Mormons in the Mission via Muni

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Fly Away on the Bus of My Dreams
Photo by Thomas Hawk

Ed. note: Okay, lately in the land of Muni news, things really suck, for Muni, for the victims and their friends and family, maybe for you… But we’re a story-telling site after all, and we received this charming story from Muni rider Daishin on Wednesday just before the tragic accident at Mission and Beale. It perfectly encapsulates why the show here must go on. See for yourself.

Occasionally I’m forced to take the 14 into La Mission. The last time I did this BART was having problems from Powell Station to 24th Street so I hopped a 14. At the second stop at Mission and 8th Street a gaggle of Mormon Missionaries boarded the bus. They were fresh-faced boys looking a little out of place with their dark suits, white shirts and ties. They were a little noisy for Mormon kids, laughing and poking each other. Three lovely transgendered ladies dressed to the nines got onto the bus right behind them. For a second I was concerned that maybe there would be some altercation between the two groups, being that the Mormons had just put so much support behind Proposition 8. But instead the trannies plopped themselves down in the middle of the Mormon boys, and started talking with them. Soon the level of the conversation was quite loud and humorous. They were exchanging ipod tunes lists, discussing fashion and make-up secrets. The trannies got off at 16th and Mission said goodbye and hugged all the Mormon boys.

I have to say it was one of the most interesting interactions I’ve experienced on Muni. I guess this is what people mean when they say there’s a lot of diversity in San Francisco.

Got a slice-of-San-Francisco-life story to tell? Tell it here.

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs, reflection Tags:

Person Killed by Muni Train at Castro Station (w/update)

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Update: (9:41 p.m.): Twitter follower justinberton sends the photo above. joem sends the photo below, of the back-up scene on Market Street.

Original post: A pedestrian on the tracks at the Castro station was apparently killed by a Muni train this afternoon, the SFAppeal reports:

SFFD Spokesperson Lt. Mindy Talmadge confirms to the Appeal that the fire department was called to Castro Station at 4:40 this afternoon, after a pedestrian on the tracks was apparently hit by a Muni train.

“We’re not sure how he got on the tracks” Talmadge said “we attempted to revive him and when it was evident that he had expired, we called the Medical Examiner.”

Some riders reported being stuck in the trains for 40 minutes or more, according to the report (see more updates from the SFAppeal).

KCBS also reports the fatality.

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iPhoneography: BART busking

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Photo courtesy iPhoneography. One in a series by Flickr user zphone.

BART busking fascinates hell out of me. Since I was a kid and visited big cities, I was always enthralled with musicians, etc., who did their thing for the throes, the passersby. Most of them are really good, if you give them more than a passing listen. Do that sometime, eh?

File under: Projects I’d love to undertake, in some alternative life where I have time to undertake more projects.

Category: BART, diaries, Photos

Reminder: Go offline tomorrow at Breaking It Down

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Riders With Drinks
Photo of Tony Long from Muni Diaries Live! Riders With Drinks, June 2009, by RumNose

We realize that some of you (like us) plan. Some even obsess about it (like us). This post isn’t for you, though feel free to delight in it if you’d like.

No, this post is for the beloved rest of you out in internetia who’ve somehow (god bless ya) made it this far into the future and still don’t know what you’re doing this weekend. Again, we love you. And we want to see you at the Make-Out Room tomorrow night in what promises to be the best edition yet of Muni Diaries Live. This time we’re calling it Breaking It Down (perhaps for obvious reasons?), and check out this lineup:

Comedian Will Franken
Fun(ny) guy Johnny FunCheap
BART operator Kelly Beardsley
Vero Majano of Mission Media Archives
The delightful music of McPuzo and Trotsky
And last but not least, the Cock-Ts will return to … get us all in the mood.

And off-stage, Silvi from The Poetry Store will be our resident poet of the evening! Look for her with her type writer so you can get a poem written just for you.

As before, there’ll be a portion of the event in which we call for your (shortish) stories to be read on-stage. And we’ll ask the audience to use specially designed buzzers applause to judge who’ll win some seriously awesome prizes.

What can we say? Oh, we can say that it’s free to get in. But please tip your bartender! See you there!

Muni Diaries Live! Breaking It Down
Friday, April 23, 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. No cover!
Make-Out Room — 3225 22nd Street
Routes serving the area: BART 24th St. Station, 12, 14, 22, 27, 33, 48, 49, 67

Category: News Tags:

Pedestrian dies after being struck by Muni bus (w/updates)

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Update (4:19 p.m.): SF Gate has photos from the scene, including a couple of the driver of the bus that struck the victim. The driver looks horribly upset, understandably.

Update (4:00 p.m.): Per commenter JimmyD, SF Gate reports that the victim in today’s accident has died from his injuries.

Update (3:38 p.m.): MTA’s final update:

As of 1:33 p.m., the incident described below has cleared.

Clarification: A pedestrian was involved in the accident, not a bicyclist. The location was Mission Street between Main and Beale streets. Both bus routes rerouted around the scene in both directions using Market Street: from Main Street to Market Street to 4th Street and back to Mission Street.

The pedestrian was transported to SFGH. Both Operators were also injured. The Operator of the 14 Mission was transported to UC Medical Center and the Operator of the 14 Mission Limited was transported to St. Francis.

Both Operators will be tested for drugs and alcohol and placed on non-driving status according to standard procedure.

Video has been provided to SFPD for their investigation

Update (1:41 p.m.): For clarification, we do not know definitely whether the victim was a pedestrian or cyclist. MTA reported that he was a cyclist; multiple eye-witnesses say pedestrian.

Update (12:55 p.m.): Reader Jimmy sends us a photo of the scene, above.

Update (11:48 a.m.): From MTA:

As of approximately 11 a.m., service on the 14 Mission and the 14 Mission Limited in the outbound (east) direction has been disrupted due to an accident at Mission and Beale streets involving a 14 Mission trolley bus and a 14 Mission Limited bus and a bicyclist.

The 14 Mission route is switching back at 4th Street. The 14 Mission Limited is routing around the scene from Main Street to Market Street to 4th Street and back to its regular route on Mission Street.

SFPD and SFFD are on the scene.

Updates will follow.

Update (11:38 a.m.): SF Appeal has an eyewitness account, along with a photo of the scene.

Update (11:35 a.m.): KGO radio says: “Man trapped under the Muni bus was jaywalking. Taken away via ambulance, witnesses say he wasn’t moving at all.”

Update (11:25 a.m.): KCBS now has a story up on its site. Person still apparently trapped, attempts to jack bus up are under way. Person trapped reportedly a pedestrian.

Update (11:23 a.m.): @TUSK81 has an eye-witness account.

Original post: KCBS News reports that there is a person trapped under a bus at Mission and Beale with life-threatening injuries. No word from MTA yet. KGO radio also has a tweet about the accident. And Twitterer @sbermo confirms. We’ll update as we learn more.

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