The 38-Geary Fairy Princess 09.02.10
Photo by squant
She and her Mom had been getting on the 38 at Ft Myley/VA Hospital for three or four days. She had been visiting her grandfather. She was probably 4 or 5 years old. Dressed in her best fairy princess outfit with the wings and the tiara. She carried her wand with the star on top.
She was quiet those first few days when she saw us. Us with our canes, walkers, and wheelchairs. The last day I saw her, she was excited and bright eyed. She told us she had helped cure her grandfather with her wand. She then went around to each of us and gave us a light tap on the head. I don’t know about the others, but I felt very much better for quite awhile.
Fun with Fare Inspectors on the 38 08.24.10
Photo by atacklamb
Saturday night Sam (who will be posting reviews of the hotel bars we went to) and I headed downtown for an evening of drinking in hotel lobbies. Trust me, it was both more and less glamorous than you can imagine.
We caught a mostly empty 38 at 6th Ave. and settled in to seats towards the back.
At 3rd Ave., a pair of fare inspectors got on and made their way through the bus, checking people’s Fast Passes, Clipper cards and transfers.
A woman sitting two rows ahead of us did not have any proof of payment. The female fare inspector sat down nearby and told her to go ahead and keep looking for her transfer, and if she couldn’t find it she would get a ticket. It was sweet of her to give the woman a chance. Also, these inspectors were polite and friendly. We liked them immediately.
The male fare inspector moved to the back of the bus, where he kept an eye on the back door.
We watched the inspectors, watched the fare evader woman rifle through her bags over and over again.
At Fillmore the female inspector started to write up the woman’s ticket. She explained how the woman could appeal the ticket if she found her transfer. The woman had some questions, all of which were answered by the inspector.
We got to talking with her. She was very chatty and gave us some tips on how to make sure we don’t get busted for fare evasion:
Tip 1- Always keep your receipt from purchase of a Fast Pass or Clipper refill. In a pinch, the receipt is good proof that you did indeed pay for your pass.
Tip 2- If your Clipper card gets lost or stolen, report it immediately and have it canceled, otherwise someone else can use the Fast Pass or funds on the card.
Her tips were good, common sense really, but I appreciated them anyway.
Our bus approached the Van Ness stop.
A man was standing next to a tree, facing us.
“Is he peeing?” asked the female fare inspector.
He was, of course. Standing next to a spindly tree, a few feet from an idling cab, this guy was taking his sweet time. And we all were treated (punished?) with a full frontal view.
“This is like the third time this week I’ve seen guys doing that in public,” I told Sam.
The female inspector started laughing, and pointing, and even rapped on the window.
Well, you didn’t think we’d give away the ending (it’s not that kind), did you? Mosey over to Fog City Notes to read the rest of the story and find out what else they saw.
Surprise Box on the 38-Geary, Saturday Night 08.11.10
Saturday nights are designed for a fun night out with friends. You got to sleep in that morning and you don’t have work the next day. It’s party time! The only thing that can put a damper on this fun night out is the ride home on Muni, especially if you live out by Ocean Beach. During the regular commute hours the 38-Geary is filled with silent workers on their favorite smartphone, headphones in, of course! But once night falls this grand ‘ol bus turns into a circus filled with college clowns, drunken acrobats (a.k.a. drunks girls in heels falling all over themselves), and freak shows (bums who think they are god).
I’ve spent many a drunken night on the always-a-madhouse 38, but I like to keep to myself and just watch the action around me. This most recent Saturday evening I found myself in my normal position of inebriation on the back of the bus, but this particular night was a special one. No crazies? Am I on the right bus? Luckily I was, so I thought to myself, “I guess I should be the crazy one!”
I suddenly shouted out, “I’m hungry!!!”
This is the part where beautiful music started, a bright light descended onto the palms of my hands, and an angel came to my hunger pangs. The man next to me, wearing a full chef’s outfit (which I didn’t notice before my hunger declaration), placed a white box in my hands and said “Here ya go, young one.”
