Muni Driver’s View 05.18.11
When they face forward, of course. I rarely get to see the stations and tunnels through those front windows, so I appreciate the perspective.
Flickr’s tweetsweet shared this sweet photo she took. Thanks!
Photo Diary: ‘Cat on Muni. No bigs.’ 05.18.11
Photo by tjdee
The headline summary by tjdee on Flickr does the job pretty well.
We have a well-documented love of animals on Muni, especially when we ride alongside them without Fido in our crotches. But dogs on Muni! Cats on Muni! Munimals! The occasional iguana! You are made of stone (or maybe very allergic, OK, fine) if a pet on Muni doesn’t make you happy. Especially if you had a 20-minute wait like we did this morning.
So, while you’re being nonchalant about the cat on your bus, trolley, or LRV, you should still take pictures and send them to us.
Living in San Francisco Means… 05.17.11
In their Bold Italic feature, Stuart and Wendy captured all the flavors of San Francisco living. And that most definitely included our lives on public transportation:
It means riding the Night Owl and thinking you’re gonna get mugged by the teenagers in the back. Taking the 22 from the Marina to the Dogpatch and observing the city’s vast spectrum of existence. Sitting on BART and trying not to think about what lives inside those cushions. Riding Muni and seeing feats both beautiful and wretched within seconds of each other.
Click over to Living in SF Means at the Bold Italic and read all about who has a crush on the girl at Tartine, the better excuse for drinking Tecate, and all the other quirks that make San Francisco the center of our universe.
No More Ballet Dancers on the 5-Fulton, 21-Hayes 05.17.11
Photo by rafeejewell
Headline of the day goes to SF Appeal: USF Liberates the 5-Fulton And 21-Hayes; Summer Dancers Bunk Elsewhere.
One less thing for us all to bitch about …
Previously in the “Prima donnas on Muni” department:
Summer Ballet Season Muni
Twirlwind on the 21
You can’t sit under my umbrella…ella…ella 05.17.11
To be fair, sometimes Muni leaks on wet days like today.
Also, the balls! During rush hour!
Photo by @cyclones01
What Do You Do With Your Free Time? 05.17.11
Via @fitfoxes:
OH on the 10: Not so suave guy: “What do you do in your free time?” Not havin’ it girl: “Hang out with my boyfriend.”
Oh. Snap.
Fare Evasion, MacGyver Style 05.16.11
H.P. Mendoza has a little ditty about Muni 05.16.11
Unlike most native San Franciscans, though, his dad drove Muni buses during H.P.’s childhood and adolescence. Naturally, H.P.’s relationship with our beloved transit is unique.
Colma: The Musical or Fruitfly really showcase H.P.’s uncanny ability to capture many aspects of our gritty urban existence, in playful melodies and hilarious rhyme.
The above clip is H.P. performing “Public Transit,” a song he wrote for Fruitfly. Here’s a taste of the lyrics:
As far as cities like this go.
There are none like San Francisco.
You can take it all apart by section.
Seven miles in any direction.I’ll never be stuck in gridlock.
I’m fine with walking on the sidewalk.
If you need to get somewhere faster.
Sing along with the working-class bastards.Public transit, every destination sits upon a track.
Put your faith in public transit, there’s enough of it to go around and back.
Have a listen, and we dare you not to get this one stuck in your head for the rest of today.
Ready to Meet the Lord 05.16.11
Photo by Troy Holden
I’m on the 47 on my way to work and had been listening to the mutterings of the man across the aisle from me. He was carrying a garbage bag of his belongings and a paper bag with unspecified booze; and he was getting louder and louder.
“Lord Jesus, I’m ready to die,” he said. “I have no job, I have no money,” (the girl next to him gets up to stand somewhere away from him), “I have my momma’s debt, my daddy’s debt, and I’m ready to die because I don’t want to be nobody’s bother.” Everyone looks away awkwardly, including me. The man starts laughing about something else. Then I realize that we weren’t moving.
I looked up and a cleanly dressed younger guy in the front of the bus was talking to the driver, pointing at the drunkard. “He’s drinking alcohol…openly…” I overhear him telling the drivers.
Really?
The drunk wasn’t really bothering anybody except for our guilty conscience, and he didn’t even smell. How are you trying to kick the drunk guy off the bus after he said he’s ready to meet his death because he has nothing? And isn’t a drunk man muttering to himself a regular sight on Muni? The driver got up and glanced at the drunkard, who said, “Don’t mind me, I’m just waking up.” The driver sat back down and started driving again.
Because of the “good Samaritan,” I missed the connecting train I was trying to catch, which is just one of my many first-world problems. I guess it’s just another Monday.
Bay to Breakers, Muni Edition: Denim Kings 05.16.11
The next two here are also @Grahamcrackersf‘s.
And with that, we draw Bay to Breakers 2011 to a close.
Original post:
Photo by @nicolecwong
What else happened when thousands of costumed (or completely naked) runners take over the city and public transit? Take a look. And once you’re sobered and rested, send us your photos of where Muni and Bay to Breakers intersected.
Photo by James Welcher
Photo by Lorcan Keating
Photo by Anthony Brown
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
