Category: News

Finishing off week two of sheltering in place, we’ve gathered some fun stories from Muni Diaries Live alums for this weekend. The weather forecast predicts rain, and we hope these podcasts give you a little reprieve, and if you are able, please do support these storytellers and projects.

Learn more about San Francisco history with Shaping San Francisco. The good folks behind Shaping San Francisco are putting their walking and biking tours on pause, but you can enjoy being an armchair historian by listening to their free public talks at home. Topics range from “hidden San Francisco” to “Valencia Street as a Lesbian Corridor: Living Memories” and more.

How to support: Become a patron at Shaping San Francisco’s Patreon page.

Enjoy comedic podcasts hosted by reigning Muni Haiku champion Wonder Dave: Mental Health Comedy Hour and Nerd Rage: the Great Debate. Wonder Dave has reigned supreme with his 5-7-5 rhymes, but when he’s not writing public transit poems (which he really just does twice a year), he’s hosting some very funny, and very nerdy podcasts. Tune in to those podcasts to debate timeless topics like, “Which female superhero reigns supreme in the world of DC comics?”

How to support: Become a patron on Wonder Dave’s Patreon page.

An ode to Muni and BART operators who are working every day to get people from one essential task to another: listen to Kurt Schwartzmann’s story at Muni Diaries Live. Kurt told this story last summer about how Muni drivers provided him the only refuge when he was living on the street.

We’ll keep the stories coming here on MuniDiaries.com and on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Photo by @mwichary.

When German writer Sara Weber tweeted about her mom’s interesting way of knitting scarves, she probably never imagined it would set the internets ablaze. But take it from us—people love talking about transit and transit delays. Apparently, they love when both are captured as creatively as this.

Weber tweeted about her mom’s knit pattern based on train delay times:

“My mother is a Munich-area commuter and enthusiastic knitter. In 2018 she knitted a “train delay scarf.” Two rows per day: gray for less than 5 minutes, pink for 5 to 30 minutes delay, red for a delay on both trips, or once more than 30 minutes.”

Weber’s mom channeled her public transit frustrations into a knit pattern in the style of a temperature blanket. You can see that, in the spring, things were pretty OK given the gray and blue stripes, but in the summer, railway replacement traffic caused massive delays in Germany, which gave the scarf its wide swath of red. Thanks to fellow yarn enthusiast Shannon Okey, who translated Weber’s tweet, we found out what happened next.

The scarf went viral on social media in Germany, and the women decided to auction it off for charity on eBay. According to The Guardian, the scarf fetched more than $8,000. Guess who emerged victorious? Germany’s biggest rail company, whose delays have earned the ire of many commuters—including the knitting mom.

Isn’t it ironic…don’t you think?

Can you imagine if Muni bid on and bought your handmade scarf illustrating bus delay frustration? Thanks to Muni Diaries friend @edcasey for discovering this super relatable transit rider story.

Got your own story, whether it happened on or off the bus? We’re all ears! Submit a tip or a story via email at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com, or tag us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @munidiaries.

Nothing boosts your SF cred (or at least sparks conversation with a n00b) like an ode to the dearly departed Muni Fast Pass. Fellow San Franciscans, no matter the cut of your jib, head on over to our Black Friday sale in the Muni Diaries Etsy shop, where everything is 20% off!

You’ll find tote bags, tees, baby onesies, and Muni Diaries 10th anniversary posters designed by local graphic designer Craig Fowler.

Aren’t the posters sweet?

Thanks, as always, for supporting our project. Here’s what we’re most thankful for this year at Muni Diaries HQ.