Ok, maybe it didn’t go exactly like that. He placed the box in my hands and headed toward the exit without a word. I opened the box to find every cookie and yummy pastry known to man! As my angel chef walked off the bus, I yelled “I love you!!!” and he looked back with a smile. I shared my gift from heaven with the not-so-inebriated and quiet people around me. It was the most joyous bus ride of my life, and I will never forget it. Mostly because I’m surprised I woke up the next morning. Those things could have been poisoned! My mom told me never to take treats from a stranger and I failed her. My mom and I thank you, nice Muni chef man, for not killing me.
Are those cupcakes and Mexican wedding cookies in the box? Casi, you lucky you! Got another story of random wonderful strange encounter on Muni? I bet you do.
One Big Pride Party on Muni 06.29.10
Photo by Flickr user SFBart
My Sunday afternoon started with a total Muni fail — waiting for the 47 for half an hour and inching along Van Ness at the speed of walking. But most people seemed to be in a pretty good mood. When I finally got off of the 47 and hopped on the 14L, a girl with a little cross tattooed below her eye ran for the bus and sat next to me, catching her breath. She complimented me on my dress and then started fishing around in her purse. “You want one of these?”
It was this free “Pride Parade Survival Pack” that had little packs of antiacid, Advil, mints, a moist towelette, and sone Band-Aids in it. Totally sweet.
Later in the afternoon, I hopped on a crowded 38-Geary. Two young guys jumped on the bus, one wearing a name tag that said, “Bottom,” and the other guy wearing a button that says…yeah, obviously. I took out my Blackberry to check the time (neurotic habit), and Bottom excitedly says, “Hey, can I scan your barcode? Do you BBM?” I had no idea what he was talking about. “Blackberry Messenger, duh!” The two passengers next to me spent the next five minutes talking about Blackberry Messenger and whether it can scan a barcode tattoo.
If only every day could be this convivial — without the slow-as-molasses traffic.
Muni Shell Game in the News, Again 06.15.10
A gang of thieves has been running a three-cup shuffle game to strong-arm Muni passengers of their money. Sound familiar? The reports just keep coming in. Back in March, rider Adam sent us an account of the shell game con he saw the 24. A few weeks later we got a video of the con. Last night, ABC7 aired another video of the shell game in action.
The scam itself isn’t new, but the intimidation factor and targeting non-touristy bus lines make this seem more menacing than before.
A rider wrote us after seeing the segment and told us she’s seen this game before. You won’t believe when she first witnessed this, though.
(more…)
Tagger nabbed on the 38-Geary 06.01.10
Photo by Troy Holden
Muni rider Talia has the following news to share:
I hate taggers and their cocky attitudes and uncreative scrawls and stinky pens that give me headaches. This 38 driver took immediate action.
An excerpt from the Richmond district police blotter posted on the Richmond blog:
On 05/20/10 at 9:50pm an officer was in his patrol car at 6th Ave and Geary. The driver of a 38 Geary Muni began to wave at the officer and flash the vehicle’s headlights. The officer entered the bus and the driver told him that there were several young adults seated in the back that were “tagging” the bus with graffiti. The officer walked towards the back and the driver pointed out the 20 year old suspect. There was fresh graffiti on the ceiling and interior walls of the bus. The suspect was charged with vandalism and possession of a narcotic.
Photo Diary: 38-Geary Reimagined 05.13.10
Photo by Shaun Roberts
I found this photo of the 38-Geary by photographer Shaun Roberts by chance on Flickr. The man in the foreground looks very Jason Bourne to me, very me-against-the-world, alone in the big city kind of thing. Or maybe I’m just projecting…you decide.
Got great photos of Muni? Send it our way and join our Flickr pool.
Obit-lettes: 18-46th Avenue and 38-Geary Ocean Beach Branch 12.03.09
Photo by Akit
After the earlier posting of “Obit-lettes,” we received this one from Muni rider Akit:
It’s sad to say goodbye to San Francisco’s old friend, the 38-Geary Ocean Beach Branch. The little segment from 33rd Avenue to LaPlaya helps to serve the community businesses on Balboa, and provides frequent service for anyone who needs to connect with the 1-California for service to Chinatown and the Sutter Health hospitals in Laurel Village.
But with a loss comes another hero, the 18-46th Avenue to cover the route of the 38-Geary Ocean Beach branch. The realization is that anyone on Balboa who needs to get to Geary must depend on this bus line that only gives 20 minute frequencies, and a missing bus can make it up to 40 minutes. At least the 38-Geary Ocean Beach branch was a little more frequent.
