Category: reflection

This Only Happens to Muni-Riding Book Lovers

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Photo by Steve Rhodes

While stumbling on Tumblr I found this great anecdote of connection from one book lover to the other, from It’s More Than Pillowtalk.

I was engulfed in Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eyes” when an older gentleman sat down next to me. From the corner of my eyes, I could see him glancing in my direction. At some point, he takes off his headphones to read past my shoulder. Somewhat afraid, I turn my book in the opposite direction. Being on the 14 Mission, you never know who’s crazy enough to act out.

When I close my book to gaze out the window, he takes off his headphones again and points at the cover. With a sweet spanish accent, he asks me what year did the book receive a Nobel Prize. Unsure, I open the book to find out. As I do so, he admiringly starts pouring out some of the greatest writers of all time. Shakespeare, Emily Bronte, Don Quixote, along with Spanish writers and stories that I wish I could ask him more about.

When I ask him if he’s read Paulo Coelho’s “The Alchemist,” he sadly shakes his head to tell me no. This older gentleman experienced a stroke 4 years ago that has created problems for him when he reads.

Read the rest of the story on It’s More Than Pillowtalk.

Books, public transit, stories…everything we love here at Muni Diaries. If you’re a local book geek, you should check out People Reading in Public Places and Between the Lines.

Got your own Muni story to share? Tell me.

Category: diaries, reflection Tags:

It’s in the Stars on Muni

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Photo: Confetti

In which an Aries tells it like it is (or like it should be) to a Leo on Muni. Color me initially skeptical, because “…it’s just that you have some really nice feet” rarely turns out well on the bus. @meganjelene sent this our way on the Twittersphere:

…”You’d be good with a Taurus guy.”

“Really? That’s crazy, both my parents are Taurus’ and they are the most stubborn people I know (well, other than me). I don’t think I’ve ever dated a Taurus.”

“Yeah,  Taurus or Sagittarius — another fire sign — ’cause they’d keep you entertained and going out to check out new things…” He then told me he was an Aries (another fire sign), although he didn’t recommend I’d be good with an Aries. 😉

His stop was before mine and he wished me a good night before pausing and deciding to ask me my name. I introduced myself and he told me his name was Lawrence and shook my hand. Along with his name, Lawrence gave me laughter, inspiration, the desire to look inward and a silly smirk I can’t wipe off my face.

Click here to read the whole story.

So it goes: do we put mean face on or should we let it be and see what happens? This balance-seeking Libra wrestles with that question every time she gets on a 49. Either way, we always tell people about the guy we met on Muni, as crushworthy or cringe as he may be. Tell us about your guy or gal on Muni today.

Category: diaries, reflection

Heater on Muni: Hell Yes or Hell No

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Photo: CarbonNYC

Q. Who loves talking about (complaining about) the weather?

A. San Franciscans (myself included).

Remember when it started to get cold before it got warm again? In that not-so-distant past, I put up an important poll on our Muni Diaries Facebook Page:

Heater blasting on Muni is:

a) Like winning the transit lottery on these chilly days. I love it.
b) Like stewing in armpit stench. Hate hate hate.
c) Indifferent.

There were a couple votes for A. As rider Elizabeth said, “Heat is always a win as far as I’m concerned. Would rather smell some body odors than be cold.” A couple others, including rider Faern, said it depends on the type of bus. Faern cited the 22, which…OK, we can stop right there.

Still, B won by a pretty wide margin amid concerns over the B.O. hot-box. Oh, and the fact that it’s allegedly not that cold (what about the wind?! THE WIND!?) in San Francisco. I’ll be out completing my Christmas Story look, then.

Wouldn’t you know it, some recent tweets to @munidiaries side with our B voters. @missmarymary says, “Sweatiest commute ever. Dear muni, rain =/= cold,” while @janepfrank reports it reaching a million degrees on her 38-Geary.

So, which is it, A, B, or C? This is very important, you guys.

Category: diaries, reflection, WTF: Weirdness on Muni Tags: ,

Speak Softly, Carry a Horn on Muni

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Muni rider Sarah took this one. I love how quiet it is; I always (easily) forget how peaceful it can be on the bus.

…unless the guy at the very front honks the horn affixed to his cane. Per Sarah:

Hard to tell from afar, but there’s a squeaky horn on the end of that old man’s cane. I wonder if he uses it like a car horn, when people are walking too slowly in front of him, or to tell his wife to hurry up because he’s waiting outside.

It would certainly come in handy on Muni, let’s not kid ourselves here. Bravo, cane-horn guy. Few people can pull this off, but I think he does it well.

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs, Photos, reflection

Photo Diary: My Parents on Muni

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My Parents
Photo by Alfredo M.

Reader Alfredo M. shared this old photo of his parents on Muni:

The people in the photo are my parents, Alfredo and Maria. The photo was taken in the Mission district in 1987. I asked my parents about it some months ago and was actually surprised to hear that the photo was taken the day they found out they were going to have a baby. The baby was me, their first born. By the look on my dad’s face, I’d say they were really happy.

Category: diaries, reflection

Streetcar Avengers Fighting Crime and Missed Runs

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Art by San Francisco-based artist Julian Lozos. Check out his Kickstartr page (goal met!) for more on his calendar project.

Delightfully historic and equipped with standout palettes and style, F-Market/Wharves streetcars rock in many ways. Local artist Julian Lozos took the cars’ unique qualities a step further: into the realm of superheroes. Bernalwood and Market Street Railway recently featured these anthropomorphic superheroes (see Market Street Railway’s detailed description of the superhero streetcars).

Pretty cool. It’s like choosing which of the X-Men you’d want on your side in a fight (JEAN GREY).

I pick #130 for its deadly combo of style and substance. MSR says it was part of a commission to expand service for the Pan-Pacific International Exposition: the event that brought us the Palace of Fine Arts and showed off a rebuilt — on landfill, but still — post-1906-earthquake San Francisco. Plus, it’s done a tour of duty on almost every streetcar line.

My favorite-favorite F coaches, though, have to be the PCC cars. Smoothest, cushiest ride in town if you time it right (PSST not around 9 a.m. or 5 p.m.).

Meander over to Bernalwood to see more local-landmark superheroes.

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