Steve Pepple sounds off on the BMW experience in San Francisco

Many of us didn’t give city transit a passing thought before we actually had a stake in the game as real-life commuters/fans/foes. In this episode, Steve Pepple reminds us that a passion for the shared experience of public transportation can start even in the most unlikely places.

Sharp-eared listeners may also remember him from a previous episode of this podcast, in which he regaled us with a tale of the time he accidentally wandered into a secret furry party while looking for the bathroom at a cafe. But he’s got all kinds of other stuff going on: Steve is on the board of San Francisco Transit Riders, a rider-supported group for world-class transit in San Francisco. And he’s a designer at OpenGov, where he works toward making cities more livable, whether he’s working on a budget or a bus.

Listen to Steve’s entire story in today’s podcast:
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Is your own story burning a hole in your brain? Want to share an unexpected conversation with a stranger that stuck with you? We are all ears at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Pic by Right Angle Images

Why talking to a stranger on Muni isn’t always a bad idea

Always terrible with his sense of direction, comedian Tirumari Jothi takes the K instead of the M, and suddenly finds himself at Balboa Park station at 1 a.m. A conversation with a stranger helps him find his way back home to Park Merced, but not before the chat involved topics he never thought he’d hear.

Tirumari has been performing comedy for six years, with stand-up as his first love, but he also loves improv and sketch acting . You can find him either performing with the geeky comedy group he co-founded, Komedio Comedy, or acting on stage with Killing My Lobster (find him at Sketchfest 2018). You can find him on Twitter @tirumari.

Listen to Tirumari’s story here:
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Got other important news for your fellow riders? Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Our email inbox muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com is always open!

Photo by Right Angle Images

When your Muni driver starts giving you life advice

How many times have you gotten stuck in the tunnel with nothing to do but stare at your shoes? One Muni driver took the opportunity to chat up her riders with some life advice, and one of her riders actually took some notes to share with the rest of us.

Rider Anna (@annapickard on Twitter) reports, “A Muni driver just made my day. She was talking all the way through the tunnel we were stuck in with life advice. So I started writing it down.”

Amongst the driver’s #realtalk: Read more

Meet Irene Tu, Muni celebrity

Comedian Irene Tu was a Muni celebrity last year and turned her friends into last-minute paparazzo to chase that fame. As it were, chasing fame isn’t easy when your vehicle is a Muni bus.

Irene is a Chicago-born, San Francisco-based stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. In 2017, the San Francisco Chronicle singled her out as an “artist on the brink of fame,” on the heels of being named one of the “Bay Area’s 11 Best Stand Up Comedians” (SFist) and one of 20 “Women to Watch” (KQED). Irene hosts several popular shows in the Bay Area: Man Haters, The Mission Position, and Millennials Ruin Everything (they do). You can follow her @irene_tu and find her on irenetu.com.

If you enjoyed the Muni Diaries podcast, please share our podcast and rate it in iTunes so people can find it!

Listen to her story here:
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If you like what you’ve heard on the Muni Diaries podcast, please share our podcast and rate it on iTunes so other people can find it too!

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Your super local, very SF Cyber Monday guide

Once upon a time, an evil retail overlord made up the term “Cyber Monday.” But fret not, as these local shops are our chance to save the planet from big box boredom. We picked some of our favorite San Francisco makers for your holiday gifting (or treat yo’self) needs.

Our first pick is the addictive Bacon Crack, pictured above, from chocolatier Nosh This. Its secret super power? Flaky butter-toffee made with Zoe’s Meats’ Applewood-smoked bacon, toasted organic Kashiwase Farms almonds, Gilt Edge Creamery butter, all enrobed in chocolate. I’m a big fan of the balsamic vinegar salted caramel too.

Nosh This Bacon Crack, $15.

Mash up your love for Stranger Things and your city in one shirt:
Avenue Dry Good‘s “Sucka Free” tee does just that. If you’re at Avenue Dry Goods IRL (in the Sunset on Irving and 42nd Avenue), don’t forget to say hi to store’s proprietor, Eve Batey, who also served at the helm of beloved SFist (RIP) for many years.

Avenue Dry Goods Sucka Free tee, $40
Free shipping for orders over $50

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Bay Area storytelling all stars rally for benefit show

Want to see your favorite Muni Diaries Live alum perform all in one show? In just a few weeks, you’ll get to do exactly that at the book benefit show for storyteller Joyce Lee. Many of you might know Joyce from Oakland’s Tourettes Without Regrets, NPR’s Snap Judgment, and of course, at our own Muni Diaries Live.

We first fell in love with her storytelling at Tourettes when she performed the poem, Mad Love (one memorable line: “I’m only as. crazy as my love is and my love check your Facebook every fucking day”). Here she is at Muni Diaries Live with a story of how her very strict mom takes on Muni.

Joyce’s husband unexpectedly passed away earlier this year, and the storytelling community is showing up in a big way: by getting together for a benefit show, cohosted by Tourrettes’ ringmaster Jamie DeWolf, celebrating Joyce and the release of her first book. All storytellers will donate proceeds directly to Joyce. The lineup has many familiar names and promises to be a great evening:

“My Soul is a Witness”: A night of performances celebrating Joyce Lee

Tickets
7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8
Skyhigh Odditorium
1255 26th Street, between Poplar and Union Streets near Peralta St.
Oakland, CA

 

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