December « 2010 « Muni Diaries

2010 Year-End Photos: What a ride it’s been! 12.31.10

A wave of great photos showing riders on Muni arrived in our Flickr group over the last week. We often highlight photos that showcase Muni vehicles, but in the end, we’re really all about the people who rely on the transit system day in and day out.

Here’s a recap of the week’s Muni news:

Muni Station Escalators Break Down About as Often as You Might Think (SF Appeal)
‘Muni’ tops list of names for Newsom baby No. 2 (The Mommy Files/SFGate)
Happy 98th Birthday, Muni! And for your present… (Market Street Railway)
SF Offers $2 Million Settlement to Cable Car Crash Victim (KTVU)
Cable Car Revenues Just a Bit Higher Than Payouts for Their Accidents (SF Appeal)
SFMTA Weekend Traffic and Transit Advisory (SFMTA)
Contract showdown on tap for Muni operators (SF Examiner)

And with that, we wish you a safe, happy, prosperous, and meltdown-free 2011! Enjoy these embiggened versions of the photos above and your weekend … and don’t forget: Muni is free tonight from 8 p.m. through 6 a.m. tomorrow morning.

Photo by mikedthorn

Photo by Brian_Brooks

Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch

Photo by KayVee.INC

Photo by davitydave

Photo by Brandon Doran

Photo by Steve Rhodes

Photo by angryf

Share this Muni Diaries post

Written by jeff ( Write a comment )

Posted in muni news | No Comments »

Best Photo Diary of 2010: Waiting Such a Long Time 12.30.10

2010 will be memorable for me for many reasons. But the two biggest are definitely my wedding and the Giants’ World Series win. We ran a photo of a newlywed couple on Muni back in October, but the photo itself just wasn’t as compelling for me as the one above, by zanthonyz. It had been such a long wait for so many faithful Giants fans. The payoff for them is sweeter, I hope.

Share this Muni Diaries post

Written by jeff ( Write a comment )

Posted in diaries, photo diary | No Comments »

Best of 2010: Driving Muni with a smile 12.30.10

In San Francisco, you really notice when people are nice. It’s not that we’re a mean town. It’s more that we are, uh, a little into ourselves. In our bubbles. Under our headphones. Zoned out. And we often exhibit little to no patience with one another, often understandably so.

And of course Muni is SF magnified times infinity.

That’s perhaps why it was so refreshing and uplifting to learn about Muni operator Tammy. Rider Greg shared his story of Tammy’s last days driving the 33-Stanyan (she now drives the 24-Divisadero) back in May. And oh how it resonated.

Nearly eight months later, it’s still my favorite diary of 2010. What’s yours?

Share this Muni Diaries post

Written by jeff ( 1 Comment )

Tags: 33-Stanyan
Posted in diaries, reflection | 1 Comment »

Best Photo Diary of 2010: Traveling Back in Time 12.29.10

This week we bring you some of our favorite diaries of the year. One of the most memorable photo diaries of the year for me is this Instagram picture that we found onTwitter from @cleverdirt. I’m not sure where she’s headed, but I can’t stop looking at the many fantastic details in this photograph.

Did you capture a memorable Muni ride on your camera this year?

Share this Muni Diaries post

Written by eugenia ( Write a comment )

Posted in diaries, photo diary | No Comments »

Best of 2010: The Other Chicken Rides the Bus 12.29.10

This week we bring you our favorite diaries of 2010 from the backroom of Muni Diaries headquarters. One of my favorite submissions of the year is Chicken’s Day Out from rider Kevin. After the little controversy about the Chinatown chicken story, I was only glad to see that we can now think of chickens on the bus in a different light.

Kevin came across a couple whose obvious love for their pet chicken inspired him to submit the story. Best of all, Kevin snapped a picture of the chicken’s owner falling asleep cradling his feathery friend.

What’s your most memorable Muni ride this year?

Share this Muni Diaries post

Written by eugenia ( Write a comment )

Posted in diaries | No Comments »

Best Photo Diary of 2010: Every Day Is Caturday 12.28.10

My choice for favorite photo diary of 2010 goes to Jaymi Heimbuch. The original post featuring this photo and one other is here: Screw Monday: Every Day Is Caturday

Much to Jeff’s chagrin, I love cats. But I probably love cats on Muni even more. Every cat I’ve ever known hated being moved, be it in a bag, a car, or just about anything that wasn’t self-propelled. Cat on a leash? Forget it. Given all that, I was struck by how calm and collected this one looks. All in all, I found it impossible not to smile at this one.

The cute internet (or, rather, teh cute internets) has us all by the balls, it’s true.

This week, the editors of Muni Diaries will be sharing our picks for favorite diaries and photos of 2010. Diaries will run in the mornings, and photos in the afternoon. We also want you to tell us your favorites from this year. Feel free to use the archive drop-down over on the right to peruse the offerings. Let us know in the comments or via email. We’ll share reader favorites all day on Friday.

Share this Muni Diaries post

Written by Tara ( 1 Comment )

Posted in diaries, photo diary | 1 Comment »

Best of 2010: Letter From an Operator’s Wife 12.28.10

Photo by bhautik joshi

This week, the editors of Muni Diaries will be sharing our picks for favorite diaries and photos of 2010. Diaries will run in the mornings, and photos in the afternoon. We also want you to tell us your favorites from this year. Feel free to use the archive drop-down over on the right to peruse the offerings. You’ll see, like we did, that it’s not always easy, but it’s definitely always entertaining.

Let us know in the comments or via email. We’ll share reader favorites all day on Friday.

And without further ado, Tara gets the first editor’s favorite diary: Letter No. 2 From a Muni Operator’s Wife. Here’s what she had to say about this post from May 12:

It’s not all poop stories here on Muni Diaries, nor is it even just a showcase for the silly, weird, and gross that ~~forces~~ brings us together (aww). Sometimes, it serves a purpose beyond entertainment, like opening the lines of communication between the angry public and the drivers we bag on. The post comprised a letter from a Muni driver’s wife and 22 comments back and forth. Sure, comments on contentious issues can trend toward personal and passionate, and we keep a pretty careful eye on it to ensure it doesn’t devolve into YouTube or, ahem, SFGate. Even so, this post provided a perspective we don’t often, if ever, get to see on the site, and I was glad to have it.

Tell us your favorite diary and photo of 2010 in the comments, or share a new tale of life aboard Muni.

Share this Muni Diaries post

Written by Tara ( Write a comment )

Posted in diaries, reflection | No Comments »

Where were you in September? 12.27.10

Weird, no?

Share this Muni Diaries post

Written by jeff ( Write a comment )

Tags: 16th St Station
Posted in BART | No Comments »

At Least It’s Not Snow 12.27.10

Phoot by Alexandra Jones

Think our recent spat of rain is bad? At least we’re not snowed in inside a subway tunnel like these poor New Yorkers. They reportedly waited for hours in the tunnel with out heat or food. Rueters reports via SFGate:

“Passengers have been stuck for several hours on two New York City subway trains stalled in snow drifts near Kennedy Airport.

NYC Transit spokesman Charles Seaton says that snow drifts and ice on the third rail have stalled trains at two stops in Queens, north and south of Kennedy Airport.”

Yipes.

Share this Muni Diaries post