Muni with Ambiance

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I don’t know about you, but my mood is easily influenced by my surroundings. Examples of bad ambiance that puts a damper on my mood: unflattering fluorescent lighting, questionable aromas, uncomfortable seating…sounds a little like our favorite transit system, huh? Well, looks like I’m not the only one wishing for a little something extra from our buses. Rider Casgal wrote to ask: “What do you think about a test bus with softer lighting? Still well-lit, but more rosy, maybe people would ease up a bit. Virgin airlines uses color to make flights more enjoyable, maybe better lighting could help our city buses?”

Brilliant idea, Casgal. I am thinking a bus that harkens back to the days of the Orient Express: soft amber glow of gas lamps, plush velvet overstuffed seats with a couple of down throw pillows). And just for fun, a dining car (the original Orient Express dining car offered oyster and chocolate cake). Hmm. One can only dream.

Better lighting, a softer mood, comfortable seats…the folks at Improv Everywhere had the same idea and turned a subway car in Prague into a living room.

Category: diaries, reflection Tags:

iPhone thefts, other crimes on Muni

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iPhone on muni on my way to the Apple Store
Photo by Flickr user Steve Rhodes

We were reminded yesterday via Twitter that there seems to be an increasing number of iPhone and other smartphones being stolen from people on Muni trains and buses.

Here’s maryspecht‘s tweet:

@munidiaries have you noticed uptick in phone robberies on Muni? Mine was stolen last night & ppl tell me it’s been happening lots recently.

That jogged our memories of this story, on SF Appeal in mid-September, about the arrest of two young men for allegedly stealing cellphones on Muni.

Today, the Examiner online has a story about the city and SFPD’s eagerly awaited new measures meant to combat Muni-specific crimes, including the violent sort. The post discusses how crime has remained steady in the transit system, while ticking down for the rest of the city over the first half of the year.

Be careful out there. And always reports crimes when they happen.

Category: News

Hacky Sack at Lake Merritt Station

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Riders Matt and Dawn told me that they have separately both seen a group of Chinese people playing Hacky Sack inside the Lake Merritt BART station. Hacky Sack? Inside the station?

A little sleuthing unearthed this video:

The poster on YouTube reports that this was actually a Chinese game called jianzi, what some would say is the “original hacky sack.” But unlike hacky sack, jianzi is played with a shuttlecock (yeah, I had to look up that one too). I actually saw this game played when I was a kid. But why inside the BART station? I wonder if it’s some kind of a pick-up game.

Anybody got more information on this bit of morning fun at the Lake Merritt station?

p.s. This is not to be confused with the footbag practice held by the Chaos Footbag Club at Lake Merritt – the lake, not the BART station, according to Jack H. at Chaos. Jack asserts that his sport (like “volleyball with your feet”) is also way cool.

Category: BART, reflection Tags:

A Match Made On BART

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Lisa_Nick2

Riders Nick and Lisa were generous enough to share with us the story of how they met…on BART! They were BART commuters who, conveniently (dear readers, you will see the importance of this fact later in the story), parked their cars at the station.

The story goes:

Nick and Lisa both rode the BART train to work everyday. Too shy to say hello or even smile, they continued for months quietly admiring each other without a peep.

Nick told a few close friends about the “BART girl,” while Lisa decided to keep everything about the “BART boy” a secret.

Then one day, as Nick was heading down the escalator, Lisa happened to be walking up the adjoining staircase. Lisa decided to casually look up to catch a glimpse. She found Nick looking back at her with the cutest smile on his face.

Blushing, Lisa smiled back.

After this brief encounter, however, their schedules seemed to conflict, and they did not see each other for several weeks.

Lisa proposed to herself a bold plan sure to capture Nick’s attention. She decided to leave an anonymous note on Nick’s car that read, “YOU ARE A CUTIE. HI.” Simple. Honest. Bold but not scary. She wrote a note and took a chance.

Two days later, as Lisa was walking to her car at the BART station, she noticed Nick sitting in his car. He smiled. He waved. He took off. Lisa got to her car and discovered a note on HER car that read, “No, I think YOU’RE the Cutie. And TAG, You’re IT. 219-0398. Nick. P.S. And if this is the wrong car, please disregard.”

Nick waited patiently for a call from Lisa, hoping she was the one who put the note on his car, and not some crazy stalker.

The conversation lasted four hours that first night. After an amazing first date, a lick of approval from Pixel [the dog], and a wonderful two-year relationship replete with secretly stashed love notes, Nick surprised Lisa by proposing to her on July 8th, their two-year anniversary.

Lisa and Nick got married in August, 2005. They shared the story above in their wedding invitation.

All together now. “Aww! (Sigh!)” More happy BART stories? We heart it ever so much.

Category: BART, reflection
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