Author: eugenia

Eugenia Chien has been eavesdropping on the 47, 49, or 1 lines since the mid-90's. She lives by the adage, "Anything can happen on Muni" (and also, "That's not water.")

Mystery Bus Stop Park

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Empty Bus Stop Park

Flickr user Rick Audet captured this quick guerrilla Muni stop parklet on Castro at Market street over the weekend, right outside the Twin Peaks bar. Here are some folks enjoying it:

Bus Stop Park

Rick said that he saw a photographer across the street set up to snap some photos of the pop-up bus stop park, then the parklet was quickly dismantled. More from Rick:

I don’t know how long it was set up, but it was there for the 15 minutes I spent waiting for the next 24 line. It appeared that the people who posed for the photographer across the street were the same people who drove up to this spot and dismantled the parklet, and then the photographer grabbed his gear, crossed the street and hopped into their vehicle too.

Anybody have any idea about what’s going on here? I’m strangely fascinated.

Category: diaries

Weekend Photos: Look both ways

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Photo by Flickr user Rick Audet

What a wacky week it was for Muni. How’s that different from any other week on Muni? you ask. Here’s how:
– J-Church derails near Dolores Park; no injuries (Muni Diaries)
– 21-Hayes snarled by fallen tree between Steiner and Fillmore (Examiner)
– The F-Market/Wharves: No Tourist Trap (Los Angeles Times)
– Out-of-control, overturned car hits 6-Parnassus on Market Street (SF Appeal)
– Sup. Chiu prepares to reject MTA budget, service cuts (SF Appeal)
– Window-covering ad deal approved for Muni vehicles (Examiner)
– Fare-evasion down on Muni (Streetsblog SF)
– Supervisors, operators, riders call for rejection of MTA budget (Streetsblog SF)

Here at Muni Diaries, we were delighted to help Greg tell the story of Tammy, a lovely 33-Stanyan driver who’s being moved to the 24-Divisadero. Tammy decorated her bus this week, and gave candy to her passengers. Kinda utterly amazing, huh? Thanks, Tammy!

And lastly, sadly, please don’t forget the systemwide Muni service cuts going into effect tomorrow. SFMTA has an explanation of the changes, and 511 and Google are your best bets for actual schedules and predictions.

Have a great weekend! And check back here Monday for more great Muni stories from your fellow riders.

1 California, Chinatown Exodus
Photo by Flickr user Jen_Maiser

no turns
Photo by Flickr user Sharon Hahn Darlin

Thank you for riding
Photo by Flickr user our hero

Category: diaries, News

Love Seats on the Bus

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Love Seat
Photo by Flickr user jovike

Rider Julie pointed us to a post on Copenhagenize.com. Starting this week, more than 100 buses in Copenhagen will have red love seats to encourage flirting. If you’re single and ready to mingle, sit in the love seats and see if magic happens on the bus.

“How about it, Muni?” Julie asks, “I can use some love on the 1AX,” she says.

You and me both, Julie! I absolutely adore the unabashed enthusiasm for flirting — from a transportation firm, of all places.

More from Copenhagenize.com:

The transport firm, Arriva, is following the increasing trend of companies branding themselves as singles-friendly.

Buses on routes 3A, 4A, 150S, 173E and 350S now feature seats that are red, placed next to each other, where according to Arriva flirtacious, sexy glances and cheeky pick-up lines from both sexes are allowed.

“We would like to get people to change their behaviour and flirt and smile more on the bus. Maybe some will find love. Others may just want to try taking the bus because there is a chance to flirt with a good-looking guy”, says Marianne Færch, from Arriva.

Several experts agree that the red seats could very well become the most sought-after on the buses. Single life is no longer a tabboo, it’s an accepted part of modern life.

If these seats were on my line, I think I’d get a kick out of either sitting in them or eavesdropping for some unfortunate pickup lines to unfold …

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs

A Party on the Delayed 33-Stanyan Outbound

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full-bus

NextMuni.com says my bus arrives in 18 minutes and the next one comes in 32 minutes. Next I check it’s 9 minutes and 23. Then the ETA jumps up to 12/18…then 13/16…and finally 4/4. By the time I get to my stop, both buses are pulling in together. Just another typical morning waiting for the 33 in Upper Haight.

I hop on the first one, frustrated that yet again it would have been faster to drive. The bus driver apologizes, saying the two buses that were supposed to be in front of hers aren’t running today. Then she offers me my choice of wrapped candy from a dish by the fare machine and for the first time I actually look around at bus 2442 driven by Tammy.

It’s like a Fourth of July party inside Tammy’s bus. There are red white and blue streamers, balloons, coils that say “happy,” banners and party lanterns hanging from the railings. Large handwritten posters adorn the windows thanking her riders and spouting truths such as “Until Muni realizes that without our passengers there’s no Muni!” and pretty much everyone has a smile on their face.

As I sit in the bus watching new passengers board, I witness a Muni miracle: a sea of frowns turn into big grins as people enter and see what awaits them. I overhear nearly every newcomer commenting on the scene to either Tammy or their fellow straphangers. “How cool is this,” they ponder aloud. “Is this for Mother’s day?” “Is someone retiring?” “I can’t believe I got candy.” Even the woman on her cell phone discussing how her doctor just found a lump in her breast seemed upbeat, enjoying her Tootsie-Roll lollipop with her lips curled up from ear to ear.

Read more

Category: Aww: Cute on Muni Tags: ,

Friendly Crush on Muni

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Muni
Photo by Flickr user Rose Broome

Rider Rose Broome spotted this scene on the L some weeks back:

I’d just gotten on the M line at SF State heading downtown when I saw this group of students playing around sitting on each other (the M line is always packed!). I love the bright colors and the novelty of their muni-seat pile up!

I took it on February 1st 2009 using my Sony Ericsson S500i phone camera.

Thanks, Rose!

Saw something amusing on Muni? Share your slice of life on public transit with us here or in our Flickr pool.

Category: diaries Tags:

‘If Muni were …’

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Choose the face that best describes how you feel about Muni (pain scale by the super awesome Allie at Hyperbole and a Half). We know how rider Steven feels about it. He sent us the following Muni-etry:

If Muni were my brother, I would coldly turn my back and let him reap the fruits of his poor life decisions…

If Muni were a sunny day in SF, it would be a sunny day in the Sunset to say that it wouldn’t be sunny at all…

if Muni were pizza, it would be delivered in a Delfina box but instead of pizza inside it would be a box of hatred and disappointment…

Muni doesn’t trust Steve Poizner or anybody else at all…

Finally, I wanted to feel what it was like so I stole $2 from this guy on the street, then made him prove that I took it…and when he couldn’t right away, I wrote him a ticket and took $75 more bucks from him.

S.M. Williams
J – Inbound 7:23 a.m.
2010

Okay, okay, sometimes it’s actually 🙂, right? We take Muni stories that land anywhere on the reference chart.

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs Tags:
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