The Accordion Files — Cool Things in Muni’s Squishy Part 01.05.12
Photo by Frank Deanrdo
Then, @SF_CableCar offered this suggestion:
Fun! Maybe you should start a section dedicated to unusual happenings in the accordion part of the bus & call it ‘The Accordion Files.’
Cable cars have the best ideas. Ask and ye shall receive.
Forget the back of the bus; sit in the gooey center and tell us what’s happening in it. You, too, might find great shoes or, as Jeff did a few years ago, a guy who rubs his snot on the handrail. Ew!
This idea couldn’t have come at a better time. On the 38 recently, I sat in the accordion and wondered what would happen if I and the three others had to make like Sandra Bullock and save the bus or even the world. Indeed, what if I, the lady praying her rosary, the girl with 80 shopping bags in the aisle, and the impeccably dressed older gentleman were humanity’s only hope? The accordion does wacky things to a lone rider with a dead phone.
Though we may never see that level of excitement, we still want to hear about it. Email us, tweet us @munidiaries, or chat us up on the Muni Diaries Facebook Page.
Nice Shoes, Sir 01.04.12
Photo by Maxence Derreumaux
New year my ass, because this guy is still full of holiday cheer. I swear, the most interesting things happen in the accordion part of the bus.
Thanks for the pic, Max!
Drop Everything: Cat on Muni 12.21.11
@katrinaheller tweeted this pic from Muni with an important message:
There is a kitty sitting next to me on muni this morning #meow
Not that we ever post about cats on Muni. Never.
Send them all, feline, canine, scaly, or feathered, to us @munidiaries as you spot them. We can’t get enough.
Muni’s Number-One in My Book, Too 12.16.11
Photo: epugachev
I decided to walk to the Church St. Station to catch the Metro. When [I] arrived at Market/Church, I saw the J streetcar was struck in traffic at Safeway. I proceed to walk down to the subway and catch a train to Van Ness Station. When I arrived at Van Ness…I saw the J-Church that didn’t opened the door for me slowly arriving…so I made my way on the platform to the front and, as the J pulled up, I stood at the side of the driver’s cab and gave him the finger and let it linger there for about 10 seconds or so.
There’s a first time for everything: 30-plus years of ridership, and she says it’s the first time she flipped off a driver.
Well, we’ve all been there: riding the high (“You’re stuck at a red, thank jeebus! Open up, kind sir or madam!”) and the low (“Oh. Walking won’t be so bad, I guess). Literally giving Muni the middle finger could be a bit much, but getting stonewalled is obviously a shit picnic.
What say, Muni riders? Is finger warranted here?
Needles on Muni for the Holiday Season 12.12.11
Photo: Telstar Logistics
Not those needles.
Ever since @sabrinabot tweeted this:
for some, red cups signify the start of holiday season. for me it’s knitters on the muni. saw two today, the holidays can begin!
…we’ve seen our fair share of them, too. With less than two weeks to go, I expect to see even more commuting elves working on handmade projects.
Since we do live in Scarf City, Fogland USA, knitting is a popular transit pastime year-round. Just ask Hooked on Muni (great name), every mischievous devil on International Yarn Bombing Day, and the good citizen who knitted coozies for the shelter seats, pictured above.
How’s your handmade holiday project going? Send us your knitted-on-Muni creations or your pics of the knitting elves. Spin your yarn (HAHA) to muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.
Speak Softly, Carry a Horn on Muni 12.08.11
…unless the guy at the very front honks the horn affixed to his cane. Per Sarah:
Hard to tell from afar, but there’s a squeaky horn on the end of that old man’s cane. I wonder if he uses it like a car horn, when people are walking too slowly in front of him, or to tell his wife to hurry up because he’s waiting outside.
It would certainly come in handy on Muni, let’s not kid ourselves here. Bravo, cane-horn guy. Few people can pull this off, but I think he does it well.
Muni’s Got Your Ticket to the Gun Show 12.07.11
Octoferret says:
On the 76 line in the Marin Headlands.
My second favorite is ‘General Manager’ on the northbound 19-Polk.
“General Manager” is a great WTF-inducer. I have two others tied for first, though: the running ticker of gibberish and Sassy Muni Bus. Please Ho, indeed.
To answer your burning question, though, there is apparently a place called Rifle Range in the Marin Headlands. The National Park Service says you can find those purty Mission Blue butterflies there. Nowadays, it appears to function more as a venue/public space than a shooting range. Please give us a break for giggling, though, as we don’t see “rifle range” on many things around here.
Go ahead, make my day: drop some photo goodies in our award-winning (finalist-making) Muni Photos Flickr pool.
Ms. Fix-It Saves the 12-Folsom (and Happy Hour) 12.01.11
Photo: Ian Fuller
The handicapped ramp was stuck on the ground after someone had used it at the 14th and Folsom stop (FoodSlow) and the driver just sat there and called it in, instead of trying to fix it. I finally got up after 10 mins and said ‘did you try to fiddle with it or just stare at it’; he grunted he did not try to fix it. I went outside and looked it over and asked him a few questions, kicked and tugged. He FINALLY tried the button, nothing, I said wait, kicked and pulled again and sure enough…it moved back into place. Everyone was very happy that they did not have to wait for the next 12 (40 mins) and I told the bus driver to try and fix things himself next time. My GF called me out knowing I was headed to meet her and friends for happy hour and that stupid ramp was between me and beer.
We all know that Muni needs a lot of fixing. Have you ever pitched in? Like really fixed it? If so, you might get cookies, too. Spin us a yarn at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.
Photographers Wanted: Step Up to Shoot for ‘I Live Here: SF’ 11.29.11
Photo: Julie Michelle/tangobaby
As big believers in the shared urban experience, as well as the idea that everyone has a story to tell, we’re all peas in a curious pod.
Now, Julie turns the lens inward as she navigates troubled waters, sharing a little about herself:
I love this city. I love it for all of the things that make it visually and emotionally beautiful. I even love the unpleasant things about the city, in a way. Because no thing shines as brightly without a shadow somewhere in the picture.
…
I realize now that this project is not just mine, but part of the bigger community here: the one that has encouraged and supported me, and also one that wanted to share and be discovered.
There are people who have written stories and are waiting on me to photograph them, and I simply cannot say when that will happen again. But I want their stories and images to be shared here, and perhaps some of you would like to join in.
Photographers: if this sounds like you, let Julie know you’re interested in stepping up to the plate for an installment of I Live Here: SF. Here’s contact info for Julie Michelle, plus additional details, toward the bottom of her post.
Black Friday Sale: Fast-Pass Card Holders, T-Shirts 25% Off! 11.25.11
No, really, why don’t people just buy stuff online for this “holiday,” with jammies and heater on? Good thing your favorite website allows you to do just that.
So, the great news for you, your favorite San Franciscan, transit-lover, or all of the above:
Support local artists and show your uber-San Francisconess this holiday season. Our Muni Diaries T-shirt is designed by New Skool’s Nate1, bearing an important message: long live the Fast Pass! Clipper Card holders — each featuring a 100-percent-real Fast Pass – are crafted by Heather L at Heathered.
Because as much as we all love to bag on Muni, we do love us some San Francisco.
Like Sex, Love, Lust … Muni? Click 
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
