Muni Diaries

Artist and Muni Diaries Live alum Kurt Schwartzmann is paying artistic tribute to other facets of San Francisco life with artist Deirdre Weinberg , who has created public art for more than two decades. The duo first collaborated on beautifying the outdoor dining space for the iconic Buena Vista cafe this summer, and now they've partnered on the newest of the Hearts of San Francisco —which have ben...

Artist Paul Madonna just created a new book called Spirits of San Francisco: Voyages through the Unknown City , written with Gary Kamiya. The book features vignettes of the history and topography of 16 different locations in the city.  Madonna's drawings of San Francisco range from a well-known views spanning over the Embarcadero, to more obscure corners of the city like Calhoun Tower in North Bea...

We invite San Francisco Examiner transit reporter Carly Graf to talk about this year's ballot measures that can change the landscape of public transportation as we know it today. Though the pandemic has severely reduced ridership and budget, public transit was already in trouble with the proliferation of Lyft and Uber. We chat about Prop 22, Prop B, why you should get to know the BART board of dir...

San Francisco Chronicle reporter Rachel Swan was reporting on the anti-panhandling ordinance last year when she met rapper Tone Oliver, whose story became symbolic of how this ordinance can impact artists like him. You can follow her reporting at the San Francisco Chronicle website or on Twitter @ rachelswan . Don't forget to subscribe to the Muni Diaries podcast to keep up with more first-person...

You know when a way-too-crowded bus followed by a nearly empty bus right behind it, and you'd wonder, why doesn't anyone get on the empty bus? In this episode, Muni operator Ricardo sheds some light on why this happens, and how he tried to bail out a rookie Muni driver in this predicament. This story was read by Steve Pepple of VibeMap, who's also a Muni Diaries Live alum. We are always looking fo...

In today's episode, rider Tara got to do something that most bus passengers never get to do. This story is read by Muni Diaries reader Amanda Staight.  

A couple of San Franciscans created a project that truly made lemonade out of all the lemons that 2020 has thrown at us. Paint the Void matches mural artists with shuttered storefronts, and since April, the nonprofit has matched artists who beautified over 84 shops and restaurants, making walking around in San Francisco a joy again. In today's podcast episode, we invite Lisa Vortman, the Co-Founde...

Muni, like many other public transit agencies around the country, is facing a financial "death spiral" in the face of the pandemic. In today's podcast episode, we talk with Jeffrey Tumlin, the Director of Transportation of the SFMTA who started in his role right at the end of last year after the underground meltdown.

Where do neon signs of yesteryear go to retire? In this episode, we invite two neon historians to tell us about their neon "white whale." Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan are the creators of San Francisco Neon, an organization of historians, educators, and advocates for the beautiful neon signs you see all over our city. They are also the authors of the book, San Francisco Neon: Survivors and Lost I...

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 s...

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. I n 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 rol...

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...

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 20...

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 Jeff...

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 continu...

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 muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com . 

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...

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...

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 s...

On her way home from a baby shower, storyteller Maureen Bogues encountered what most of us hope we wouldn't on Muni. Fueled by adrenaline, she chases after a mugger who took her phone. What would you do in this situation?   Maureen is a writer, editor, and occasional public speaker who has been featured at Beyond Borders Storytelling. This story was taped at Muni Diaries Live at Rickshaw Stop in N...

Storyteller Dhaya Lakshminarayana is a stand-up comedian and winner of the Liz Carpenter Political Humor Award. She's also the subject of the documentary "NerdCool." This story was recorded at Exploratorium After Dark in 2019.  If you have your own story to share on our podcast, pitch your stories at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Today's story is from Molly Martin , a long-time activist and Bernal Heights resident. She was an organizer of Occupy Bernal, which saved many homes in the neighborhood from foreclosure. Molly is also a tradeswomen activist and is working on a book about the history of women construction workers in the Bay Area. Her story takes us back to 1973 San Francisco. Subscribe to the Muni Diaries podcast s...

DJ Steve Fabus literally provided the soundtrack to one of the most tumultuous periods in San Francisco history. He has been a fixture in the underground music scene in San Francisco since he moved here in the '70s—he described it as a calling that brought him to the city. In today's episode, Steve shares the story of how he found himself at the turn table for the farewell party of disco legend Sy...

Today's podcast episode was recorded live in Clarion Alley as a part of Litquake's LitCrawl in 2017. Storyteller Jesse James shares a story about his days working at the now-closed Nob Hill Theater, the famed all-male adult theater. One evening while working behind the counter, Jesse sees a familiar face walking in, and hilarity ensues. If you'd like to hear more stories live, we have two events c...

Leef is the owner of Mission Comics and Art on Mission and 18th Street. He's a San Francisco native who is passionate about making an open, inclusive space that celebrated the creative people in San Francisco. The store features lots of mainstream AND indie comic books and a gallery space. In today's episode, Leef shares the story of the AIDS Memorial Grove from the perspective of the city gardene...