But the sacrifice the 18-46th Avenue has to make will cost riders their access to great views along the route that serves the Cliff House, Pt. Lobos Avenue, and Geary Blvd. But it’s not just the regular riders, this route was popular with the people with large amounts of groceries from Safeway “at the Beach” and lives on Geary/Pt. Lobos between 48th and 33rd Avenues.
These huge changes could have been simply resolved by removing the Fort Miley route of the 38-Geary and having a shuttle van supplied by VA Hospital or a paratransit van cover the one block segment to Pt. Lobos/Geary for an easy transfer to a 38L or 18 bus.
Thanks Muni, you’ve just added an extra 20 minutes on my 30 minute commute.
See? It’s never too late to memorialize a dying Muni route or portion thereof. Share your memories today.
iPhone thefts on Muni becoming way too common 11.23.09
Photo by Flickr user Jamison
Ed. note: This is seriously the umpteenth time I’ve heard what amounts to the same story: at least two thuggy teenagers coordinate holding the back door open while the other(s) prey upon the (usually female) victim, who is texting or using the web on her iPhone, in a seat or standing by the back door. As this storyteller/witness, Mari, says: Be vigilant, and report the crimes. Also, if you can, please attend Supervisor Bevan Dufty’s hearing at City Hall at 11 a.m. this morning. The a propos topic: Muni safety. (If anyone live-tweets or liveblogs the hearing, let us know. The Twitter hashtag is #municrimehearing.)
Friday night, November 20th, I was riding the 38 Geary outbound and at the Webster stop I suddenly heard a woman shout, “Hey! Hey!” A kid (teen) had grabbed her iPhone and jumped off the bus. The woman and other passengers jumped off bus, too and to chase the culprit. Because she had gotten off the bus and left the scene, our driver couldn’t call police.
As bus continued, I heard witnesses talking, and realized I had seen the teens (approximately 13 to 15 years old) on the bus (in fact they were the only individuals under twenty on the bus). One looked very agitated and I almost thought he was concerned about missing his stop—he kept looking for someone behind him on the crowded bus. When he got up I took his seat. Then the iPhone was stolen. Others on bus talked about how the kids had been watching the victim and using non-verbal communication, had coordinated the robbery.
Saturday night, November 21st, I was again riding the 38 Geary outbound, also around the same time of night (around 10pm) that I rode it the previous night. I saw 2 teens board the bus around Van Ness, and I thought I recognized them from the night before, but wasn’t absolutely positive as this night one wore a low baseball cap and the other wore a hoodie with the hood up around his face. I watched them sitting at the back of the bus. As we got to Laguna one of them stood near the door and I saw him nod. Then a third person, in his 20s (per the victim) grabbed a woman’s iPhone and ran off the bus.
The culprits jumped off the bus. This time the victim stayed on the bus. I went up to the bus driver to tell him of the robbery and that it had happened last night and that I believed the 2 teens from the previous night were involved.
In fact, here’s the M.O.: an accomplice waits by the exit door, keeps it open so that as everyone exits the bus the robber can wait until the exit is clear of people then snatch the phone and get away. Both nights they targeted women and both women were not on the phone talking, but rather texting or surfing the web—which makes it easier to take the phone away with force.
The driver called the police and the victim, her family, and I all gave a description of what happened and who we thought were involved.
Please spread the word.
iPhone users beware. Especially on 38 Geary bus.
If you have an iPhone, be sure to register it online so that Police can track it. You must already have it registered for them to be able to track it in a situation like this.
Check out this link to learn more about registering your iPhone: http://www.apple.com/webapps/utilities/freeitracklostandfoundregistry.html
Muni Art for Supervisor Eric Mar 09.21.09
We had an inkling that Muni art can be really cool, and it turns out that Supervisor Eric Mar thought so too. The Richmond district supervisor recently commissioned artist Leslie Henslee, owner of Frankenartmart, to make a sculpture of the 38 Geary. She used materials from the ‘hood like Ocean Beach sand, Golden Gate Park parts, and Richmond haunts to make the sculpture:
Pretty awesome that she’s sourced these local materials! See more pictures of the Heslee’s 38-Geary or go to Frankenart’s website to find out more about her projects.
Thanks to rider Joey for the tip!
