When small talk pays off on Muni

What would make you take off your headphones on the bus to talk to a stranger? In this episode, storyteller Alex Randall shares how he started talking to his fellow riders, and how these “Muni chats” changed the way he looks at our city. This episode was recorded at Muni Diaries Live at Rickshaw Stop in November, 2022.

Listen to his story:

By day, Alex manages a support team at Atlassian, and by evening and weekend, he serves on the board at Z Space, leads walking tours of his favorite San Francisco neighborhoods. He says he takes the 38 Geary often and likes all things San Francisco: history, sports, art, politics, and of course, public transit. You can find him at @ArtrepreneurSF on both Instagram and Twitter.

And don’t forget to subscribe to the Muni Diaries podcast so you don’t miss a minute of these great stories! You can find us on any of your podcast-listening apps.

Photo: Emily Huston

Searching for one long lost Muni shelter

We don’t often talk about the behind-the-scenes stuff at Muni Diaries because we are really about your stories. But occasionally something happens at Muni Diaries headquarters that just makes us go, “I can’t believe that happened.” 

One of the great things about running Muni Diaries is that we get to try any and all ideas, and along the way we met really great people who also have fun and wacky ideas. Sometimes those fun and wacky ideas turn into a whole another thing altogether. And in this case, one idea to incorporate a Muni shelter into our art show with photographer Julie Michelle turned into a battle for the heart and soul of San Francisco.

In today’s podcast, Tara and I dive into our archives to share the backstory of how we came to briefly own a Muni shelter, and why we are still searching for it today.

Listen to our story:

Speaking of fun, we’re super excited to bring you the fall Muni Diaries Live show to the stage at Rickshaw Stop this Thursday, Nov. 3! You have tickets, right?

Get to know new additions to the Muni Diaries crew

You might have seen these two awesome people who joined the Muni Diaries crew earlier this year, and in today’s episode, you’ll get to know more about our new editors, Kat Siegal and Sarah Katz-Hyman.  If you are a part of the local Transit Twitter community, you are probably already familiar with their names (and witty tweets), and today they’ll share what makes them so passionate about San Francisco.

We’ve always admired Kat and Sarah’s deep knowledge of public transit, their local activism, and their love for this city. You’ll meet Kat and Sarah live at our next Muni Diaries Live show on Nov. 3, 2022! Use the code PODCAST to get a listeners-only discount. See you there!

Listen to their story:

The count down begins! Muni Diaries Live returns on Nov. 3

Just one more week until we bring you the fall Muni Diaries Live show to the stage at Rickshaw Stop! You have tickets, right?

Every show we marvel at how everyday bus riders, comedians, and bus drivers come together to celebrate that Bay Area transit life. We can’t wait to bring you all the funny, weird, poignant, and always true stories about every San Franciscan’s favorite love-hate relationship: Muni! And we’ll be bringing back the Muni Haiku Battle, where reigning champion Wonder Dave faces challenger Kristee Ono. You don’t want to miss this! 

Get your tickets and invite your friends. See you at the show!

An unforgettable New Year’s Eve on BART

Comedian Becca Henry was born in San Francisco and got her start on stage performing comedic burlesque before making her way to standup. You might remember her as a fierce Muni Haiku challenger in our come-back show in April. Becca said on stage that every haiku she wrote for that evening was true, so we, naturally, asked Becca to tell us more.

In today’s episode, she recounts one wild evening on BART on New Year’s Eve as she was heading to a performance.

Listen to her story:

Speaking of Muni Haiku Battles…Muni Diaries Live is back on Thursday, Nov. 3, at Rickshaw Stop! We have a stellar lineup and can’t wait to see you at the show! Grab your tickets today.

Meaghan Mitchell on trauma at a 22-Fillmore stop and the long road to forgiveness

We’re back on the storytelling tip with San Francisco native and San Francisco Standard journalist Meaghan Mitchell—first at Muni Diaries Live in April, and now on the podcast. Meaghan shared a life-changing experience from her youth at a 22-Fillmore stop that touches on summer love, physical trauma, her identity as a Black woman, and more.

We’ve long been proud of the fact that Muni Diaries stories range from sweet and quirky, to weird and funny, to powerful and deeply personal. This is no exception, as we were invited to lean into the vulnerable and, at times, uncomfortable story with Meaghan as she shared with us that night.

tw: violence against women

Listen to her story:

You can also watch the story below:

Meaghan had our tear ducts working a few years ago, when she told a different story at Muni Diaries Live about an especially rough day at school, playing hooky as a result, and the way Muni featured prominently—and personally—into the experience.

Keep up with Meaghan on Twitter @meaghan_m, and send any and all flavors of transit stories or tales of city life to munidiaries.sf@gmail.com or @munidiaries on all the socials.

Photo by Amanda Roosa. Video by Maya Curry.

1 2 3 4 25