Dashing Through the Holidays on Muni

It’s the holiday homestretch in San Francisco. All over the city, people are hopping on public transit to get to work, shopping and holiday parties. In our second Merry Days of Muni episode, we look at how Muni supports the San Francisco small businesses at this time of year…and all year long. We also hear about how the joy of the season makes its way onto our vehicles. 

This episode features Rize Up Bakery Founder and Head Baker Azikiwee Anderson, Golden Gate Restaurant Association Executive Director Laurie Thomas, Union Square Alliance CEO Marisa Rodriguez, Muni Operator Robert Valenzuela and Muni riders. 

Transcript

MELISSA CULROSS, HOST: The holiday season is in full swing, and here in San Francisco…we have Muni to help us through the hustle and bustle.

AZIKIWEE ANDERSON, RIZE UP BAKERY FOUNDER, OWNER AND HEAD BAKER: The truth is, the Muni ties the city together and makes it accessible. 

BUS ANNOUNCEMENT: Please hold on

MELISSA: Welcome to Taken with Transportation, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s official podcast. I’m your host, Melissa Culross, and thousands of people depend on Muni to move around the city every day. But there’s something a little extra special about public transit at this time of year.

HOLIDAY RIDERS MONTAGE: 
 INDIGO: I really feel the holiday spirit riding Muni. I feel like the community just comes together, and there’s so much joy on those trains.
 DYLAN: We are lucky to live somewhere where you can go to the beach in December. So, I love taking the N out to Ocean Beach. Love taking any of the buses downtown to go shopping, and I don’t know. I guess to me, like, the sounds of the trains, the, the bells of the streetcars is as much a part of the city and as part of the holidays as sleighbells and your traditional, like, holiday sounds and experiences.
 SARAH: I often will hear operators and other folks saying happy holidays to each other, wearing festive attire. I mean, I’m always thanking my operator. But then, also in December, you might, I might also say, “Happy holidays” or “Happy new Year” or something like that.

MELISSA: You can see and feel the holiday spirit all over San Francisco, including and especially downtown in Union Square. Marisa Rodriguez is CEO of the Union Square Alliance.

MARISA RODRIGUEZ, UNION SQUARE ALLIANCE CEO: This is our most magical time of year. There’s nothing quite like the holidays in Union Square. This is where Northern California, Bay Area residents, San Franciscans all converge and celebrate life’s greatest moments. And we have Macy’s great tree presented by Ripple this year. We have the holiday ice rink. It’s the Safeway holiday ice rink presented by Kaiser Permanente. And the, of course, the Winter Walk, our newest tradition here in Union Square, where we blanket two blocks of Stockton Street. We have food trucks. We have music. We have a holiday market. It’s always been truly special and a place where you come, you do your holiday shopping. You go to dinner. There are a number of really great holiday bars in district, as well. Explore. This is our community, and it’s back.

MELISSA: And of course, Muni can take you there. 

MARISA: All major roads, I like to say, lead to Union Square. We come to work here. We come to play here. We come to celebrate here. And it’s important that we can get here, and we can get here because the 38 Geary runs through Union Square. The 8 runs through Union Square. The 30, the 45, the F Market, the Muni underground, the T Third Street and the cable car. And the 2! We’re all getting to where we need to get. And it’s a easy way, makes for, you know, stress-free travel. You don’t have to worry about looking for parking. You don’t have to worry about paying for parking. So, that’s even easier. 

MELISSA: Muni supports the small businesses in Union Square at the holidays and all year long. The same goes for small businesses all over San Francisco. We’ve caught up with Rize Up Bakery Owner, Founder and Head Baker Azikiwee Anderson at his bakery space in the SoMa District to ask him how Muni helps his business.

AZIKIWEE ANDERSON, RIZE UP BAKERY OWNER: I think Muni helps San Francisco, first off. And I think a big part of that is whether it’s two in the morning or six in the morning, a lot of my staff are coming in to work specifically on Muni. And they tell me stories about riding the bus. They, they chop it up about how they get here and which buses they take. So, I do really feel like it, it speaks to the heart of a real city goer, knowing that Muni is kinda there for you and that you can count on it. 

MELISSA: Rize Up products are available at restaurants, grocery stores and farmers markets throughout the Bay Area. In San Francisco, Muni gets people to all those places. 

