Lost on Muni: To-do list
Flick’s B4YK1D5 found this scrap of paper on Muni a few weeks ago. I hope its owner didn’t forget those South Africa books.
Find something interesting on the bus? Let us know.
Weekend Photos: Blow your horn
Photo by Flickr user fsquared
How was your week? Ours? Well, the usual. Not enough hours in the day, or days in the week, or weeks in the … ah, never mind. Here’s your weekly roundup of Muni news:
– 21st Century Barn Raising (Market Street Railway)
– Six Injured In Muni Bus-Van Crash (KTVU)
– Supes Propose Massive Changes To How The SFMTA Runs (SF Appeal)
– Gavin’s Delay In Appointing SFMTA Board Members Might Be Holding Up Service (SF Appeal)
– SFMTA’s St. Francis Circle Project Means West Portal Street Closures, Muni Service Disruptions, Parking Problems (SF Appeal)
– The real reason Muni stopped fare enforcement saturations (SFGate)
– The politics of restoring Muni service (City Insider)
On Monday, we posted a video that eventually went, how you say, viral. It shows bus riders in Copenhagen showing love for their bus driver by serenading him on birthday. *Tear* Later that day, we ran a few Muni-related Bay to Breakers photos we found. We put a question in to MTA concerning where the money comes from to run B2B shuttles. We’ll let you know what we hear back.
Don’t forget to send your Muni stories here, and your Muni photos here.
Have a good weekend! See you Monday.
Photo by Nick.Fisher
Photo by cidana
Photo by eviloars
Photo by tweetsweet
Thank you, friendly 23 driver, from awkward bike girl
Photo by Flickr user Pete Boyd
I just got my first ‘grown-up’ bike this week! In preparation for loading it on the bus, I watched a YouTube video on how to use the bike rack on Muni. I was set!
That is, until I didn’t place the hook over the wheel properly. Bumping over the St. Francis hills on Monterey boulevard, my bike almost fell off the rack. Thankfully, the driver stopped in time, and was really friendly and patient while I fought with the rusty wheel hook and put it properly in place.
I was so embarrassed, but the driver was so nice and encouraging, I felt a lot better about it.
I ended up on his bus on the way home a few hours later, and he told me to take my time to get it right this time around. I thanked him, but forgot to ask his name.
So, again, thanks friendly driver with the Muni beanie on the 23 route between 6:00 and 11:00pm on May 20, 2010. You made my evening!
– Laurel, the awkward bike girl
Muni Missed Connections: Cupcake Edition
Photo by Flickr user Aaron Landry
We begin this latest round of Muni Missed Connections with a tale of cupcake kindness on the 19, of all routes:
u gave me a cupcake b4 u got off at 24th or 25th, thought that was really sweetie, would b nice if every1 on the 19 was sweetie like u, prob wont c u again since I’m not on the 19everyday(thank the lord) so its a good thing CL has this section4u2find me, very sweet
Next, this 30-something might have found his cougar siren, reading The Leopard, no less, on the mysterious 39L:
You’re probably a good 20 years older than me (and likely far too classy for the likes of a tattooed ne’er do well like myself), but every time I see you waiting at our bus stop, my heart starts racing…we almost always sit across from each other, if not very close, and every time I can’t keep my eyes off of you. You’re elegant, sexy, and I imagine what it’s like to be with you every time I see you… Thanks for making me feel alive! (and if you’re ever feeling daring…well, you get the idea)
Late night commercial shoot in West Portal station
Photo by Flickr user Whole Wheat Toast
Rider Chris saw something “indelibly strange” at the West Portal station last night:
Around 10:30 p.m., a full film crew (lighting, boom mics, folding chairs chairs; the whole shmear) was shooting a T-Mobile commercial on the inbound platform of West Portal station. Apparently some high-caliber “account executives” were on-scene to watch the filming take place, explained a production assistant (who was very clearly amped on something stronger than mere caffeine.)
Now, as this film shoot was happening, passengers and trains kept filing onto the platform as normal. Grandmothers with laden grocery bags consistently strode stolidly past the unmoving security guys and directly through the shoot. Utter chaos.
I have no idea how this concept got OK-ed by anyone (both on the commercial “creatives” side and in MUNI) but the pure and obvious silliness of the logistical problems posed by the outgoing trains and the waves of passengers still issuing through the station made for depths of absurdity that even Muni rarely reaches.
Alas, Chris was caught without a camera (dude, camera phone!). If you captured this silliness (which I would loved to have witnessed), send us the photos, please!
Photo: The Zzzzz Train
Photo by Flickr user indieink
Sometimes the gentle rocking of the stop-and-go traffic, that cloying woman’s voice announcing each stop, and the warm sunshine just lull me to a peaceful slumber on Muni…