Category: Aww: Cute on Muni

We’ve heard stories of people setting out to ride all Muni lines before. Martin brought his son along, which, well, here, I’ll let Martin tell the story.

When he was 4 years old, my son Max was really into Muni. He knew whether all of the buses we frequently rode were electric, biodiesel, or hybrid electric. When we got off the bus, he made me stop and watch it go, so that he could see if there was a spark on the wire, or if the bus “came off the track.” After a preschool trip on the 5-Fulton and 22-Fillmore to the pet store at Potrero Center, he led his nanny there a week later, knowing exactly where to change buses and where to disembark.

I decided that it would be fun for him (and frankly, for me) to take every Muni bus line in the city, in order. Our first day was Sunday, April 13, 2014. We started at Drumm and Clay and took the 1-California some distance up Sacramento, walked over to Post to take the 2-Clement and then the 3-Jackson back toward Market, got on the 5-Fulton heading south on Market until there was a good connection to the 6-Parnassus headed the other way to Third Street, walked down to Third and Mission to take the 8X-Bayshore Express back a stop to Market, where we caught our last bus of the day, the 9-San Bruno. As I expected, Max loved the idea, and it really never got old for him. Read more

What is that you say? Star Wars Day on a year in which a Star Wars movie will premiere? Why yes. Yes!

Let this post, a roundup of all the times Star Wars has intersected our Muni universe, serve as homage to the entire franchise.

(above) May the N-Judah be with you
Photo Diary: Staging Star Wars on Muni
Star Wars box on Muni
Chewbacca is concerned about your Muni etiquette
Boba Fett on Muni Metro
It’s a trap!

Photo via 7×7

I’ve always loved how urban kids seem to have a unique worldview. This week, a San Francisco mom wrote about what taking Muni alone has done for her 11-year-old daughter. From SFGate:

After my daughter started taking San Francisco’s Muni train alone last summer at age 11 (and four months to be exact), I noticed a change in her step. As she walked down the hill from our house to the J stop, she moved her legs methodically and with determination. That floppy childish gait and tendency to meander along the sidewalk, stopping to pick up the random leaf or odd trinket, was gone. She was now walking in a straight line and held her head high.

The writer goes on to say that the “independent sojourns through the city gave [her] daughter a new confidence and she was suddenly tuned into her surroundings. She first learned to look both ways before crossing the street at age 3, but now she was actually doing it because she’d become fully responsible for her own well-being.” When growing up in San Francisco means learning your ABCs from Muni, it’s super cool to hear about how kids gain their air of confidence from experiences like the ones Muni has in store for us all.

P.S. Parents had lots to say about Muni when we surveyed them for helpful tips for kids riding the bus, from toddlers (tip: be polite like this apologetic dad) to teenagers (tip: get a cellphone and don’t do this). Got more tips and stories? We want to know!

Join us at Muni Diaries Live on Saturday, April 18, for a night of true, hilarious, weird, and sweet stories that can only happen on Muni! Grab a ticket and we’ll see you there!

Photo by tedd4u