AZIKIWEE: We love the fact that we could be in farmers’ markets ‘cause it’s really community based. You see all these different people, and a majority of ‘em are either walking there ‘cause they’re very local, or they’re taking a bus to their favorite market. And what I learned was, as we spread and started getting in all these stores, we could facilitate that same kind of vibe because either people are walking, or they’re getting on their bike, or they’re putting their bike onto a Muni bus and coming in and going across, right? And what I noticed is the places where we are, if there’s a bus route to and from? What do you know, we tend to sell out a little bit easier because it’s a little bit easier to get there. So, there’s what the stores do. There’s what the city does. There’s how bad people want it in, in each store. But the truth is, is the Muni definitely ties the city together and makes it accessible.

MELISSA: And what about the holiday season for Rize Up?

AZIKIWEE: It is a busy time, but it tends to be spread out in spits and spurts, mostly because of weather. Or, you know, people are out of town. But every sale really matters because people are bringing it to other people’s houses for dinners. People are doing stuff for holiday get-togethers, uh, Friendsgivings and things like that. And I feel like that matters more than the quantity, is that fact that if somebody really believes in your brand, and they’re like, “I really wanna share it with other people who maybe don’t know about you or share it with the people I love most,” that kinda like matters, like, double. 

MELISSA: We leave Rize Up’s bakery and head over to Noe Valley for a chat with Laurie Thomas. She’s the executive director of the Golden Gate Restaurant Association and the owner of Rose’s Café and Terzo in Cow Hollow. Thomas says her industry depends on Muni.

LAURIE THOMAS RESTAURANT OWNER AND GOLDEN GATE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: Restaurants are, um, spread all over San Francisco. So, obviously, the downtown is super important, but the neighborhoods, right? And think of how far out our neighborhoods are. And without public transportation, we would be really hard-pressed for workers. Because not all of our workers can afford to, like, live really close to our restaurants. In some of our neighborhoods, people are lucky, and they do that. But oftentimes, they’re commuting and maybe commuting even across San Francisco, which is still a long, a long way to get to work. We really need a working Muni. And if people don’t use it, they don’t understand how critical it is.

MELISSA: Of course, restaurant customers also use Muni, and Thomas anticipates a lot of them this month.

LAURIE: The holiday party season looks great. We have, personally, tons of buyouts and bookings. I know my colleagues and board members, same thing. Looking for a really, really strong holiday season. It’s critical that people can get out and get back. You know, I’ll say the other thing about not driving is you can still drink. And, and, and you know, make it around and, and, and be safe. And I think that’s really important, too.

MELISSA: Now, we’ve talked about what riding Muni is like during the holidays, but what about the people behind the wheel of our vehicles? Robert Valenzuela has been a Muni operator for 15 years, and he drives the 5 Fulton route at night. So, what is this time of year on Muni like for him?

ROBERT VALENZUELA, MUNI OPERATOR: It’s definitely a loving and, and fun energy. You know, everybody’s excited to see everything, especially the people that are not from here. You know, they see how we decorate our city, and they’re really appreciative of it. And, you know, sometimes, uh, you’ll get a guy that’ll come on the bus. And he’ll play a musical instrument and kinda just get the whole bus into caroling, you know. And, it’ll be, like, “Woah, where did that come from?” You know it’s, it’s really exciting when that happens because it just lifts everybody’s spirit on the bus. Also, people have a lot more kindness in their hearts, you know. So, I’ve seen people pull out socks and give them to the less fortunate that are on the bus riding to get a meal. Or they might give their leftovers, or they might even give them half a pizza or anything that’s, you know, that they might want anymore or just wanna bless somebody with. I asked a guy, myself, you know, a regular guy that I see, “What do you need?” He goes, “I need socks for warm feet.” I said, “I got you.” So, I, I got him a bundle of socks from Costco. 

MELISSA: We ask Valenzuela if he has any advice for riders this season.

ROBERT: Spread the good spirit that you’re feeling, and, and spread it amongst somebody that, you know might be down. Or just even check in with somebody. You know, just say, How’s it going?” and just be there and, and spread the joy of the holidays. People appreciate it if you just check in with them. You know, you don’t know what they’re going through. Just a “Hi,” you know, is, is nice. But also, be mindful that it can get crowded, it can get busy. So, you know, be patient and understanding, and, um, you know, if you see me, say, “Hi.”

BU ANNOUNCEMENT: Warning, doors are closing.

MELISSA: Thank you for joining us on Taken with Transportation. We’re a production of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, and you can find the latest episodes at SFMTA.com-slash-Podcast, as well as Apple, Spotify, our YouTube channel or wherever you listen. I’m Melissa Culross. Enjoy the season and enjoy the ride!