Muni Diaries

Oracle OpenWorld Street Closure and Reroutes

September 15, 2010 eugenia Leave a comment

Photo by Flickr user Steve Garfield

Oracle OpenWorld is here this weekend and starting tomorrow, you’ll see some street closures and Muni reroutes, followed by an onslaught of folks wearing name badges walking too slowly. In any case:

Affected Muni routes:

8X (AX/BX) Bayshore Express
12 Folsom
16X Noriega
27 Bryant
30 Stockton
38/38L Geary
41 Union
45 Union-Stockton
76 Marin Headlands
81X Caltrain Express

Street closure details:

8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 16 through 3 p.m., Friday, Sept. 24
Howard Street between 3rd and 4th streets
2 a.m. Saturday, September 18 until 10 a.m. Friday, September 24
Mason Street between Ellis and O’Farrell
4 a.m., Sunday, September 19 until 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 23
Easterly traffic lane on Taylor between O’Farrell and Eddy and several parking lanes in the area
For those traveling westbound on Howard Street, the detour will direct traffic south on 2nd Street to Harrison Street.
For those traveling from north of Market on Montgomery, the detour will direct southbound traffic from New Montgomery, westbound on Howard, and south on Hawthorne to either Folsom or Harrison.
Mason Street traffic will detour west on Geary to south on Jones to east on Eddy and back to Mason.

Category: News

A Muni Movie? Right in Our Backyard

September 14, 2010 eugenia Leave a comment

ON IT – Behind the Scenes – Bus Timelapse from Shadow Angel Films on Vimeo.

A lot of urban life happens on the bus, and filmmakers Heather Donnell and Chris R. Smith are making a short film about just that. Their movie is called “On It,” and they’ve just rented a Muni bus last Sunday for some pivotal scenes, watch this time-lapsed movie.

So what happens on the bus in this movie? From Heather and Chris:

ON IT is about a relationship under pressure and the complications that get in the way of the couple’s attempts to communicate. Six months into their relationship, Craig and Angela each have something important to tell each other, but can they find the courage to say it? One bus ride changes the course of their relationship forever.

Hmm. Mysterious and intrigue!

Heather told me they rented the bus by working with the San Francisco Film Commission Office and the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency: “There was lots of paperwork to obtain the permit, but both organizations were extremely helpful at pushing it through. We had a great experience with the bus inspector and the MUNI driver on the shoot day too.” You can find out more about the movie and Heather and Chris’s other projects at the Shadow Angel Films website.

Category: diaries, News Tags: video

A Friendly Muni Trip From the Beach

September 14, 2010 Leave a comment

Photo by Whole Wheat Toast

Looks like there’s no sickout today. Phew. Earlier in the week: Delaine is new to Muni and San Francisco. One of her first brief encounters with Muni turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Hubby and I decided to try our Clipper cards on Muni, being fairly new to the city. It was hot in our apartment on the bay on one of those sunny days last week, so we decided to head to the beach. We took the first train that came into the Embarcadero station–L Taraval, which took us to the zoo entrance, but also Ocean Beach. After wandering around for awhile in the cool, cloudy, breezy weather, we made our way back to the waiting train, and stood on the platform, unsure of where to get on.

After awhile the driver came around the corner, and politely pointed out to us novice Muni riders that we needed to stand at the “bus stop” to be able to board. He also gave us tips on using the Clipper card. Didn’t catch his name, but he was so very nice. I know we hear stories about rude Muni drivers, but I just want to say that we have had good service with our brief experience. I love the idea of a card I can use on all transit.

There’s been some questions about the Clipper cards on our Twitter feed. Seems like time to update our Muni newbie orientation!

Category: diaries, reflection Tags: L-Taraval

Silverman on Muni

September 13, 2010 eugenia One comment

@Genejo at HoodscopeSF spotted a familiar face on the bus over the weekend:

The Silver Robot Guy isn’t so robotic anymore after a long day of work.

What did you spot on Muni in our urban jungle? Share it with your fellow Muni riders here. Or drop it in our Flickr pool!

Category: Photos Tags: photo

Before You Complain: Jazzy Muni Faregates Instructional Videos

September 13, 2010 eugenia 3 comments

Since the new fare gates were installed at Civic Center and Powell station, I’ve been seeing lots of complaints about them on our Twitter feed. Fear not, the diligent Akit of Akit’s Complaint Department has made two great instructional videos on how to use the new machines, and a good tip about how visitors can avoid the 25 cent surcharge for a paper Muni ticket (now that the fare gates don’t take cash). Easy: get a Clipper card.

Akit also has a video on how to add fare to your card using the new machines. Check them out.

Category: News

Weekend Photos: Before you can blink

September 10, 2010 eugenia Leave a comment

Photo by Brandon Doran

It’s hard to keep our eyes away from the disaster in San Bruno. Meanwhile, in Muni news:

SFMTA Responds to Rumors of Muni Sickout, Warns Employees Not to Participate (SFAppeal)
Muni ‘Sickout” Flier’s Bold Threats (SFWeekly)
Muni Officials plan for worst, hope for false alarm (SF Examiner) (Full Muni sickout flier at SFist)
Anonymous fliers prompting concerns of sick out (SF Examiner)
Report: Muni collision rate has been rising (KGO-TV)
PERB Denies TWU Request for Injunction Stopping Muni Service Restorations (Streetsblog)

Next week we’ve got stories in the bag, thanks to all of your submissions, which made the first week of steering the Muni Diaries ship on my own not nearly as scary as I would have thought! Oh, and if you’re trying to figure out your plans for tonight, check out the opening party of The Classics, a “defining art exhibit featuring works by the true Bay Area graffiti art pioneers” at 1AM Gallery on Howard and 6th Street. I had a sneak peek of the show last night and saw that Muni makes several guest appearances in this amazingly curated show by Nate1.

Enjoy the t-shirt weather and these photos!

Photo by Bhautik Joshi