Your place to share stories on and off the bus.
Yes, you read that right.
Back in March 1967, the outcry of Sunset residents was loud and serious enough that Muni rerouted Haight Street buses around the growing scourge that was the Haight-Ashbury district.
The Chronicle’s Peter Hartlaub (he of this week’s Muni Diaries Podcast) unearthed his paper’s March 29, 1967 edition. There, sharing the front page with JFK’s widow, Jackie Kennedy, was the story by Mel Wax:
Back in 2014, journalist Peter Hartlaub took the stage at Muni Diaries Live to talk about the now-defunct 77X-Candlestick Express, a.k.a., the Muni Booze Cruise. That story is featured in this week’s podcast, and for that reason, we reached out to Peter to see if he had any “episode extras” he could send us. Boy, were we (and now, you!) in for a treat.
Here’s what Peter sent us:
Hello, Muni Diaries friends,
An update since my Muni Diaries tribute to the 77X Candlestick Express:
After the Muni Diary, I ended up going to the last game at Candlestick Park with my dad Phil Hartlaub, sister Toni Kam and aunt Susan Leal. I thought that would be my closure, but I was assigned to cover the last big event at the ‘Stick, Paul McCartney’s concert. I had seats on the field, but snuck up to Upper Box Section 32, and convinced an usher to let me sit in my family seats one more time – even though they were roped off. I listened to “Live and Let Die” and “Hey Jude,” then left.
Our Candlestick seats sit in my parents’ backyard. I’ve already retained a lawyer for the legal fight for them that will ensue between me and my sister when my parents are gone.
I haven’t traveled on a Muni Van Ness line since.
Wow. I love everything about this!!! (I’m willing to overlook the football parts.)
Thanks, Peter!
Lately, I’ve been inspired by today’s young people. One example: After all the gloom of last Friday, I went to see a high school play all about protest. It was incredibly uplifting to see these kids getting passionate and active about whatever cause inspires them.
Later that day, we got a submission from Stella, a self-proclaimed 8th grader. “Hi. I have commuted to James Lick Middle School on the 48 for 3 years. This is a short story I wrote about a fictional middle schooler riding the bus.” The theme of awesome youngsters continues for me.
Here is Stella’s story. More of this, please!
“48” (PDF)
Tfw it's raining so hard outside it's actually raining inside your @sfmta_muni bus 😐😐😐😐 pic.twitter.com/y0K18cjHwv
— Josh Wilburne 🤷♂️ (@joshlikesdesign) January 19, 2017
With all the water falling from the sky (a good thing!) lately and the goings on in our nation’s capital today, methinks this GIF of rain inside a Muni bus is just about perfect …
Who loves shiny new Muni Metro trains … that arrived last week to begin track testing? Who’s a good dog?
h/t @JamisonSF, via @DiscoWieser
2017 is shaping up to be a killer sequel to 2016 … literally.
ABC 7 reports that the body of a woman found dead on a Muni bus in Daly City likely died of meningitis.
Laura Kimberly Robson, 53, of San Francisco died last Tuesday and while medical officials wait for test results, they’ve told her family the likely cause of death was meningitis.
Robson’s family says they were told a bus driver found her sitting upright in a rear seat at the end of a line in Daly City.
They do not know how long she had been on the bus or when she passed away, but Muni immediately called Daly City police.
Read the rest of the story on ABC 7.
Scary stuff. Stay safe out there!
Photo by Paul Sullivan