Photo Diary: Riding Muni Toasted
File this under “Strange Muni Cargo,” along with a bar chair, Christmas tree, and a balloon circus. No biggie.
What other strange cargo have you seen on the bus? We can’t get enough of them!
Search Results for: strange cargo
Balloon Circus on the 49
A couple of days ago I posted about weird cargo on Muni, and Muni Diaries readers don’t disappoint! Commenters reported seeing a bed (headboard included), 8′ weather stripping, a sitar, and a walnut veneer speaker.
Today we received a short video clip from rider Mathieu, who spotted a lady carrying a whole zoo of balloon animals on the 49. Wonder where she’s going…
Thanks, Mathieu!
Got photos or videos of strange cargo or other happenings on the bus? You know where to send it.
Late-night Muni always provides
Over on the Muni Diaries Twitter wire, readers tipped us to Michael’s late-night N-Judah Muni tale, which he captured in his Flickr account. Oh, how we miss the after hours “Temporary Autonomous Zone” on Muni, where you never know who you’ll meet or what will happen.
It was just after closing time at the bar, and two groups of skaters got on the bus along with a host of other characters. Somehow, different strangers on the bus offer our narrator drugs, booze, and a surprisingly thoughtful detail for both. Here’s Michael’s story:
Read moreBoth of my preferred seats are occupied so I’m sitting in the last row + middle seat. There’s Junkie Guy to my left who is sitting in the corner seat and has turned the seat between us into his living room where all of his worldly possessions are spread out as he frantically rearranges his living space. A bunch of skaters in their 20s get on and sit in front of me and one of them starts playing a country western type song on his phone and they all start singing along to lyrics that are all about a love song to cocaine.
Junkie Guy instantly looks up and starts asking if any of the skaters have cocaine and they’re all, “No, it’s just a song.” Then they further explained that the guy singing on the phone does not have any cocaine to share either. Sorry, Junkie Guy, false alarm.
Then another group of skaters with a case of beer get on the back of the bus. They recognize the first group of skaters and start talking about their night. I get the impression that their paths crossed earlier in the day and now they are crossing again on the Night Owl on the way home.
I really like those moments where everyone’s story comes full circle and these different storylines converge, like the end of Dazed & Confused. I also like getting to know all of my neighbors that keep the same hours that I do but are part of different scenes.
Here we all are, the disco queens, the punk rockers, the junkies, the preppies, it’s the 2AM Breakfast Club. This is where we all End Up. All the people that did not feel like paying money to take an Uber home in a timely fashion, all on the crazy train headed off into The Sunset, all in the No Man’s Land Temporary Autonomous Zone / wretched hive of scum and villainy that is the back of the bus.
A Muni streetcar cat’s secrets to life
To help get us over the hump of hump day, let’s take a page out of streetcar cat’s book, shall we?
Firstly, seize any opportunity to mix and mingle with nice people. Oh, and remain anchored for safety on a moving vehicle, especially if that vehicle is Muni.
Secondly, lean in to life’s simple pleasures. You deserve it.
Thirdly, pay your fair share. Streetcar cat sees you trying to sneak in the back.
h/t friscolala on Instagram; thanks for sharing!
We’ve had a punk cat, a cat that brought their own damn cat tree and snacks on the Metro—shoot, even the bus itself turned into a cat once (kind of). Got important news (CATS COUNT) for your fellow riders? Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Our email inbox, muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com, is always open!
The San Francisco we’re thankful for
This year we celebrated 10 years of telling your Muni tales, and one whole year of sharing more San Francisco stories that happen off the bus. Your stories have a way of reminding everyone why San Francisco is still alright after all.
Because of you, our listeners, readers, and supporters, we hosted two of our local bookstore heroes in studio: Alan Beatts of Borderlands Books and Pete Mulvihill of Green Apple Books (look out for his episode in the coming weeks!) And we got Peter Hartlaub and Heather Knight in front of a live audience to preview their epic, around-the-world-in-one-day-style trip on Muni.
Because more than 4,000 of you submitted stories to us every day for the last 10 years, we were able to celebrate our 10th birthday exactly how we wanted: with a packed room filled with friendly faces—shouts out to our artist and photographer friends who, until then, we had never met in real life but came bearing birthday presents of Muni art and photos. We even learned from the door staff at Elbo Room that some of you insisted on paying for your ticket even as someone donated their extra. These kindnesses are not lost on us even in the busy shuffle of show night.
This year, we’re so, so thankful for those of you that took out your wallets and supported us on Patreon: we know it’s expensive to live here, and your willingness to help us keep the lights on (and replace those microphone cables that the cats chewed up) is appreciated.
We were able to have one more evening at the Elbo Room, where Nuala Sawyer shared a story of one small moment that made a big difference—encapsulating why we do what we do.
And let’s not kid ourselves: because of you, all of our Muni rides are a little better, or at least a little funnier. Without this comMUNIty, we wouldn’t know that the trending hashtag for the N is #NJudas, and the correct way to haul your new cat tree is on an LRV, with a kitten on a leash eating out of a little bowl perched on said cat tree (true story).
So, from the Muni Diaries headquarters, thank you for sharing, riding, listening, reading, and contributing in your own way to life in the best city in the world.
Photo by @gurpreetz
A new-new BART seat appears on trains
This chair was content simply holding a backpack, unlike the chair on Muni where sat a gifted crooner. Or, like the swivel chair we saw on Muni that time. Or, for that matter, all the different chairs on Bay Area public transit.
But I guess sometimes, you just can’t bear to leave your office chair at the office.
h/t Capp Street Crap