Your place to share stories on and off the bus.
Photo by smallerdemon
I realized that the weekend’s sunshine was one big tease when I opened my eyes this morning to the rain. But rider “smallerdemon” sent us this photo, which looks even more amazing if you click it and view it in its large format. This makes enduring the rain almost worth it…
Photo by Flickr user __mikey
“They say to stand behind the yellow line. I was on it.”
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Photographer, poet, and model Kristen Holden‘s pictures of Muni riders have caught our eye for a while. We found her on Flickr as “SFLoveStory” and tracked her down to find out what makes Muni such a great subject. Holden grew up in Chicago and has lived in San Francisco for almost seven years. She lives in Russian Hill with her musician boyfriend and their “talentless dog.”
What is it about Muni that inspires you to take photos there?
This simple answer is: I ride a lot and I shoot my surroundings more than I do anything else. But what makes Muni rife for photographic capture is that the exterior environment is always changing around the same structure or, like, bones of the scene. There are endless characters to make up stories about.
What’s it like taking pictures on Muni?
I think people generally assume I’m a tourist. Once in a while someone will ask me about my camera and why I shoot film (I’m currently shooting with a second-hand Canon EOS Elan II SLR with a Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens.)
Got a favorite Muni line?
I ride the 45 and 30 to get from Russian Hill, where I live, to downtown and vice versa. I take the 47 and 49 quite a bit. Oh, and I’m one of those weird people who actually rides the 19…it gets the closest to the film-processing center I go to in SoMa. I love the cable cars and streetcars too. The mint-green colored streetcar from Brooklyn (Car 1059?) is my favorite.
You can see more of Holden’s photographs on her website, Kristen-Holden.com.
Photo by Flickr user Chipmonkey
More than 100 of you spent Friday night with us, doubling over laughing at BART driver Kelly Beardsley’s impersonation of a hapless German tourist and singing along to McPuzo and Trotsky’s 38 Geary song. For those of you who didn’t make it to the hot Make-Out Room that night (or couldn’t make it in due to capacity reasons – our apologies), let me give you a little taste of the ridiculously fun night.
Our favorite burlesque cheerleading squad, The Cock-Ts, kicked off our third spoken word party at the Make-Out Room with Muni cheers written especially for us. Their misguided counselor, Coach Chester, had a few faux-‘stache malfunctions, but that didn’t faze varsity cheerleaders EZ-Martini, Dizzy Disaster, and Lil Biscuit.
Photo by Flickr user Chipmonkey
Photo by Flickr user kimchidonut
This week was particularly rollercoastery in the Muni news department. Some highlights:
– Over the weekend: Muni bus operator sent to hospital following attack (CBS 5)
– Value of stolen copper wire from Sunset Tunnel: $60-66. (SF Weekly)
– MTC report shows dismal future for transit operators (Streetsblog SF)
– Muni operator becomes second female ‘gripman’ in cable car history (Examiner)
– SFMTA board approves two-year budget by 4-3 vote; Muni cuts extended (Streetsblog SF)
– Pedestrian Dies Following Muni Accident at Mission and Beale (SF Appeal)
– Wall Street Journal asks: What grade would you give NextBus?
– Muni service cuts (see fifth item, above) could be pared back (City Insider)
– Man killed by Muni light-rail vehicle at Castro Station (SF Appeal)
Whew! What a weird, shitty, wonderful week it was. It’ll be capped off by Eugenia and The Poetry Store‘s Silvi on Pirate Cat Radio today at 5, and of course, Muni Diaries Live! Breaking It Down at the Make-Out Room at 7:30. See you there!
Photo by Flickr user Generik11
Photo by Flickr user Whole Wheat Toast
Photo by Flickr user B4YK1D5
We reported the shall-game scam on Muni late last month. @dblake just tweeted this video he got of the scam in action:
Just watched a guy lose $12 in an obvious shell-game scam on Muni. Everyone tried to warn him but he didn’t listen.
Careful out there, folks. Healthy skepticism, always.