Muni Tales from Andrew Lam
Andrew will be reading from his new book, East Eats West, at the Book Passage in the Ferry building in San Francisco on Dec. 7, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
From the Great Muni Shelter: One bus, one book
Photo by Tenderblog
Here’s one:
“One rainy night I was on my way home on the N-Judah. The train was nearly empty and I was reading Fahreinheit 451. A young man came and sat next to me, which I thought was strange as there were plenty of open seats. He asked me what I was reading and said that he didn’t read a lot but remembered that he liked this book when he was a kid. He said he didn’t have much money for books. So I gave him my book and told him to enjoy it — and to give it to someone else when he was done. He agreed and then it was my stop so I got off and went home.” – Julie
Come to Julie’s closing night party tomorrow, Tuesday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and find out who gets to take the bus shelter home. SOMArts is located at 934 Brannan Street. And don’t forget: voting ends at midnight tonight! Vote here, unless you already have.
The Holidays Are Here for SF Streetcars
First Day in SF
Photo by Tenderblog
“On my first week in San Francisco, I took the Muni F line from downtown Market Street toward the Castro. I was inside the Italian car — the one that’s made completely out of wood. There was no sitting space so I stood in the back by the “bay window,” and damn, everything was so beautiful and people were smiling. I thought that I had just moved to heaven.
p.s. I don’t believe in any dieties.”
– Haiete
We also have cartoons that you can caption (see above) from Michael Capozzola, who draws “Surveillance Caricatures” in the San Francisco Chronicle’s 96 Hours section. Another story:
“I was sitting on line 9 next to this handsome young man. For the next 15 minutes I was trying to make a compliment of his style. However, we didn’t make any eye contact. In the last minute before I get off the bus, I typed [on my phone], “You’re very good looking. Have a nice day!” with a friendly smile I show my message in front of his face and got off the bus. My heart was singing. How difficult to compliment someone!”
– June.
Tuesday, Nov. 30, is the only day left to see the exhibit, with Julie Michelle’s photos, art by Chris Rusak, and last year’s Lost Landscapes from Rick Prelinger. Closing reception is from 5 – 7 p.m.
Shop Transit Goods
Our Muni Diaries Fast Pass shirts, modeled by Tara on the top left, is on sale for 20% off this weekend! The same design on baby onesies are also available at Secession Art and Design on Mission and 30th Street.
Nate1 of NewSkool, also an in-house artist at Secession, has this adorable brown Muni onesie (top right) and a bunch of other designs for your mini transit riders.
Headline Shirts pays homage to the 22 in this 22-Fillmore t-shirt (bottom right) with instructions on how to ride Muni if you’re new in town.
And what’s always on the sidewalk in San Francisco? Muni transfers and pigeons, of course. We found this super limited edition Pigeon Book (bottom left) from Joscelyn Nicole on Etsy. She only has one left!
Want more? Here we go:
Another crafty crafter made these Market Street transit token cuff links. These ones were issued from 1921 to 1944.
Market Street Railway has made these Information Gladly Given t-shirts that can come really handy at a bar or a company meeting:
BART maps also make for cool buttons:
You’ve probably seen Amos Goldbaum‘s curbside shop near the Ferry Building. He’s got a cool drawing of an old LRV, available on tees and the San Francisco uniform, a hoodie sweatshirt:
You might know them as the Muni Manners Ladies, but they’re authors now too. Julie Hayes and Angelie Agarwal have written a book called Muni Manners: An Etiquette Guide for the Mass Transit Savvy. Next time you see poor manners on the bus, you can pull out the book on them:
Has the N failed you or saved you? Greg has these N Judah mousepads for you to remember your ride by:
Walter Koning has lots of shirts with Muni lines, but I am partial to this design that he calls “Timeless 14 Mission“:
Last year we also did a merchandise roundup, so if you spot any more Muni-inspired items, let us know!
The Great Muni Shelter Giveaway Poll (Update)
Ed. Note: The bus stop we’re giving away served the 30 Stockton, which has seen colorful stories like a Giants fans takeover, a short angry lesson on taxes, and an incident involving a nylon Excalibur. Ever since the bus shelter’s arrival at SOMArts, visitors have covered the it with their own stories and memories. What’s your Muni story? We want to know.
Original post:
Ever since the SFMTA generously gave us the go-ahead, this 30-Stockton Muni shelter has been sittin’ pretty at Julie Michelle’s awesome I Live Here:SF exhibit at SOMArts. And now it needs a home.
We were overwhelmed by the amazing responses after we posted about the Great Muni Shelter Giveaway. In honor of our user-generated tradition, we thought it appropriate that you get to decide who gets to take the Muni shelter home. The following brave folks want this bus stop, and you can help them make it happen.
Poll closes at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 29. The candidate with the most vote wins. We will announce the winner at the closing night reception of Julie Michelle’s I Live Here:SF exhibit at SOMArts on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 5-7 p.m. 934 Brannan Street. Good luck to all!