Weekend photos: Goin’ retro in the now 06.04.10
Photo by Flickr user _lmc
This short week sure did pack quite a punch. Four-day weeks often remind of us what’s left in the juicer’s reservoir — condensed everything, and not too savory.
Anyhow, Muni seems to have held up fairly well, all things considered. Here’s a look back at the week in Muni news:
- Muni Weighs How to Restore Service If It Gets the Chance (StreetsblogSF)
- Muni budget still in limbo (City Insider)
- SFMTA Board Urges Board of Supervisors to Put Revenue Measure on Ballot (StreetsblogSF)
- Cyclist collides with F-Market streetcar (SF Examiner)
And looking ahead to this weekend, the SFMTA advises of the Union Street Fair, which will take place from 10 to 6 Saturday and Sunday. It will affect service on the 22-Fillmore, 30-Stockton, and 45-Union/Stockton in the Union/Fillmore area. The Statuto Race on Sunday will affect 39-Coit service Stockton/North Point vicinity. And on Saturday, the Saint Boniface Church Anniversary will detour service on the 5-Fulton in the Golden Gate/Leavenworth area.
Once this paste known as humidity lightens up, please breathe again. And have a great weekend!
Photo by adamjackson1984
Photo by angryf
Photo by Brandon Doran
We’re Going Outbound to Secession Art and Design 06.04.10
Art by Nate of NewSkool, one of the many artists who will be at Secession Art and Design Friday.
Slices of life on Muni come in many forms. On Friday June 11, come to Secession Art and Design and see life on the bus in a new way. We’re sponsoring an event called Outbound, in which a group of artists will render their views of our beloved public transit in the form of paintings, graffiti, and more.
And as always, life on Muni can’t happen without your stories, so find us at the Muni Diaries story tent on Friday night. Come prepared with a short Muni tale and you can share it in our tent, a la StoryCorps style. We’ll have our handy Flip there to record your story, to be published later on Muni Diaries.
So come see some fantastic art, pop into our story tent, and have a great Friday night with us in honor of the good, the bad, and the beautiful sides of Muni.
Outbound at Secession Art and Design
Friday, June 11, 6:30 p.m.
3361 Mission St (across from 30th St Safeway)
415-279-3058
http://www.secessionsf.com/
Muni routes: 14, 49, J, 27, 24, 48, 67
BART: 24th Street Station
A month of Muni, in visual form 06.04.10
Ever wonder how the gods see Muni? Us, too. Eric Fischer has gone and outdone himself with the above image. According to Mr. Fischer:
“Average speed at each location according to NextBus, April 13 – May 21, 2010. Black is stopped (less than 3 mph). Red is slow (3-5 mph). Blue is normal operating speed (5-9 mph). Yellow is fast service (9-19 mph). Green is rapid movement (faster than 19 mph).”
Who knew Muni data could be so purty? I’m going to think of this next time I’m stuck on a metro car in a tunnel.
Oh, but our boy Eric isn’t done just yet:
“Average speed at each location according to NextBus, April 13 – May 21, 2010. Each level of gray represents a speed increment of 0.1 mph, up to a threshold of 24 mph.”
24 mph, eh? I’d like, just once, to be on that bus.
Photo diary: I got big … 06.03.10
… nuts and I cannot lie! It’s why my leg is at your side….couldn’t help myself!
My Muni Sanctuary 06.03.10
Photo by chainsmokingbluemonkey
Sean at Noisebeard is newish to San Francisco and not at all fazed by the schizophrenic relationship we riders have with the beast we call Muni. Instead, Sean has chosen to embrace the crazy.
Most people I know who also have to ride the bus around often complain about it. It’s crowded, slow, and pretty unreliable sometimes, especially on weekends. I don’t need to defend any of those claims because they’re 100% true. But I think what people overlook is the social complexity that Muni offers.
People of all sorts ride the bus for whatever reason. At any time of the day, the buses are pretty crowded. Living in a city with around 900,000 people in the “proper” area, there’s never a dull moment.
