Thank You, Muni Hero of the 1-California 02.08.12
Photo by Brandon Doran
I heard an older woman’s voice from the opened bus door: “Do you give change?” We all knew the answer.
Then I heard the same woman’s voice: “When’s the next bus coming?”
The bus stop happened to be one without the NextBus display, so nobody really had an answer for her.
Just as I was starting to feel a little bad for her, a young man got up from the first row, leaned over to the open door and said, “Ma’am? I’ll pay for you. Come on in.”
The woman got in the bus — she was a silver-haired lady wearing a blue quilted coat. The young man paid her fare, got up, and gave his seat to her, and we were on our way.
Thank you, young man in the black leather jacket, Levi 514s, black Adidas, and black messenger bag. There’s a big difference between feeling bad for someone and actually doing something about it. Your kindness made me realize we need to cross that line more often.
Saw a Muni model citizen? Give them praise here.
‘Model’ Muni Citizen on 1-California 02.02.12
Sometimes, photographing ridiculously good-looking Muni riders is too difficult. From rider Judy, here’s an artful, alternate method of capturing the moment:
I just had to draw this watercolor/sketch of him. There are so many well-dressed people on the 1-California but…jesus. He had a perfect boyish model thing going on. Kudos to all well-dressed/stylish Muni riders!
And kudos to you, boyish model dude; you just got singled out on the beautiful-person’s Muni line!
Between this and @LindapopSF‘s Popup Poems, we’re way into these analog means of expression. Submit your Muni captures — analog and digital — today.
The Best Muni-Themed Wedding Ever? 12.21.11
When Jen F. and her husband Kevin told their friends that they were going to have a Muni-themed wedding, they were ridiculed to no end. I’m sure there were jokes about urine and body odor. But hey, if you’re reading this, you know that Muni is a big part of the life we love in San Francisco. Jen and Kevin really showed off their love for our city with their wedding. Jen tells us how and why they made Muni such a big part of their big day. There was even Muni-shaped chocolate!!!
Muni was a huge aid in our falling in love. It gave us 30-40 minutes a day to talk to each other, which is why I call it fake dating.
On the way home from our engagement weekend we both came up with the idea that our table names could be the name of stops along the 1 route. And from there we decided that we were going to have a Muni-themed wedding.
We took our engagement pictures on Muni. Both of our save the date and wedding invitation stationery were custom-made for us with a Muni theme.
The table names were bus stops on the 1 route between California and Divisadero and Clay and Grant.
We gave our guests bus-shaped chocolate inside a box. On top of the box were Muni Fast Passes.
We even incorporated the Muni logo and graphics on the photobooth photo strips as well as our welcome brochures.
We were really happy how both the stationery and pictures on the bus turned out, and how they worked together. We got a lot of people really excited about our story and really excited about the city.
When I told everyone here in San Francisco that we were having a Muni-themed wedding, I got made fun of, or not taken seriously, and they couldn’t wrap their head around it or even fathom the idea. It was awesome to prove that a dirty, stinky bus (that is often times the bane of our existence) could be really classy and romantic.
Invitation Designer: Jack’s Master Design
Photographer: Quan D. Nguyen
Thanks, Jen! Bask in this couple’s happiness for a while before we return with more Muni stories, hopefully one from you!
I met you on the bus. Will you marry me? 12.09.11
Photo by Hello!Lucky
A few years ago I was waiting to catch the 1-California home from work when I saw a girl with glasses who immediately stood out in my mind. Looking back I have memories of thinking something like, “That’s a girl I could see standing next to me for the rest of my life.” Soon after that I noticed she also rode the same Golden Gate Transit bus I rode to San Rafael for work. Quite a few times we’d stand next to each other waiting for the 1, me trying to appear like I wasn’t paying attention to her. This tandem bus ride schedule went on for a couple weeks, but eventually I stopped seeing her on the bus.
A number of months and a relationship came and went. From time to time I’d wonder what happened to the bus girl. One day she appeared on my Golden Gate Transit bus. We began to smile at each other every now and then, but still we generally acted like we didn’t know the other was there. This game went on for a while, but eventually I decided it was time that I actually said hello to the bus girl. One day I sat down next to her on the bus. In my best I’m-not-trying-to-hit-on-you voice said, “Hi, I’m Cameron. I feel like we should know each other.”
I later learned that for that year and a half of talking about the “bus girl” with my friends, her friends had been calling me “bus boyfriend.” People like to give us a hard time for taking so long to say hello to one another, but we agree that we’re glad it took that long. We both changed a lot in that year and a half, every bit of it getting our personalities in just the right place for when we finally did meet.
Here are more images from his paper-proposal:
Photo by Hello!Lucky
Photo by Hello!Lucky
I’ve run out of ways to say “rad.” Congrats, Cameron and fiancée!
