Muni Warrior crowned for 22-day challenge victory

22_day_final_results

The results are in, folks. Castro-area supervisor Scott Wiener blew away the competition from his fellow boardmembers in SF Transit Riders Union’s 22-Day Muni Challenge. It wasn’t even close.

Besting his nearest competitor by a whopping 41 rides aboard a Muni vehicle, Wiener takes the gold. Supervisor John Avalos, who represents many southwestern neighborhoods, tallied 65 rides. And Mission/Bernal supe David Campos came in third, with 52.

SFTRU challenged all boardmembers and the mayor to honor 1993’s voter-approved Proposition AA, which stated: “City officials and full-time employees [shall] travel to and from work on public transit at least twice a week.” Wiener’s rate of riding was closer to 35 times a week, but who’s counting?

And because we know you wanna read what Scott Wiener had to say (no, really), you can read what Scott Wiener had to say here.

To celebrate the completion of the challenge, SFTRU is hosting a party tonight at Mr. Smith’s. Here are the details:

Closing Celebration for 22-Day Muni Challenge
Let’s celebrate this inaugural campaign! Awards and raffle prizes and rubbing elbows with City Officials. Join us!
6:00 PM : WEDNESDAY JUNE 24 — AT MR. SMITH’S
Facebook Event page

And while we have your attention, if you want to help change Muni for the better, there are no better people to hook up with than SFTRU. Check out their site and get involved. Or just keep bitchin’. Either way.

Whee! New UCSF rooms let kids imagine they’re riding a cable car

UCSF

Getting an MRI, which scans the body to help detect medical problems or diseases, can be a claustrophobic experience. Or as friend of Muni Diaries Erich puts it “it’s like getting stuffed inside a toilet paper tube”—with thumps.

To make the experience more pleasant—for kids in particular—the new UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay has created MRI suites with different Bay Area themes that feature murals, music, sound effects, and even images projected on the inside of the machine. Our favorite, for obvious reasons, simulates a cable car ride, letting kids imagine they are zipping down a big hill.

Making kids feel more comfortable can eliminate the need for sedation or anesthesia, according to a UCSF article that explains more about the MRI suites.

Pretty cool, we think, but it does beg the question: Who’d have ever thought public transit could calm somebody down?

Did your defining San Francisco experience happen on Muni?

If you’re a transplant, do you remember what defined your San Francisco experience? Muni rider Jesse James moved to San Francisco from smalltown Thousand Oaks to attend SF State, sight unseen. And the Powell Street Muni Station and the M-Ocean View line were the settings of his defining urban moment.

“I had a family connection to a little Italian restaurant downtown called Buca di Beppo. I quickly obtained a host job and my life consisted of me going to school during the day, boarding the M train, taking the M to the Powell Street station. There was nothing more beautiful to me at that point than coming up the escalator at the Powell Street Station, and the Virgin Records megastore was glimmering in the summer sun. It was just such a symbol of darling urban life in the most suburban lens of urban life. Read more

Peak douche reached on BART?

BART_douche

I mean, you tell me. Can it get worse than THIS GUY?

Ronn Vigh, comedian, Muni Diaries Live veteran, and reigning Muni Haiku champ, brought this to our attention.

“Hey buddy, they got rid of all the bacteria soaked seats on BART. You didn’t need to bring your own!”

Don’t tell him. He’s busy pointing out for all to see just who and what is so awsum about him.

Indoor Tennis at the Powell Street Station

I think of Muni as our public living room, but public gym? This dude is taking the concept to the next level in a little indoor tennis action here. We found this video via Nick Josefowitz, who happens to also be on the BART board of directors. He says, “I thought I’d seen all there was to see at a @SFBART station. Then I saw this guy play tennis at Powell.”

Meet Sneakers, the Muni-riding corgi with the owl backpack

sneakers the corgi muni

As if your sunny Sunday can’t get any better, here’s a little more happiness for you. Meet Sneakers, the Muni-riding corgi! He can typically be found wearing an owl backpack or pink Godzilla suit, doing very San Francisco things like partying at City Hall, frolicking in the fog, or, of course, waiting for the bus. Sneakers is in good company with the rest of the cute animals riding Muni.

Sneakers’ social media handler informs me that he is on Instagram @sneakersthecorgi. I think I might have even ran into Sneakers at the City Hall party, but I think he was a bit busy saying hi to fans. Next time, my little friend.

1 124 125 126 127 128 800