Muni Diaries

Where most people see a desolate street, Katy Birnbaum sees a celebration and the regeneration of community waiting to happen. But it didn't start out that way. Katy grew up in a car-dependent suburb where the streets isolated her and her family. In this story from our November 2023 live show, Katy shares how moving to San Francisco transformed her relationship to streets, how Muni connected her to the things most imp...

It's not every day you're swept off your feet by a handsome stranger on the subway. But when Baruch Porras-Hernandez rides Muni, anything can happen. We were thrilled to have Baruch back on the Muni Diaries Live stage in November with the story of a fleeting romance from his past, and the unexpected turn it takes.

Baruch is a writer, performer, and standup comedian who’s done storytelling shows all over California. He...

Happy New Year, Muni Diaries fam! We've got stories from our November live show, exciting in-person podcasting events, and more already queued up for you in 2024. Here's a sneak peek of what's on deck.

A heartfelt thanks from all of us at Muni Diaries to everyone who shared your Muni stories with us in 2023, sent us your bus photos, tuned in to the podcast, attended our live shows and art market, and helped us celebrate 15 years of...

Tanea Lunsford Lynx, an artist and educator, joined us at Muni Diaries Live in April 2023 to perform her poem, I Used to Live Here, a piece evoking the magic of relatives living a mere Muni ride away, the otherworldly dimension between West Portal and Van Ness stations, and the soothing something about 24-hour Church Street Safeway light. She was one of the San Francisco-born-and-raised artists featured in Muni Raised Me, an exhibi...

Have you been to the Legion of Honor at night? We haven't. And we definitely won't be going after this story.

Muni operator and Muni Haiku Battle champion Mc Allen reminds us of what can go bump (and wrong) on a late-night run. Originally shared at Muni Diaries Live in April 2023, it's the perfect accompaniment to the seasonal festivities. 

Mc will be back at the Muni Diaries Live 15th anniversary show on Nov. 2, 2023, to battle fo...

Jill Sutherlin didn't set out to become the caretaker of a beloved Mission barbershop, but life is funny that way. Her story takes us and The Refinery Grooming Club through the pandemic, the ups and downs of recovery, and the sacred spaces we cultivate for our communities. Jill performed this story at Muni Diaries Live in April 2023.

Hear stories like these and more at the Muni Diaries Live 15th anniversar...

What lies beneath the streets of San Francisco? In some cases, the history of how those streets and infrastructure we know and love (or at least use and tolerate) came to be.

San Francisco’s Forgotten Cemeteries: A Buried History, the newest book from local author Beth Winegarner, is out now. Beth stopped by the podcast to discuss the role the city's dead have on infrastructure (which includes public trans...

Muni is San Francisco's deep end: immediate and immersive exposure to strangers, testing our tolerance for other people's music, aromas, food, volume, attitude, or public habits. Meymey Lee, a born-and-raised San Franciscan, was exposed to all of it since they were a baby. At Muni Diaries Live in April 2023, they shared how Muni not only spawned a best-friendship, but also an unwavering sense of civic pride an...

Storyteller Adrianna Tan is an enthusiastic bus rider who has ridden buses in more than 30 countries worldwide. But when she finally moves to San Francisco five years ago, she quickly finds out that in many ways, our Muni is not like all the rest.

This story was recorded at Muni Diaries Live in April, 2023 at Rickshaw Stop. If you have your own Muni tale to share on our podcast, pitch your story by emailing us at muni.diaries.sf@gm...

We first got to know storyteller Kurt Schwartzmann when he shared the story of how Muni and Muni drivers gave him shelter while he was homeless. He went on to become a professional artist, with a series of paintings dedicated to Muni drivers. In this episode, he shares the story of searching for a long lost Muni operator.

You can find Kurt's art at Yellow Line Art. To pitch your own Muni story, write to us...

Last time, we heard from Tanea Lunsford Lynx, one of the artists behind Muni Raised Me: a multimedia exhibition by San Francisco born-and-raised artists exploring what Muni means to the people who grow up riding it. An educator, Tanea brought their students to the show and we were lucky enough to experience some of their own original spoken-word artistry. We had so much material, we invite you to join us for Part 2. As ever, we're ...

Tanea Lunsford Lynx is Chair of the Spoken Arts Department at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts and one of the artists behind Muni Raised Me, a multimedia exhibition by San Francisco born-and-raised artists exploring a central question: What does Muni mean to the people who grow up riding it?

Tanea brought their students to the Muni Raised Me exhibit to perform their own original poetry about Muni in a guerrilla-style spoken word show,...

In today's episode, public transit advocate, designer, and illustrator Chris Arvin shares the dramatic story of how Muni became the first public transit system in a major U.S. city. 

Complaining about the bus might be San Francisco's unofficial favorite pastime, but few know about the true origins of our transit system.

You can find Chris at @chrisarvinsf on Twitter, and you can also shop their transit-themed merch at transit.suppl...

What would make you take off your headphones on the bus to talk to a stranger? In this episode, storyteller Alex Randall shares how he started talking to his fellow riders, and how these "Muni chats" changed the way he looks at our city. Alex takes the 38 Geary often and he likes all things San Francisco: history, sports, art, politics, and public transit.

How often do you ask yourself, "What would you do if this happened to you on Muni?" Storyteller Keli Dailey explores that very difficult question on stage at Muni Diaries Live, where she shared a tale about an unexpected turn of events on the bus. Keli is an award-winning journalist, performer and educator. ​She teaches media classes at the University of San Francisco, Saint Mary's Co...

Storyteller Ilyse Magy has hella Muni bonafides: she was the first paid “staff member” of San Francisco Transit Riders, where she helped pressure city officials to actually ride the bus. But one Halloween evening, when Ilyse found herself evangelizing the value of public transit, the Muni gods had other plans.

You can see even more Muni (and SF!) goodies at the ...

Many of you might know Mike Delia better as Mr. Boston, an operator on the F-Market and an impressive list of standard lines across town. Hailing from Massachusetts, he got bit by the transit bug when he was just 5 years old, riding the bus with his father, who was also an operator. You can often find him wearing his distinctive operator's cap on the F line, pe...

Here at Muni Diaries headquarters, we don't often talk about ourselves because, after all, Muni Diaries is about your stories. But every once in a while, something happens that still makes us go, "I can't believe that went down." So today, cofounders Tara and Eugenia are sharing the story of how, in 2010, they came across a particular Muni shelter that they're still looking for to this day.

Oh, and by the way, you DO have tickets t...