Muni Diaries

Muni Diaries reader Amanda Staight shares why she misses the bus, and after this many months of sheltering in place, we bet you feel the same.

Amanda is a lover of neighborhoods, communities and casual conversations. She collects and tells stories as a passion and occupation. Her favorite seat on the bus is next to the rear door, up the little steps in the back.

If you have your own Muni tale or sentiment to share, or a pandemic tale of San Francisco living, we want to hear from you! Email us your pitch at [email protected].

Today's episode features a story submitted by Muni rider Wil, who seized a moment of connection on Muni. This story is read by Muni Diaries reader Dayne Watai.

In the last few weeks we have all been re-examining social justice in our communities and our place in it - we've had some healthy debate on our social media about whether Muni should be used to transport police and protestors, and the role of public transit in race and class. Follow us @munidiaries on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to chime in. We'll continue these conversations while also bringing you stories of everyday San Franciscans, as we always do.

If you have a story to share, our inbox is open for your pitch. Email us at [email protected].

Today's story is from Eden Stein, the owner of Secession Art and Design, an art gallery and boutique in Bernal Heights. Eden has seen the ups and downs of San Francisco in over a decade of keeping her store afloat. In this episode, Eden tells a story about one evening a few year ago when a man walked in, intending to rob the store.

Eden says that she is transitioning from in-store to online sales these days. In the past, 80% of her sales came from people shopping at the store in person, and it's been a major change to transition to an online-only business. You can find Secession at SecessionSF.com.

The set of an obscure sci-fi film became the catalyst of building a new space in the Mission. Storyteller Noel Von Joo shares how he and a couple of friends started to build a quirky, inventive space for artists to gather in the Mission. Hidden in a nondescript building, the Secret Alley is a pirate ship, old diner, and indoor garden all at once.

This story was recorded at Muni Diaries Live in 2019. We are continuing to bring you stories about our city, submitted by readers like you. Please share this podcast with your friends and rate us on Apple Podcasts.

We are celebrating 12 years of sharing your commute stories with our 100th episode. Most of us haven't been on a bus lately, and after this pandemic, we'd be so looking forward to getting back to our commute routine.

Meanwhile we will continue to bring you stories from everyday San Franciscans. Nothing says "we're in it together" more than commuters banding together.

Today's episode features Jefferson Bergey: he is a professional musician based in Oakland, and a regular performer in San Francisco's Bawdy Storytelling. He's performed at Punchline SF for SF Sketchfest; his music is featured regularly on the Bawdy Storytelling Podcast and on Kevin Allison's wildly popular RISK! podcast. Jefferson joined us at Muni Diaries Live in November 2019 after writing a new song just for us.

You can follow and support Jefferson @jeffersonbergey on Instagram, and find him on Spotify.

Keep the stories and SF spirit up by submitting your stories to [email protected], and it would mean the world to us if you subscribe and share this podcast with your friends!

We like to say that Muni is San Francisco's living room, and you never know where a conversation with a fellow bus rider will lead. In today's episode, rider Timo shares a story about the time when someone on the bus asked him why he was wearing his yarmulke.

Muni Diaries is made of stories by everyday San Franciscans, and in these times, your stories are more important than ever! We will continue to publish stories from our archive and hope this takes some stress off of your day while sheltering in place.

Photo by @jjinsf on Twitter.

In these times when most of your fellow bus riders are looking at their phone and have headphones on, reader Teresa submitted a story of how a group of women banded together when they saw another woman in a bad situation.

Muni Diaries is made of your stories. If you have a tale to share, email us at [email protected].

Kristine Poggioli and coauthor Carolyn Eidson became the first people known to have walked San Francisco's historic 49 Mile Scenic Drive over the course of a year. You know the route, or at least you've probably seen the light blue signs with seagulls on them all over town. They've published a book about their experience called Walking San Francisco's 49 Mile Scenic Drive.

In this episode, you'll find out all about their journey and what they discovered along the way.

Storyteller Andrea Carla Michaels has worn many hats over the years, as a standup comic, writer for a game show, and briefly a writer for Designing Women. She now spends her time naming companies and constructing crossword puzzles for the New York Times. Two years ago she found her calling as "Pizza Lady" and you can find her daily in the alleys off lower Polk Street. We first aired this story in April 2018, and we feel like the new year is the right time to how to make a difference this year, no matter how big or small.

Got a story about how to make a difference in our city? Pitch us by email at [email protected].

Storyteller Annette Mullaney is a standup comic based in San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle named her one of six "comics to catch" in the Bay Area. She describes her comedy as self-deprecating, feminist, existentialist, smart, vulgar, and full of big words to prove she's been to grad school. In this episode, she shares a BART story that took a long time to see the light of day. But we're so glad she worked up the courage to share.

If you have your own story to share on our podcast, send us a short pitch to [email protected].