A Muni Miracle on the 1-California 09.27.11
Photo by Neil Kandalgaonkar
Muni rider Kim had a struck of good luck the other day:
Five hours later, having suspended my phone service, been snarkily patronized by an officer of the law, and more or less resigned myself to its loss, I called Muni back and they had found my phone. I met the next 1-California and got it back.
I have to say, Muni rocks, at least in this situation.
Since these days my phone carries a piece of my soul, connects me to the hive, it was a huge relief.
Thank you, Muni people.
Wow, return service and everything. Good to see Muni going above and beyond.
Criminal flatulence on the 1-California 04.20.11
Photo by davitydave
Here’s Muni rider Rachel’s contribution to Cute Week on Muni Diaries:
A typical packed 1-California on a Saturday …
The mom and son are practicing the street names (“What comes after Larkin?”), when the mother suddenly looks at the girl and says, “Who stinks? Is that you who stinks?”
The little boy, squirming in his seat, says, “It was me!” His mom laughs, but tells him sternly, “Well, you need to say excuse me to all the people when you do that.” He says, “Excuse me,” and then, with a worried look on his face asks, “Will they throw me in jail?”
See? Farts can be cute.
Hot on Twitter: Best- and Worst-Dressed Muni Line? 04.06.11
Photo by Kelly Nicolaisen
We’ve featured fashionable Muni riders in the past, including some terrific photos of the fashion tribes of San Francisco. Is your line the best or worst dressed? Tell us about the fashionable people on your bus, or those who might deserve wrath from Joan Rivers.
Violence on Muni, and Reports of Violence on Muni 02.24.11
Photo by Brandon Doran
Just last weekend, Tyler experienced first-hand an altercation on the 1-California. Also over the weekend, a man was punched and robbed on a bus (14? 49?) in the outer Mission.
Stories of violence on Muni can appear and jolt those of us who don’t experience it on an everyday basis. For some riders and some routes, violence is clearly more the norm than the exception. But we’d guess that the vast majority of Muni riders feel safe riding the system. The latest statistics of crime on Muni show that it’s trending downward, clearly a good thing.
So, we wanna know: Do you feel safe riding Muni?
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Post-Chinese Parade Fight on the 1-California 02.20.11
Photo by geekstinkbreath
After having waited more than 20 minutes for the 1-California to show up after the Chinese New Year Parade ended, my girlfriend, her 10-year-old daughter, and I got on the bus (along with others at the stop at Sacramento and Polk). We made our way to the back of the bus and found a kind lady getting out of her seat. Not to give it up, but to get away from a drunk man harassing her. The man then pulled the stop cord for the next stop and got out of his seat.
You could smell the alcohol on his breath from five seats away — one of those riders, you know. I noticed when he got up from his seat that his left fist was clenched. I moved as far against the side seats as I could to avoid him, but I didn’t feel right. I saw him motion his fist toward my girlfriend who was standing in front of her sitting daughter, who was a drummer in the parade hours earlier. I squared myself hoping he was going to just walk past and get off with out incident. He didn’t.
When my girlfriend turned her back to him to look down instinctively at her daughter, the drunk man drew back his fist and lunged it toward the little girl. Without hesitation, I stepped in front of him, taking the punch square on the bone below my left eye. He then fell backwards and tried to lunge again at me. I deflected his advance and he started running backwards trying to escape off the bus.
Who on earth tries to assault a 10-year-old and her mother? I’m sore and have a black eye that I’m nursing with a cold container of mint chocolate chip Breyer’s ice cream.
After the fact, I filed a report with SFPD, but if anyone was there and would contribute their two cents, please do.
Riders, be aware, be alert, and if you are going to be noble, be prepared.
Letting out at Sacramento and Fillmore 01.06.11
Photo by Roshan Vyas
Roshan has this disgusting and far-too-common story to share:
As I got closer, I noticed why no one was standing there: In the middle of the covered shelter area, someone had left a giant pile of poop. This was no dog dropping either. This was human. Everyone was rightly standing outside the shelter and I joined them there.
Checking my phone while waiting for the 1, I noticed the following email from my other half, who had left for work 10 minutes earlier.
Subject: Alert! Poop at muni stop!!!!!
Body: Watch out!Indeed. It was quite the harrowing experience and made for a great story.
As the day went on, questions like “Who would do that?!” and “Who is responsible for cleaning that up?!” came up. Was it the City? Was it a neighborhood association? Was it Marc?
When I got home that night, the pile was gone, but a giant stain remained. Not only that, some of the substance was also left behind as footprints walking away from the pile. Someone had accidentally stepped right in it! How could that happen?! My theory is that it was someone getting off the back of the 1 during the day, who just jumped off the Muni looking forward to getting some Peet’s coffee and maybe a $50 dog bowl at Jonathan Adler.
Little did they know that their day, their summer, was about to be ruined.
That person’s experience is why I now take a moment to look down before jumping off the Muni. If you are waiting behind me, now you know.
You were warned.
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