Girl Fight on Muni! 10.04.11
On my way home with six bags of grocery and tea in my hands, I witnessed one of the most epic fights in my five years of riding Muni: two teenage girls, a small one who had her child in one of those baby baskets, and a very, very large one, decided that they were gonna beef right there and then. It was ripe with human drama.
First, there was a hero – the skinny girl’s baby daddy who kept pleading for everyone to be sensible and to do the right thing, out of respect for him, the passengers, and the baby. It was one of the most level-headed, noblest efforts – nobler, dare I say, than most of the protests going on around the country right now. But they fell on deaf ears.
The skinny girl was determined, between saying “bitch” a lot, she said things like “it’s war,” “I don’t give a fuck if the police came,” and all the other signifiers, demonstrating her willingness to escalate. The fat girl had every trick down. She knew when to get in her face, when to back up, when to claim her battle, when to walk off the bus, as if walking away, when to come back onto the bus, when to pretend to laugh, and the most impressive of all – she had like a 2011 version of the Angry Mother technique – in which she’d clap her large hands with every taunting syllable, really driving that hostility home.
And I really have to say, Bus 14 kept it classy – people of different ages and stripes really did their best to de-escalate.
Predictably, there was a rumble. The ladies could finally get the baby daddy outta the way in the streets. Every classy person on the bus got up to watch. There was even an one-legged man with crutches saying “shit, I’m getting up for THIS.” And the girls were sufficiently entertaining, but then, Divinity stepped in (for better or for worse), and our collective mornings was made when…
The fat girl began yanking the smaller mama’s shirt. And people were collectively confused when they first sighted nudity – ’cause no one expected that so early in the day under such circumstances – it was entirely gratuitous, because really, we were not greedy people, and a small girl vs. fat girl fight was enough.
But no, they kept going – the fat girl ripped the shirt completely off of the smaller baby mama. At this point there was no debate, you could no longer turn to your neighbor and say “Dude, I thought I saw–” and have him say “Nah, that was in your sick head.”
NO, the small girl was now completely topless, in the rain, punching a fat girl.
And, like every such a moment, it got sad immediately, when the decent dreaded man proclaimed to the bus driver, “All right, you can drive now, they’re off the bus.”
So yeah, I’ve got a ton of groceries and tea, stop by for dinner sometime.
‘Handicapped’ rider etiquette 07.27.11
Image: davitydave
From Muni rider and Giftly Marketing Director Nish:
Sometimes, the unlikeliest of seat angels (on a 14-Mission, no less), will back you up when no one else will.
A reminder to be kind to your “handicapped” rider pals, dawgs.
Kirk Read on Muni: Humanity and Criminality 06.15.11
I missed my preferred mode of Muni transportation, which I think it’s the only dignified way to ride Muni: the underground. Riding above ground you’re just open to all manners of humanity and criminality and indecency, really. I missed that, so I was left with a double bus on Mission — the 14. Exactly. So I step into my carriage…I went to the back of the bus because that’s where the most interesting people are. So that’s where I sit, in solidarity with the interesting people.
On this night there was nobody in the back of the bus, so I sit down. Then I hear this rustling and I look down, and there is this little pile of fabric squirming on the floor. What is going on?! It took a minute and I realize it’s this little woman who was rubbing against everything, all up on the windows. It’s like when you’re on ecstasy and you really let yourself go. She’s not touching me because she has some manners. But she’s like touching the air, and I’m fascinated, and I’m just like, YES! I’m just gonna sit here and behold.
Watch the video to find out what happened in the rest of Kirk’s story.
Got a story of humanity, criminality, or indecency on the bus? You know where to send it.
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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Look Who’s Got Hero Complex on the 14 11.15.10
You may know Isaac Fitzgerald as the managing editor of The Rumpus, but what you may not know is that he’s got a little hero complex, which got him into a … situation on the 14-Mission. He told the story at Muni Diaries Live a few weeks ago at the Make-Out Room, and we invite you to enjoy his tale in this video.
So, what is the best seat on the bus? 11.11.10
Photo by Genista
Michelle Olson is a journalism student at SFSU. She set out to find opinions on where to sit on Muni. Here’s what she found.
I traveled with many other passengers down Mission Street to Daly City, and then back again. On the way there, I traveled in a single-car bus, and it was clear that there was one seat that was always taken, even when the bus wasn’t full. It was the front-facing seats with their back to the back doors, the only ones like it on the bus. I was going to call this seat The Popular Seat, but then I found out it was Scott’s favorite seat too. Scott is a rider who prefers to sit there, and he said he called it “My Seat.” He likes that less people crowd around the seat, and enjoys the added leg room, plus it’s facing forward. For now, let’s say this is Scott’s Seat.
Photo by Michelle Olson
One thing I noticed is that people don’t like sitting in the seats that face backwards or that face each other. I call these seats The Social Network – you can get close, but not too close. Here a group of four could happily interact, but this didn’t seem like something Muni riders want to do because these seats were usually vacant even when the bus was full.
A woman named Marsha sat next to me in the back, one row back from right across the second set of doors. She likes to sit near the backdoor so she doesn’t disturb people when she’s getting off the bus. It’s a seat she calls The Edge.
When I got to the end of the line on Daly City, I met Maria at the bus stop. She prefers the front for its lack of people and noise. I call these seats the Library Seats. Shhhhh.. be quiet, you’re in the front of the bus.
On the way back, I was on an articulated bus, with its special seats in the the middle that I call I’m Not Here For The View.
