- Email Article
- Printer - Friendly
Page 1 of 1
Muni musings
5/20/08—A funny thing happened on the way to the office.Running late for work, I lock the gate
behind me and double-time it down to the Church Street Muni stop. I run
down the station stairs toward the gate, and as I frantically scramble
for change, a guy—normal-looking, maybe a little disheveled—tries to hand me
something. I look at him, brows furrowed, look at his hand, then back
at him. It's his transfer. And it's valid. Weird, right?
Not really. What if we were all more like Disheveled Guy at the Church Street station? First of all, we'd save a lot of paper. Surely I'm not the only one who has two dozen wrinkled Muni stubs floating around my house. Second of all, it made me happy—not because I saved a dollar and a half, but it's satisfying so see strangers helping strangers. Like that corny insurance commercial where a guy goes out of his way to save Joe Schmoe from being flattened by a falling stack of boxes.
So tomorrow, when you're taking public transportation to work, after you've gotten off the train and are headed through the gates toward the office, hand your transfer to someone going the opposite way. It made my day. And I'm six quarters closer to buying a new alarm clock. Or maybe a Muni pass.
Not really. What if we were all more like Disheveled Guy at the Church Street station? First of all, we'd save a lot of paper. Surely I'm not the only one who has two dozen wrinkled Muni stubs floating around my house. Second of all, it made me happy—not because I saved a dollar and a half, but it's satisfying so see strangers helping strangers. Like that corny insurance commercial where a guy goes out of his way to save Joe Schmoe from being flattened by a falling stack of boxes.
So tomorrow, when you're taking public transportation to work, after you've gotten off the train and are headed through the gates toward the office, hand your transfer to someone going the opposite way. It made my day. And I'm six quarters closer to buying a new alarm clock. Or maybe a Muni pass.
Suicide hotlines and resources
If you or someone you know might be contemplating suicide, contact the following resources.
From their lips to the White House's ears
10/20/08—Copy chief & reviews editor Mia Lipman volunteers at a star-studded rally for words.
Burning Man Decompression 2008
10/14/08—Rebecca Pariser and her camera crash the annual Burning Man after party.
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2008
Editorial intern and bluegrass musician Brian Heffernan reviews the eighth annual festival's highlights.
ARTS
Treasure Island Music Festival 2008
The eyes at San Francisco magazine capture two days of good, clean, carnival-themed fun at the second annual festival.
START/ EDIT NOTES
Nellie's gotta go
Irascible, iconoclastic, infectious—what made Don Nelson this way?
PUB NOTES
Publisher's note
When you’re traveling, sometimes knowing what’s ahead is even more exciting than anticipating the unknown.
Slaughterhouse redux
In a follow up to San Francisco's August feature on the future of slaughterhouses, Incanto chef Chris Cosentino offers a view of the past with a look at his collection of vintage abattoir photos.
Be the first to post a comment about this story!
You must be logged in to post comments. If you do not have an account, register now!