “twisted.” We’ve got Johnny FunCheap, the man who knows all about having a blast on a dime on San Francisco. The burlesque cheerleading squad, The Cock-Ts, will be back with their misguided coach Chester for more Muni cheers. You’ll also hear stories from Vero Majano of Mission Media Archives, BART operator Kelly Beardsley, and the acoustic duo McPuzo and Trotsky.
And this just in: Silvi from The Poetry Store will be our resident poet of the evening! Look for her with her type writer so you can get a poem written just for you. Check out the beautiful poem she wrote for us.
If you’ve missed our second party in October or our first event (honestly, how could you miss out on so much fun?), we hope to see you at party #3. We always save a little room for audience stories, so come prepared if you want to share a story on stage!
Muni Diaries Live! Breaking It Down
Friday, April 23, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. No cover!
Make-Out Room — 3225 22nd Street
Routes serving the area: BART 24th St. Station, 12, 14, 22, 33, 48, 49, 67
It’s Always Happy Hour Somewhere 03.16.10
Photo by Flickr user What What
Ed. Note: It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a gross story, huh? Here’s one from rider Alison. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!
Living in the Outer Richmond without a car leaves few options for across town travel. If I had ample time on my hands and wasn’t cripplingly lazy, I would walk or bike.
Alas, I ride the 5 Fulton. While other lines in my neighborhood are generally quieter (1 California) or faster (38 and 38Ltd Geary), the 5 Fulton is one block from my house (did I mention I’m lazy?).
Being a relatively seasoned Muni-rider, I’ve found that most Muni lines traverse at least one or two shady neighborhoods and the 5 is no different. From my house to downtown, the bus passes through Western Addition and the section of Market that the city forgot to gentrify.
Last week, on a perfunctory afternoon ride downtown, a man in his early 30′s boarded the bus in Western Addition. When people sit down across from me on any bus, I typically give them the once over and resume whatever activity I’m engaging in to expedite the ride. This particular gentleman caught my attention because, well, he was a midget. No, not a dwarf (characterized by their shortened limbs); a midget. And he was drunk.
He alternated giggling and incoherent babbling with surreptitious swigs of sake from a crinkled brown bag. But his giggles soon turned to looks of pain and before I could determine just how drunk he was, he threw up. Not a projectile vomit but more of a slow, awkward dribble that made its way down his sweater, leaving a unpleasantly colored trail. And, where many individuals who have just thrown up on themselves would cease and desist, he just kept on drinking as if nothing were amiss.
Thankfully he didn’t ride for too long and actually managed to disembark the bus without leaving a mess in his wake. Although my visceral reaction was overwhelming disgust, my heart went out to this small dude who, for the rest of the day, would be wearing his own barf.
Muni Diaries at the Commonwealth Club 03.15.10
Our very own Jeff Hunt will be at the Commonwealth Club next Wednesday, March 24, on an INFORUM panel to talk about San Francisco’s new media scene. He’ll be joining Brock Keeling of SFist.com, Michael Maness of The Bold Italic, and moderator Robin Sloan of Twitter.
Come hear about what goes on behind-the-scenes in running our mostly rider-generated website (example: what to do when you receive a photo of the alleged Muni humper?), and how an idea of sharing transit stories turned into the best non-paying job yet!
Location: San Francisco Commonwealth Club Office
595 Market Street, 2nd Floor (between First and Second Streets, near the Montgomery BART station or take the F, 5, 6, 7, 9, 21, 31, 38, 66, or 71)
San Francisco, CA, 94105
When: Wednesday, March 24, 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. networking reception
Cost: $12 members, $20 non-members, $7 students (with valid ID)
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
