Author: Kat Siegal

Meaghan and Ronald Mitchell on the people’s railway (and its people)

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Meaghan Mitchell returned to the Muni Diaries stage at our “Thank You, Driver” show with a loving tribute to her dad, 35-year Muni veteran Ronald Mitchell. She shares what it was like being raised by a Muni driver in ’90s San Francisco, and what makes Muni more than a transit agency—and then invites Ronald to join her on stage.

Meaghan and Ronald remind us that our Muni operators are human, that they have families, and that they’re on the front lines of our city’s biggest challenges every day. And they ask us to keep on loving and riding Muni: as Ronald says, “There’s nothing like the Municipal Railway.”

Listen to Meaghan and Ronald here:

Muni Diaries Live is back on April 10th! Join us at The Wayfinding Show for more true stories about the ups and downs of life on Muni. Snag your tickets today!

Photos by Emily Huston

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs

Rory O’Neill to the Rescue

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Getting stuck on a dark, stalled Muni train is every rider’s worst nightmare. But what’s it like being one of the mechanics with the daunting task of getting that train and its frustrated riders moving again? 

Rory O’Neill understands both sides of that coin. He spent many years working as a mechanic on the mobile response unit and the emergency response unit for Muni’s light rail fleet—and he’s also an every-day Muni rider.

Now the supervisor of the Maintenance Training Department, Rory joined us at Muni Diaries Live and gave us a glimpse into the oft-overlooked world of Muni’s vehicle mechanics and maintenance workers. Rory reminds us just how many people get us where we need to go every day, whether we see them or not. “In the end, that’s what we do, right? We move people.”

Listen to Rory’s story here:

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of our true stories from everyday bus riders! Have a Muni story you’d like to share? Email us your pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Photo by Emily Huston

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs

Where the 6 takes you: How Kristee Ono met her hero

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Kristee Ono loves the 6 Haight-Parnassus and, like many of us who frequent a particular Muni line, she knows her fellow riders well — even though they’re technically strangers. One fellow passenger always stood out: a mysterious artist, impeccably dressed, conspicuously kind.

She had no idea he was local transit icon and fellow Muni Diaries storyteller Kurt Schwartzmann. But when she shared a Haiku about him at our November 2023 show, we knew immediately:

Who are you
Man with an easel and an eye patch?
Where does the 6 take you?

Kristee returned to the Muni Diaries Live stage in April to share the heartwarming story of what followed, and how she and Kurt went from strangers on the bus to cherished friends. You can listen to it here:

Have a Muni story you’d like to share? Email us your pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Photo by Emily Huston

Category: Muni Diaries Live

Night of Ideas part 1: Everyday heroes on the bus

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This is the first part in a series showcasing short Muni stories we collected from attendees at the Night of Ideas at the San Francisco Public Library on March 2, 2024. This batch of stories focuses on everyday heroes on the bus: situations where a small gesture or act of kindness by a transit rider or operator turned a tense situation around, made someone feel seen or appreciated, or just brightened their day.

Listen to the stories here:

We were struck by how many of these stories featured Muni operators being the hero in seemingly small ways that meant a lot to the storyteller. It’s a good reminder that not only do our operators work a demanding job and get us where we need to go, but so often they go above and beyond in keeping folks feeling safe or brightening people’s day.

We hope to see you this Thursday, April 4 at Muni Diaries Live: The “Thank You, Driver” Show, which will feature even more stories by and about the transit workers who keep us rolling. And remember to always thank your operator!

Category: diaries, reflection Tags:

Katy Birnbaum on the power of streets to divide or connect us

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Where most people see a desolate street, Katy Birnbaum sees a celebration and the regeneration of community waiting to happen. But it didn’t start out that way. Katy grew up in a car-dependent suburb where the streets isolated her and her family. In this story from our November 2023 live show, Katy shares how moving to San Francisco transformed her relationship to streets, how Muni connected her to the things most important to her, and how she decided to give back.

Listen to Katy’s story here:

Katy is the founder of Into The Streets, a San Francisco-based cultural production studio dedicated to bringing people together in the streets. Katy previously led the open streets department at the nonprofit Livable City, revamping the Sunday Streets SF program and stewarding it for 7 years. For more about Katy’s work check out www.intothestreetssf.com.

Have a Muni story you’d to share? Email us your pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Photo by Emily Huston

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs

Once upon a Muni train with Baruch Porras-Hernandez

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It’s not every day you’re swept off your feet by a handsome stranger on the subway. But when Baruch Porras-Hernandez rides Muni, anything can happen. We were thrilled to have Baruch back on the Muni Diaries Live stage in November with the story of a fleeting romance from his past, and the unexpected turn it takes.

Listen to Baruch’s story here:

Baruch is a writer, performer, and standup comedian who’s done storytelling shows all over California. He’s won the Moth in LA, headlined at About Last Night, is a three-time winner of Best of Bawdy, and won first place at Oakland’s Story Showdown. You can hear more stories from Baruch on the Muni Diaries podcast in Episode 43 and Episode 70. And don’t miss Baruch in SF Sketchfest at Cobb’s on January 19th and Brava Cabaret on January 20th!

Have a Muni story you’d to share? Email us your pitch at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Photo by Emily Huston

Category: Funny: Muni LOLs
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