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PODCAST

Muni Diaries

The Muni Diaries podcast is where you"ll hear true stories that happened on public transportation in San Francisco and the Bay Area, presented by the editors of MuniDiaries.com. Since our launch in 2008, we"ve gathered stories from more than 4,000 transit riders. To submit your own story, or read more bus tales, visit MuniDiaries.com.

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All Episodes

16:39

Ep. 120: Aruna dreams of kimchi

Muni Diaries ·

2021/08/04

Aruna Lee is the founder of San Francisco-based Volcano Kimchi, whose organic kimchi and sauces are made in her "Fermentation Lab" in Dogpatch. Aruna grew up in a Buddhist monastery in Korea, where every meal included an assortment of kimchi. When she arrived in San Francisco in 2001, doing anything related to food was the furthest thing on her mind. In this episode, Aruna shares the journey of how she built her small business in San Francisco, using her childhood memories as inspiration. You can

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14:01

Ep. 119: A print magazine of our very own: Meet the...

Muni Diaries ·

2021/07/20

Proving that San Francisco is still a place that cheers on grassroots ideas, Erica Messner and Amanda Legge launched a new magazine about our city and called it, The San Franciscan. Launching a magazine (a print one, at that) is no small feat, especially in the pandemic. Erica and Amanda share the story of how they made their pipe dream into reality, despite a little hiccup along the way from their other favorite magazine. Amanda and Erica have a new issue out, and the cover features our

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29:13

Ep. 118: Opening Night at Rickshaw Stop

Muni Diaries ·

2021/07/07

After shuttering for more than a year since the start of the pandemic, San Francisco venues finally opened their doors for the first time this summer. We talk to Rickshaw Stop managing partner Dan Strachota about their first indoor show and how things have changed for independent venues. Dan also gave us a behind-the-scenes peek at the unexpected things that happens when you haven't used your venue in 16 months. You can find Rickshaw Stop's event calendar at RickshawStop.com.

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28:39

Ep. 117: Combating amnesia: a conversation with...

Muni Diaries ·

2021/06/15

After 15 months of COVID-related restrictions, San Francisco is opening up this week. There's no time like the present to look at what our history can teach us about pivotal moments like this. On the podcast today, we chat with Chris Carlsson, the director of Shaping San Francisco and the co-director of FoundSF.org, a rich online archive of San Francisco History, Chris is a writer, San Francisco historian, tour guide, and wroyer. He recently published a new book called “Hidden San Francisco: A Guide

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22:31

Ep. 116: When true love leaves you in stitches

Muni Diaries ·

2021/02/15

Storyteller Kathleen Auterio moved to San Francisco from Massachusetts to do new things, just like in the BeeGees song. It was 2000, and everything seemed to be on track: she had an apartment, a roommate, and a job at SFWeekly doing the adult ads in the back of the paper -- a job that accepted her as a full metalhead. When she meets a new guy at the paper, they would soon come face to face with a relationship trust exercise that most people can't imagine. Kathleen is also a Muni Diaries Live alum:

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20:53

Ep. 115: Facing my Moonies childhood in San Francisco

Muni Diaries ·

2021/01/13

Storyteller Teddy Hose grew up in the Unification Church of the United States, whose followers are more commonly known as the Moonies after founder Sun Myun Moon. His father came to San Francisco as an artist in the 1960s, living in the famed artist commune in the Goodman Building on Geary and Van Ness. In this episode, Teddy shares his story of returning to San Francisco as an adult to start his life as an artist. San Francisco was, ultimately, the best place for him to examine his family’s past

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20:07

Ep. 114: Your 2020 commute, as seen by Muni Diaries...

Muni Diaries ·

2021/01/01

Here at Muni Diaries HQ, we usually end the year with a fun and lighthearted “Top Most WTF Moments of the Year” type of countdown. But in 2020…where do we even start? As shelter-in-place became a more permanent fixture of our lives, documenting life in San Francisco, especially via commute tales, took on a different meaning. We saw the uphill battle faced by so many small businesses and venues (like our beloved Rickshaw Stop), and the struggles of essential workers, particularly Muni operators and

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29:01

Ep. 113: "Hearts in San Francisco" to inaugurate...

Muni Diaries ·

2020/12/08

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 benefited the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation since 2004. In this week's podcast episode, we chat

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42:45

Ep 112: Artist Paul Madonna on finding the "Spirits...

Muni Diaries ·

2020/11/18

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 Beach on Montgomery and Union. As he draws en plein air—from real life rather than photographs—Madonna

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27:33

Ep. 111: Election Special: 2020's transit ballot...

Muni Diaries ·

2020/11/01

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 directors, and more. What do you think of their take on the transit-related props on the ballot? We want to

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12:13

Ep. 110: Reporter shares BART busker afterstory

Muni Diaries ·

2020/10/12

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 stories about life in San Francisco. And if you have your own story to contribute, email us at

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10:39

Ep. 109: Bailing out a rookie Muni driver

Muni Diaries ·

2020/09/29

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 for stories about life in San Francisco, on or off the bus. What’s the best thing that happened to you

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08:27

Ep 108: Playing Muni driver, if only for a few minutes

Muni Diaries ·

2020/09/14

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.

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17:59

Ep. 107: Painting the pandemic void, one storefront...

Muni Diaries ·

2020/08/31

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-Founder, Director of Photography, Media and Storytelling of Paint the Void, to share the story of the first

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38:03

Ep. 106: SFMTA head Jeffrey Tumlin explains why...

Muni Diaries ·

2020/08/21

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.

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11:39

Ep. 105: Can you solve the mystery of the Dancing Leg...

Muni Diaries ·

2020/08/10

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 Icons. SF Neon now has evening virtual presentations about the history behind beautiful neon signs in

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05:35

Ep. 104: I miss Muni.

Muni Diaries ·

2020/07/24

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

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05:53

Ep 103: Finding a connection on Muni

Muni Diaries ·

2020/06/23

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

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07:29

Ep. 102: San Francisco Diaries: How one Bernal...

Muni Diaries ·

2020/05/11

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

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15:09

Ep 101: San Francisco Diaries: Discovering the Secret...

Muni Diaries ·

2020/04/27

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

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