We're bringing you a blast from the recent past from the stage of Muni Diaries Live in 2019. Storyteller Chris Arvin is a product designer who is passionate about cities and public transit. You might know Chris from the the adorable pins, stickers, Clipper card covers that they’ve designed at their store called Transit.supply. But what you might not know is that Chris is also a big part of what made Boat Tram - that famous open top tram on Market Street -  such a part of San Francisco culture. Chris shares how the life of Boat Boi started on Twitter, and you can follow Chris on Twitter @chrisarvin and Boat Tram @boattramsf for the latest going-on's of this beloved SF icon.

Muni Diaries

Ep. 121: The Twitter history of Boat Boi

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 find Volcano kimchi and sauces at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market, Clement Street Farmer's Market, Good Eggs, Rainbow Grocery, and more. We are always looking for stories of people who make San Francisco the beautiful city it is today. If you have a story to share or someone to nominate, email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Ep. 120: Aruna dreams of kimchi

 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 favorite mode of transportation! You can get a copy of it, featuring work from 30+ local artists and writers, at local favs spots like Green Apple Books, Dog Eared, and Alley Cat. We are always looking for stories from people who love and care about San Francisco. Nominate someone (or yourself) to be on our podcast by emailing us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. 

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

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.

Ep. 118: Opening Night at Rickshaw Stop

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 to Lost Landscapes, Unsung Heroes and Radical Histories.”

Ep. 117: Combating amnesia: a conversation with Shaping San Francisco's Chris Carlsson

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: you can hear her story about an eventful Muni ride on episode 81 of our podcast.  We are always looking for people to share their stories about what makes San Francisco uniquely ours. If you have a story to share, pitch your idea to us by emailing us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. And don't forget to rate us on Apple Podcasts to help people find more stories about the city by the Bay.

Ep. 116: When true love leaves you in stitches

Teddy grew up in the Unification Church of the United States, whose followers are more commonly known as the Moonies after founder Sun Myun Moon. Teddy’s 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.  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 and the imprint it has left on him today. We are bringing you stories about the people, places, and things that keep San Francisco ticking. Everyone has a story—submit yours by emailing us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com, or by tagging us @munidiaries on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

Ep. 115: Facing my Moonies childhood in San Francisco

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 first responders—many of whom relied on Muni to get around. We’re grateful that we could help share those stories. So here are some highly memorable moments from your commuter tales, in this Dumpster fire of a year. As always, Muni Diaries is made entirely of stories by San Franciscans like yourselves. Our inbox is always open for your tales: email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. Thumbnail photo by @jack.kerouac.alley on Instagram.

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

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 with the artists about how they became stewards of a beloved San Francisco tradition. Know someone who's giving back to San Francisco in a meaningful way? We want to know! Pitch a story to us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.  

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

 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 had to find just the right time of day to depict his subject. Sometimes, he and Kamiya even found themselves in places they weren't really supposed to be for the good of their project. Go to MuniDiaries.com to see photos from Spirits of San Francisco. Got a story idea for us? Our inbox is always open: muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.  

Ep 112: Artist Paul Madonna on finding the "Spirits of San Francisco"

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 hear from you: email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. And if you haven’t done your early voting, now is the time! 

Ep. 111: Election Special: 2020's transit ballot measures that every rider should know

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 muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com.

Ep. 110: Reporter shares BART busker afterstory

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 here? Did something or someone in SF change you? We want to hear all about it. Anyone can submit a story to this collective online journal: just email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com. 

Ep. 109: Bailing out a rookie Muni driver

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.  

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

 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 mural she photographed for the project. Go to MuniDiaries.com to see photos of the mural she talks about in the story. 

Ep. 107: Painting the pandemic void, one storefront at a time

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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