Photo Diary: Young Muni Rider
Photo by Flickr user davitydave
How can someone so young look so wistful? I hope he’s just lamenting the dearth of chocolate chip cookies at snack time today in kindergarten.
‘Poker Face’ Sing-Along on F-Market
Photo by Flickr user The Holy Hand Granade
“And baby when it’s love, if it’s not rough, it isn’t fun.” We flippin’ love it when random strangers start singing together on Muni.
This funny experience happened to me and a group of friends on the eve of Valentine’s Day. We were on the F Market streetcar at Fisherman’s Wharf and the streetcar was very crowded. My friends were from the East Bay and have never experienced Muni life, but this streetcar ride made it very interesting.
A man in the back of the train was very loud and kept saying random things, like “KEEP YOUR BAGS AND WALLETS CLOSE TO YOU.” I thought, “Oh God, not one of these rides again.” But my friends were actually having a good time, enjoying his loudness.
The train was moving slowly out of the Wharf area and the man in the back of the streetcar started singing parts of a song. Well, he was combining two of Lady Gaga’s songs, “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face,” and it was only a small section of the songs. My friends and I couldn’t stop laughing, nor could the other passengers.
Suddenly, my friends started singing “Poker Face” from the beginning. I joined in and then more passengers joined our choir group. The song ended when the man in the back totally killed the song by singing that small section out loud and off-key. Things were going pretty okay until the man walked over to the front of the streetcar. By now he was being really loud, announcing that “I believe in Satan” and started to get closer to me.
My friends seemed a little freaked out, but soon it was our stop, and we got out of that streetcar quick. This was an experience that we would never forget.
P-p-p-poker face p-p-poker face…Got another Muni story to share? Do it here.
Photo Diary: Layers of People on the Bus
Photo by Flickr user davitydave
I’ve been staring at this picture for the last 20 minutes now and can’t make out how the young woman ended up in such an odd and surreal way in this photograph. I need more coffee, maybe?
TransLink Becomes Clipper Today
Photo by Agent Akit
Heads up: Translink is changing its name to Clipper today. SF Appeal and Akit have more deets. If you don’t have the card yet, check out these times and locations to get a free card. If you already have a TransLink card, you’re all set — your card should still work, says SFMTA. You can still add value to your TransLink card all the same. More questions? Here’s the Clipper FAQ page.
Have you had any trouble using your TransLink card since the transition? Comment away, please.
What Happens When a Chicagoan Gets on Muni
So how does a little culture clash between tough-as-nails Chicago and nice-as-pie San Francisco go down on Muni? Zore told us all about it at the the Muni Diaries Story Tent at Secession Art and Design last Friday. Check out another story we got that night and the wacky Muni Mad-Libs from the Outbound show.
Muni Shell Game in the News, Again
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.
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