For Valentine’s Day: A Dating Site Just for N-Judah Riders

3804721762_f17e1cc1fb_z

Some people call tomorrow “Valentine’s Day,” but I really prefer Single Awareness Day, Whiskeyful, or Black Saturday. Whatever you call it, you have 24 hours to either walk slowly and determinedly into the ocean, smother someone with a pillow at Justin Herman Plaza, load up on Franzia, or find that soulmate you met on the N-Judah.

That’s where WeMetOnTheN comes in. Alex Lee built a dating site just for N-Judah riders (talk about hyperlocal!). Alex got the idea, appropriately, during a ride on the N: “It was maybe a Thursday or Friday evening, where I saw a guy sit down and introduce himself to a girl. Bold move. And that just made me think. There must be a lot of people who want to introduce themselves to someone they find interesting or attractive, but it’s just too painfully awkward. Or crowded. It is the N, after all.”

So, N-Judah riders, don’t say we never do anything nice for you! And for the singletons on the rest of the Muni lines: relax, dating season starts Sunday, when you’ll be spared from awkwardness for another 364 days!

Photo by Lawrence Pan

New Danish bus ad will blow your mind

The Danes have done it again in this high-production advertisement about how awesome it is to ride the bus. Yes, the bus!

Danish bus company Midttrafik created this Cannes-worthy video ad to celebrate the everyday bus passenger. He’s way cooler than everyone realized: his New York hairstyle and outlet sneakers literally will blow your panties off! Next time you get on Muni, don’t forget that you are totally and absolutely cool, too.

This ad is a sequel to Midttraffik’s Ecstasy Bus ad, which celebrates the “fantastic life” found on the bus. We highly recommend watching it again.

Dad: Sorry my son puked on you on Muni

j-church

Say what you will about kids and their parents on public transit, this story might change your mind. Muni rider Nicolas wrote us this public apology:

Fellow J riders:

I’m so sorry. My 4-year old son projectile vomited on some of you at about 8:30 on February 3. We were inbound into Van Ness station, me standing, him on my left arm. No, I don’t normally hold 40-lb people but, as you heard, he was whining so I picked him up to comfort him and also to make your ride less unpleasant. You’re welcome. But I guess whining “I’m not going to make it” didn’t mean what I thought it meant.

The doors were seconds away from opening when he coughed. Well…it seemed like a cough. But there was stealth vomit behind the cough. The brunt of it landed on me (glasses, cheek, shirt, jacket, bag). If normal, it would have dribbled onto only me, but being the projectile variety, you folks within 2 feet got sprayed. I’m sorry.

I wish I could have apologized more but the doors were open by the time it landed.

But I did have a moment to look around to assess the damage.

I noticed you, Nicely Dressed Work Guy, sitting next to us with splatters of partially digested Eggo pancakes on your thighs. You smiled and said, “It’s okay. It’s okay.” Not polite but real genuine like maybe you’d been down this road before. Are you a dad? Just a nice guy? If you are not a dad, you should be. You’ve got the patience and sense of humor for it. Adopt or impregnate someone ASAP. Maybe we can be references for you on your Ok Cupid profile? (I’ve been married forever. Do people still use Ok Cupid? Either way, let us know. We will make you look good with prospects. We’d offer to vouch in person, but you probably don’t trust us now.)

I don’t know what I would have done if we had more time with you, victims of vomit. Offer to pay for dry cleaning? Buy you a drink? My son’s name is Seiji. He is good at making Ninja Turtle masks out of tin foil. Maybe you’d like some? If you see us again, let us know.

Until then, sorry,
Seiji’s Dad

On behalf of Muni Diaries, Seiji’s dad, we forgive you.

Photo by Transit Nerds

OMG, this one time, a nice Muni ride happened on a Monday

2-Clement

For every case of the Mondays (and there are many around here judging by the @munidiaries Twitter feed), there are less-manic commutes on everyone’s least-favorite day of the week. Muni rider Shoshannah proves as much with a fun driver and lessons of the life, Russian- and Spanish-language varieties.

A Muni ride memorable for its friendly interactions, not its surliness? It must be Bizarro Monday!

I was reverse-commuting to an appointment on a 2 Clement headed outbound, so it wasn’t a[s] crowded (which probably helped the mood). There was a driver-in-training behind the wheel and his supervisor/coach was a driver I recognized from last year. (He had been incredibly patient assisting an elderly passenger on the same route.) I took a seat towards the back but with everyone lost in their silent, solo Monday world  it was easy to hear the supervising driver’s interactions with regular passengers as they came on.

First was an older Russian woman with whom he traded English-Russian-Spanish lessons. (“How do you say ‘No good!”?) Soon after that a mother and her little boy, about seven years old, got on the bus. He greeted them right away and started up a conversation with the boy.  Here are some choice gems from the conversation (paraphrased as well as I can remember them).

“You’re going to be a politician some day…No, that’s a good thing!”
“When you’re mayor of this town, make sure you remember me.”

And my favorite:

“When girls want to know your first name, what they’re really interested in is your last name. So stay away from girls!”

I’m sure this was all over the head of this first-grader but it sure was hilarious for those of us without earbuds.

I got some ribbing recently for looking at my phone (for a minute, I swear) instead of my happiest-hour date, but it’s true: There are way nicer things to see, hear, and touch right in front of us—which you can share after your time in the 3D world.

Photo by Lynn Friedman

1 39 40 41 42 43 181