I love riding the bus. I like the weird people that join me in the ride. I see something new every day. I see the same drivers on my routes looking totally complacent and care-free. I see the old Asian men and women carting home their bundles of Chinatown goodies. I see the mid 20s hipster chicks with their denim-painted tights and iPod/iPhone headphones dangling around their scarf. I see the Tenderloin crack heads holding onto mortality and falling at every lurch in the bus’s path. I see it all. Every social paradigm someone could conjure up ends up on Muni eventually. It’s the ultimate people watching venue.
Continue reading Sean’s post at Noisebeard to find out how this newcomer avoids Muni frustration.
Muni and my bike 06.02.10
Photo by Flickr user meligrosa
Meligrosa from Bikes and the City understandably rarely rides Muni (she does blog about bikes, after all). But here’s photographic proof of the day she went over to the dark side:
Though I almost never ride Muni, this pic of the rose was from when my knee was not well, I gave in to climb the crazy Presidio hills via the 43. I was ok with that. ;-)
Looks like the bike quite enjoyed the ride too, Meli. Got more pictures of your ride on Muni? Send it our way please!
Photo diary: Muni doucher of the day 06.02.10
Muni Rider Roasting on the 24 06.02.10
Photo by Rick Audet
As I was riding the 24 home from work last week, two young men boarded the bus and immediately started sizing up the other riders in the back of the bus for potential roastability. Not finding enough meat for their roast they declared the bus “dry” as opposed to this morning’s selection which had been “wet.” This was a fairly incredible assessment, seeing as how the 24 is (always) stuffed to the gills with riders.
The roasters, doing their best with the available material, declared that “that dude there has a potato-head” (he didn’t). They then moved on to a young man who was listening to his ipod and had the luxury of pretending not to hear “look at this dude, he look like something out of mario brothers” (he didn’t). They then went on to mock his plain white t-shirt, cap and less than manicured fingers.
Meanwhile I’m feeling less and less comfortable, for the obvious reason that if unkempt nails were grounds for harassment, I could well be next. But mostly because I felt this was completely inappropriate. I mean, who does that? And why?
My stop was still three blocks away when I felt I could not handle it anymore. They had moved on to fresh meat, an older gentleman whose ear hair was somehow offending them (it wasn’t), when I vacated my seat. Clumsily and apologetically, I made my way to the front of the bus through the sea of fellow-riders. When I reached the front I reported to the driver that there were two young men harassing people in the back of the bus. The driver stood up and called to the back of the bus that they needed to “show some respect.” Feeling useless and edgy I then exited the 24, two stops early.
On my long walk home I thought of all the other ways the situation could have been handled. I had fantasies of rallying the other riders and declaring that we’re not going to take it! We’re all on the same bus here! We all have the right to a peaceful ride! Some of my less mature fantasies included roasting the aggressors: “your hair looks like bubble wrap!” and “if you’re lucky you might grow into those pants someday, son!” I digress.
Has anyone else witnessed a rider roasting? There must be a more effective way to handle it than to hassle the bus driver who is 20 ft and 30 people away….
Acceptable Muni Graffiti? 06.01.10
Tagger nabbed on the 38-Geary 06.01.10
Photo by Troy Holden
Muni rider Talia has the following news to share:
I hate taggers and their cocky attitudes and uncreative scrawls and stinky pens that give me headaches. This 38 driver took immediate action.
An excerpt from the Richmond district police blotter posted on the Richmond blog:
On 05/20/10 at 9:50pm an officer was in his patrol car at 6th Ave and Geary. The driver of a 38 Geary Muni began to wave at the officer and flash the vehicle’s headlights. The officer entered the bus and the driver told him that there were several young adults seated in the back that were “tagging” the bus with graffiti. The officer walked towards the back and the driver pointed out the 20 year old suspect. There was fresh graffiti on the ceiling and interior walls of the bus. The suspect was charged with vandalism and possession of a narcotic.
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
