Leading the flock of Muni converts on Halloween

Storyteller ilyse iris magy has hella Muni bonafides: she was the first paid “staff member” of San Francisco Transit Riders, where she helped pressure city officials to actually ride the bus. She celebrated her 24th birthday by riding the 24 bus with her friends. Name a Muni line and she can tell you the route. But one Halloween evening, when ilyse found herself evangelizing the value of public transit, the Muni gods had other plans.

Listen to her story:

You can follow ilyse and her non-transit related art on Substack and Instagram at @arainbowsquared. Meanwhile, we are gearing up for the first ever Muni Diaries Art Market this Saturday, Dec. 3 at 80 Albion! We’ll be there from noon to 4pm, along with our group of great vendors who will be selling their transit and SF-themed goodies. See you there!

Photo: Emily Huston

Why Mister Boston’s Muni community is no match for leukemia

As a Muni operator, Mister Boston, AKA Mike Delia, has seen it all. He’s piloted many of the crosstown lines we know and love, he has been assaulted twice in the name of doing so, and he even had someone try to steal his streetcar once.

You might also know him via the limited-edition trading cards bearing his image and stats—that’s actually how we first became acquainted with him ourselves. At Muni Diaries Live this month, we welcomed him, in full Muni regalia, to share his journey as operator, trading card legend, and leukemia survivor, all of which have brought him even closer to his community of San Franciscans.

Originally from Massachusetts with an accent to match, he was bitten early by the transit bug thanks to his father, who was also a transit operator. He was recently named 2022 Muni Operator of the Year by the San Francisco Transit Riders Union.

Listen to his story:

No holiday gathering, gift-giving list, or treat yo’self season would be complete without strong San Francisco representation. We’re excited to bring you the Muni Diaries Art Market: a market featuring 10 local artisans showcasing their wares. Come see us, Muni Diaries Live alums Transit Supply and Yellow Line Art—and more!—from 12-4p, Saturday, Dec. 3 at 80 Albion Street in the Mission.

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?

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.

In true Muni style, Muni Diaries Live arrives two years late

We will absolutely squeeze as much mileage out of that joke as we can, sorry not sorry.

Almost exactly two years after canceling our 2020 show and thinking we might be up and running by the summer (LOL), we finally brought Muni Diaries Live back to the Rickshaw Stop last week. We celebrated our 14th (!) birthday with another sold-out crowd—no small feat after isolating ourselves for two years—and man, it felt great to hear stories in real life.

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So close, yet so far—when your hangover turns south on Muni

Pic by ashleyszwec

One of my favorite things about Muni Diaries is how naturally people share stories or “you won’t believe what happened” anecdotes. Sometimes those come in as longer write-ups or poignant images, but they’re often snack-size snapshots that sneak into our social feeds. From a reader on the Muni Diaries Facebook page:

One time I was super hungover trying to get home to the Sunset. I secretly puked in my own bag. I was only 2 stops away and didn’t feel like I could walk. I was almost there!!! (This was more than 10 years ago btw.)

I feel you, and I see you, reader. I also think this was the most polite option for all involved.

If you’ve cleared your last meal and are curious about how often this happens on Muni, listen to this podcast episode how it played out for Muni Diaries Live storyteller Kristee Ono, dig into our Muni vomit archive or come clean with a story of your own.

When we say “story,” it doesn’t have to be long, it doesn’t have to involve vomit, but it does have to be your own experience in this funny place we call home. Email munidiaries.sf@gmail.com, or tag us @munidiaries on TwitterInstagram, or Facebook.

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