Photo by Michelle Olson
Getting back on the bus, the single seats filled up first. You can only find these seats on articulated buses, and it is yet another sign that commuters don’t like to be social with strangers. Muni rider Miguel denies the anti-social implication of these seats, though. He said he sits there to leave the front seats for seniors and families. Plus, this seat allows him to look out the window and is close to the back door.
Photo by Michelle Olson
And you know those people who always go to the very back of the bus, no matter what? Van, a Muni rider, prefers those seats. He likes the view and the air circulation back there. He said he also prefers to leave the front seats for families and elderly people.
Followers of Muni Diaries on Twitter shared their feelings on where the best seats are on Muni trains and buses.
- @cripsahoy “I get on the 2nd car inner handicapped seat. It’s nearest to the escalator.”
- @WillieFDiazSF “The best seat is not any MUNI seat, its your own bicycle seat… it’s cleaner and faster.”
- @suzdal “I love the window seat with the little divider thingy closest to the center doors. Easier to get to, often available.”
- @SFcab271 “I like the rear of F line cars, with the big open windows. Great on a hot day, or to be a rebel and sneak a cig.”
While it may just be a tan plastic seat on the bus, it is a place where a rider will be spending time. So next time you board Muni, treat yourself to that window seat with extra leg room. Meals and peanuts might cost you extra, but the entertainment is free.
Rocking Muni for the Giants 11.02.10
Video by Amber Wolf of Wiz Bang Photography
Watch the 33-Stanyan wade through the thicket of toilet paper and Giants fans in the Castro in the video above.
Fans in the Marina atop a 30-Stockton (photo by @jcsnotes):
More fans in the Marina took over the 2-Clement (photo by SHUN [iamtekn]:
I got a couple of pictures of guys hopping on top of a soon-to-be-stranded 14-Mission, on Mission Street, in (you guessed it) the Mission:
Amy grabbed this short video of that same 14-Mission:
Ariel has a shot of the 22-Fillmore stuck in the Mission:
Giants fans on Muni were burning up Twitter last night too:
“Some guy stepping off the L announced GIANTS 3-0!! Driver repeated it over the PA. No reaction from riders. Me: Really? Giants!” @wallbounce
“people are sitting on 30s here on Chestnut. First Clipper now this. Anarchy!! Let’s go Giants clap x5″ @jcsnotes
“28 driver now leading @SFGiants cheer.” @dalbizo
“I’ve never experienced anything like last night in SF after the win… I just remember running through cloudy MUNI buses #SFGiants” @cementone
Indeed. Indeed.
Congrats to the 2010 San Francisco Giants!
Srsly, why the Clipper card readers by the rear doors? 07.20.10
Photo by Troy Holden
Beth is surely onto something here. Muni buses have the readers in the back, but the agency requires us to board buses in the front (Muni Metro LRVs and F-Market streetcars are different). We called to get a better idea of when, if ever, Muni will do the smart thing and enact back-door boarding. We’ll let you know what they say. Meantime, here’s Beth’s diary …
My family and I visited Zurich not that long ago, where I learned quite a bit about things that make public transit work well, one of which is letting people board at the back or the front, whichever’s quicker. This works well there because a) they pay before they board, and b) the fine for not having your proof of payment on you is something upwards of $300. So there aren’t a lot of fare evaders.
Today, I boarded a 14 going north on Mission. I started to get on at the back doors and a fare inspector waved me to the front. I showed him my Translink card and he shook his head, saying no, I can’t board in the back. Clearly he wasn’t getting the picture.
I said, “I can tag in right there. It’ll be a lot quicker.” I pointed at the transponder.
It was like a light bulb went on over his head. He nodded and let me get on.
Really, I shouldn’t have to explain to a Muni employee how this works. Right?
I get that Muni has problems with fare evasion. If you’re not going to encourage Translink users — which is going to be all of us, pretty soon — to use the transponders at the back of the bus, then why are they even there? Card users could board at the back while cash fares could board at the front. It would be SO much quicker. On-time rates would improve.
Oh well. It’s rare that there’s a fare inspector on the bus, so I’ll keep tagging in at the back whenever I can.
Photo diary: Indiana Jones on the 14-Mission 06.30.10
Rider Steve spotted the action hero/archeologist/heartthrob/same-scar-as-Han Solo-havin’ on the 14-Mission … We’re wondering whether Indy cracked his whip to get that bus movin’.
Mormons in the Mission via Muni 04.23.10
Photo by Thomas Hawk
Ed. note: Okay, lately in the land of Muni news, things really suck, for Muni, for the victims and their friends and family, maybe for you… But we’re a story-telling site after all, and we received this charming story from Muni rider Daishin on Wednesday just before the tragic accident at Mission and Beale. It perfectly encapsulates why the show here must go on. See for yourself.
Occasionally I’m forced to take the 14 into La Mission. The last time I did this BART was having problems from Powell Station to 24th Street so I hopped a 14. At the second stop at Mission and 8th Street a gaggle of Mormon Missionaries boarded the bus. They were fresh-faced boys looking a little out of place with their dark suits, white shirts and ties. They were a little noisy for Mormon kids, laughing and poking each other. Three lovely transgendered ladies dressed to the nines got onto the bus right behind them. For a second I was concerned that maybe there would be some altercation between the two groups, being that the Mormons had just put so much support behind Proposition 8. But instead the trannies plopped themselves down in the middle of the Mormon boys, and started talking with them. Soon the level of the conversation was quite loud and humorous. They were exchanging ipod tunes lists, discussing fashion and make-up secrets. The trannies got off at 16th and Mission said goodbye and hugged all the Mormon boys.
I have to say it was one of the most interesting interactions I’ve experienced on Muni. I guess this is what people mean when they say there’s a lot of diversity in San Francisco.
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