L-Taraval Operator Helps Move Car From Tracks 02.07.12
@ringleader3 sends this one in. Muni’s better angels, and all that.
“check out this muni driver and riders helping a little old lady move her dead car out of the way of the L.”
Thanks, @ringleader3!
Smile in 3, 2, 1: Balloon Animal on Muni 02.07.12
Rider Anthony sent us this picture of ol’ yellow on a “very crowded 38L.” When you’re ass-to-crotch with strangers during commute hour, it’s the little things that count.
Balloon animals on Muni is my favorite meme, short of actual pets on the bus. (And the even rarer meme of the bus arriving just when I needed it.) I spotted my first balloon animal on a snoozing Muni in October, after which rider Kristin sent us a pic of its twin (or perhaps the same one?) on a 16X. Rider Heather sent us a blue balloon dog from 2010, and, stretching even further back, we’ve got this orange one on the 5-Fulton, via telluomo on Flickr:
Muni News: New transpo board members, tunnel driver, new streetcar, Muni violence 02.07.12
Photo by Robert B. Livingston
- Supervisors Campos, Wiener picked to lead transportation board (City Insider)
- Man Who Drove Through Muni Tunnel Blew A 0.20 BAC (SFist)
- Man Who Drove Into Muni Tunnel Last Month Pleads Not Guilty To DUI Charges (SF Appeal)
- The C-line is back! (Market Street Railway)
- Fare Hack: Exploiting a Clipper Card Flaw Is Easy (SF Weekly)
- Another addition to the F-Market fleet (Market Street Railway)
- Miffed Muni mom mauls fellow passenger for crowding her (SF Examiner)
- Man Beaten And Robbed While Waiting For Muni (BCN via SF Appeal)
- BART expansion to Livermore to be studied (SF Examiner)
‘You’re Already Dead!’ 02.07.12
Photo by MetaGrrrl
Pull your chairs closer to the campfire, kids. Ariel‘s got a doozy for us.
I’d been on the bus for one stop and already had a lady with face tattoos spit in my face.
She spun around and gave me an evil look and said, “You’re already dead!”
I told her to get off the bus and she spat in my face. I tried to keep cool and told her again. She got off and made a big fuss about her bags, then the lady she first spat on had the operator call the cops. Then I saw the spitting lady handcuffed with a mask over her mouth, led into the cop car. We all had to get off the bus, probably so the operator could file a report.
As I told Ariel, the whole “You’re already dead” bit is already giving me nightmares. And I haven’t even gone to sleep. Got a fireside chat to share with your Muni-riding brothers and sisters? Do it here.
Photo Diary: Ghosts of Muni’s Past 02.06.12
Photo by Maxence Derreumaux
Oh, hey, we have a Flickr pool. Won’t you drop something in?
Strangest PSA Video Featuring BART 02.06.12
From what I can gather, the people who made the video are a part of the SMB MVP Community Roadshow (Sponsored by HP and Microsoft), an event featuring Windows Storage Servers. Alas, my geek cred has its limits. But who cares — there’s a talking Barbie and a garden gnome telling you to ride BART!
Weekend Photos: Muni Lowrider 02.03.12
Photo by Lorcan Keating
We’re planning some cool new features for Muni Diaries in the coming months. Meanwhile, have you been following the better-than-TV stream @munidiaries on Twitter?
My favorite last week:
RT @spiegelmama: Why do I expend such effort not to fart on the bus when it seems nobody else even tries? #opensewer #busreek
So get your fill at @munidiaries @bartdiaries, @caltraindiaries, and @actdiaries!
Enjoy these photos and your weekend!
Photo by Jeremy Whiteman
Photo by Octoferret
Photo by maraby on Instagram
Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch
E-Embarcadero Inches Closer to Reality 02.03.12
Muni is ready to resume testing its fabled E-Embarcadero route all the way down to Caltrain, as the city gets transit-ready for America’s Cup next year.
SFGate mentioned plans to get the resurrected streetcar route up and running in time for the 2013 event. But now SF State student journalists have confirmed plans for SFMTA to begin testing on the E this summer.
SFMTA confirmed the reports.
There’s no word yet where the stops will be. (For stop information, see Rick’s comment, below) According to Golden Gate Xpress News, an estimated $20-30 million will be spent on various transit projects to get the waterfront ready for throngs of boat-racing enthusiasts. Let’s hope it’s a win-win for visitors and locals alike.
Check out the Golden Gate Xpress for more.
Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You(r Muni neighbor) 02.03.12
Jesse was recently, well, bemused on Muni. Here’s why.
Crazy guy and I both went to sit in the sideways seats at the front of the bus. I noticed there were two quarters on his seat just as he sat down on them.
I said to him, “Hey man, you just made 50 cents,” as I pointed to the quarters. Without looking at them, he reached back and grabbed them from practically under his ass and held them in his tightly closed fist. He said “Here, I can tell you the dates on them.” Then he seemed to concentrate for a second, and said “1977…1995.” He opened his hand and we looked. He was right on both accounts. “I can always predict dates on coins,” he explained. That was just the beginning.
Other topics of conversation covered:
- His Superior Court murder case was dismissed.
- He is turning 41 next week.
- Everyone has transistor radios.
- Fuck his dad.
- His family is trying to kill him.
- He can predict the date on coins. (see above)
- His mom died at 57.
- This is his first day without heroin or methadone.
- He only wears Element shoes but doesn’t skate anymore.
- Fuck his dad for ducking him for his whole life.
- This city is pissing him off.
- His last name rhymes with Bolinas.
- The guy sitting across from us might be his dad.
- He’s got to leave this city before he kills someone again.
- His family is everywhere, even in City Hall.
- Theres photography studios everywhere, and that’s how he knows how to find his dad.
- He can tell that he and I are on the same wavelength.
- Oh, and fuck his dad.
There’s a little something for everyone in that story, we think. What’s your Muni story?
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