There is a major Muni delay on Church and Market Streets as of 6:30 p.m., according to our reader reports and @nbcbayarea. Witnesses are tweeting that they saw a woman trapped underneath the bus. This photo came from reader Patrick Power, who said, “Market Street was blocked off to pedestrians crossing on the outbound side and to all traffic on the inbound side. I heard someone talking about a woman having gotten trapped somehow under one of the streetcars, but have no way of verifying that as I type this.”
From an eye witness on Twitter:
Just watched #SFFD rescue a woman from under #SFMuni#F-line. Wow. You are all heroes- she was alive.
Those who rely on it on a daily basis have their share of gripes, mostly justifiable. Those who admire their machinery and mere existence snap photos and block crosswalks to see them in action. There is a little overlap between these two groups. Either way, they are a sight to behold, and one fairly unique to San Francisco.
In conjunction with Muni’s centennial celebration, the Harvey Milk Photo Center in Duboce Park is presenting The F-Line Inside-Out: Photographic works showcasing San Francisco’s historic streetcars. Here are the deets:
Exhibition Dates: Nov. 9, 2012 through Jan. 5, 2013 Opening reception: Friday, Nov. 9, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Location: Harvey Milk Photo Center, 50 Scott Street (Duboce Park), (415) 554-9522 Free
Last month, we teamed up with LomographySF to host an analog, Muni-themed photo workshop. We had a great bunch of participants, and we fell back in love with shooting film.
We had so many great photos, we left it up to the voting public to pick the best shot from that day. The final tally is in, and Mavis is our winner! Her award-winning double exposure is above, featuring a very photogenic streetcar. Mavis will receive a 110 Fisheye camera from LomographySF, plus a roll of 110 film for winning the contest.
Yesterday was a rough one on Muni. A man whose leg was cut off in a collision with Muni at Civic Center later died from injuries. A system shutdown ensued, and delays rippled throughout the day.
On the other hand, there was this guy and his four-leggers. As @girlinchucks says, “So, um, there is a man on the F Market dressed up like his dogs. What an eff’d up day for Muni. Just sayin’.”
Muni rider Paul sent us a photo of something completely unexpected at the F-Market terminal at Castro on Sunday:
“Late in the day on Sunday at the F-line terminal at Castro, a Janet Jackson flash mob happened. They blocked the tracks for several minutes, but didn’t cause an undue delay.”
Call it worlds colliding: one of the flash mob dancers was Bryan Goebel, founding editor of Streetsblog SF! So what’s it like to dance in public to Janet’s famous moves? From Bryan:
One of the best experiences of my life (really!) was taking the Rhythm Nation dance class (my first dance class ever!) and then participating in the flash mob Sunday. Even though the choreography was simplified so that more people of all ages and abilities could take part, the classes — which started in January and ended last week — were still grueling for me. Yet, I stuck with it twice a week for three months because everyone was fun and supportive, and the teachers, Julien Rey and Leah Ferrer, were so passionate.
A very talented jewelry designer in the class, Emiko Oye, made our shiny BAFM hat and jacket emblems that stand for Bay Area Flash Mob (in place of Janet Jackson’s 1814 emblems), and we were told to wear all black or resemble, as best we could, Janet Jackson’s outfit in the Rhythm Nation video. Some people who didn’t get a chance to learn the whole dance but wanted to be in the flash mob were invited to learn the last 30 seconds, either in class or through the online tutorial videos, so there could be a growing effect at the end.
The plan was to look like a SWAT team, or security guards, and remain in character before the dance at each location. It was pretty amazing to discover how many people out there recognized our Rhythm Nation outfits, and were pleasantly surprised to see us perform the dance. There were also lots of people who asked, “What is this?” It was so thrilling to see those looks of curiosity turn into smiles, followed by applause. The crowds at the Ferry Building, Union Square, UN Plaza and the Castro plaza seemed to love it.
I certainly never thought I’d be learning this famous choreography, and I’m not the best at it, but I did it to my ability and it felt so good. By the way, we performed in Jane Warner Plaza but the organizers were very careful not to delay the historic streetcars. We managed to fit our performance in between headways.
