How a bear bar helped one visitor give SF another chance

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San Francisco can be a tough city to navigate, especially if you’re a visitor who is already having a hard time. In today’s San Francisco Diaries podcast episode, storyteller Baruch Porras-Hernandez shares an exchange that he had with a visitor while working at one of the longest-running gay sex clubs in San Francisco. Upon realizing that the visitor was having some internal struggles, Baruch gives him a list of place of where to find like-minded people in the city. But after Baruch leaves work, the visitor returns to the club and gets some alarming information.

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Baruch is a writer, performer, host, storyteller, and regular KQED community events host based in San Francisco. He is a Lambda Literary Fellow in Poetry and regularly organizes poetry shows in the Bay Area. Follow Baruch on Instagram (@baruchporrashernandez) to get the latest show updates.

Trigger warning: Please note that this story has themes about suicide. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals: 1-800-273-8255.

You, too, can add an entry to our collective journal. San Francisco Diaries is looking for your personal stories about what it means to live here, and what makes our city “so San Francisco.” Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter—or, our email inbox is always open!
Photo by Thomas Hawk

Category: diaries Tags: ,

7 reminders from Muni Diaries Live about why you still love San Francisco

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Last Saturday, 200 Muni riders squeezed into a crowded and hot space (for fun!), and they weren’t even cranky about it (we think). We’re talking about Muni Diaries Live, our fav night of the year where we celebrate the human-to-human moments that happen as we move from point A to point B.

We laughed, we cried (really, there were surprise tears), and our storytellers reminded us why we chose to live here after all. For our 20th show, singer/songwriter Rachel Lark (above) cracked everyone up with songs that so many of us can relate to, including “It’s Hard to be a Feminist and Still Love Dick,” which is still in my head two days later. Check out this version of the song she did with Muni Diaries Live alum Kate Willet.

We opened the show with a special story in poetry form from Alexandria Love, standup comedian and writer from Oakland. True to our San Francisco roots, the poem is an ode to our dear Karl the Fog.

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Category: Funny: Muni LOLs Tags:

‘Squeeze the chicken’: One ingenious solution to broken transit

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Not that chicken.

A tip via reader Marcin W., Jannina Uribe tweeted this ingenious solution to a broken stop request from a bus in Mexico. She reports that the written message translates to: “Bell out of order. Squeeze the chicken.”

Insert any number of chicken/Muni/and choke-the-chicken jokes here.

In the spirit of international cooperation, we occasionally have a look-see at what’s happening on transit around the world, including a most Pride-ready tram in Amsterdam, these dope bus shelters in Austria, and transit etiquette guidelines from Taipei, hometown of Muni Diaries cofounder Eugenia.

Hey, important news: Muni Diaries Live is back this Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Elbo Room, which is closing in Jan! We’re selling out fast so get your tickets right this way.

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs, News, WTF: Weirdness on Muni Tags:

Quick Muni-themed Halloween costume ideas

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muni stroller kwokysan

There’s no limit for transit-obsessed San Franciscans dressing up for Halloween (or just dressing up period). Here at Muni Diaries headquarters, we are in possession of both a Clipper Card and Fast Pass costume, but we’ve seen some pretty fantastic Muni-themed outfits through the years. If you’re still looking for inspiration for Wednesday’s trick-or-treat festivities, here are some ideas:

@kwokysan on Twitter sent over this adorable Muni stroller: He says that Muni is his son’s favorite thing on their walks (Photo by @Chelseavmk.)

muni stroller by chelseavmk

Wonder if this guy tried to scan his Clipper card costume on Muni?


Photo by Octoferret

Shoutout to the paper Fast Pass too:

As much as I might detest couples costumes, we have to make an exception for this Dirty Thirty couple.

wayne
Photo by Wayne Grout

Whatever you do, may we suggest making a grand entrance on Muni this way? Oh by the way, it looks like the SFMTA is actually having a Halloween costume contest this year, featuring a pumpkin carved like a Muni bus. Winners get an “#SFMuni treat bag.”

Wanna share your love-hate relationship with Muni with 200 fellow riders? Muni Diaries Live is back on this Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Elbo Room. Help us give the Elbo Room a proper send-off! Tickets going fast.

Category: Aww: Cute on Muni Tags:

New fare box serves up surprising Muni transfer

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Wait, what? Rider Loren Kraut got this “Jan 1, 1970” time-stamped ticket from one of the new fare boxes just the other day, and we’re paging Marty McFly for an explanation.

Yes, OK, we know it’s the UNIX Epoch (hi, nerds!), but we prefer to think this is a subtle reminder of when you could ride Muni for $0.25 while wearing your polyester bellbottoms.

If you’re curious about what the proof of payment really looked like in 1970, though, we’ve got you covered. If you were really traveling in 1970, you’d get a transfer that looks like the left-most ticket here:

The transfer used in the early 1970s was the Form 2A. This transfer was used from 1950 to about 1972, and should be familiar to many longtime San Franciscans.

Check this post out for more Muni transfer history.

Got more Muni happening to share? Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Our email inbox muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com is always open.

Muni Diaries Live is back on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Elbo Room. Help us give the Elbo Room a proper send-off! Tickets are on sale now.

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs, WTF: Weirdness on Muni Tags:

Strange but adorable cargo: cat tree (with cat!) on the N-Judah

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Muni riders have seen it all, and we can probably all agree that cat on a leash riding Muni is totally normal, and well-behaved felines in a stroller is only slightly weird (if not completely awesome). We’d probably not even bat an eye when we see our furry overlords riding atop someone’s shoulder on Muni. But bringing a full size cat tree on the N-Judah, complete with a kitten on a leash?

We haven’t seen it all!

Behold our best strange cargo discovery yet, courtesy of the Bay City Beacon. Meet the kitten, Gizmo:

Gizmo and Gizmo’s human: our hats (and cat lady sweaters) off to you!

Thanks to rider Steve P. for the tip.

We have lots of cute animals riding Muni, as well as our strange cargo report for you to amuse yourself on this gray Monday.

Muni Diaries Live is back on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Elbo Room. Help us give the Elbo Room a proper send-off! Tickets are on sale now.

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs Tags: , ,
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