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PODCAST

Bay Curious

Bay Curious is a show about your questions – and the adventures you find when you go looking for the answers. Join host Olivia Allen-Price to explore all aspects of the San Francisco Bay Area – from the debate over "Frisco", to the dinosaurs that once roamed California, to the causes of homelessness. Whether you lived here your whole life, or just arrived, Bay Curious will deepen your understanding of this place you call home.

society & culture places & travel

All Episodes

18:50

The Hunters Point Crane

Bay Curious ·

2024/09/19

It looks sort of like a gigantic table...or a huge metal space dog...or maybe even an Imperial Walker from Star Wars. Whatever you imagine the Hunters Point Gantry Crane looks like, it certainly stands out—this massive structure on the edge of the bay on San Francisco's south side can be seen from three counties. But what is it doing there? This week, reporter Ezra David Romero investigates its origins and how it relates to actions by the U.S. Navy decades ago still haunt San Franciscans

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14:32

Does Mount Diablo Have the Biggest View in the World?

Bay Curious ·

2024/09/11

Listener Mark Isaak heard that from the top of Mount Kilimanjaro you can see the most land in every direction of any spot on Earth. But that the summit of Mount Diablo comes in second as the peak with the biggest view. Turns out, this is a widely-circulated factoid that goes back centuries. But is it true? In this episode from 2020, reporter Asal Ehsanipour scales the summit of this question to bring us the answer. Additional Reading: Does Mount Diablo Have the Biggest View in the World? Read a

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18:34

Port Costa: Quirky, Historic, Cool

Bay Curious ·

2024/08/29

Port Costa is a tiny, funky town on the Carquinez Strait that looks and feels like a time capsule. We've received several questions about it over the years: Did its old hotel used to be a brothel? Is it haunted? Was Port Costa once a port, as the name suggests? This week, reporter Katherine Monahan heads to this relic of the old west to experience its eclectic charm and find out the answers.Additional Reading: The Bay Area Wild West Port Town that Reinvented Itself Read a transcript of this

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19:50

The Low Down on Lowriders

Bay Curious ·

2024/08/22

Candy colored paint jobs, tons of artistic details, with bodies slammed almost to the ground or bouncing on hydraulics—lowriders definitely turn heads wherever they're cruising. Where exactly did this unique car culture get its start? This week, reporter Sebastian Miño-Bucheli takes us on a drive through lowrider history.Additional Reading: The Provocative, Rebellious and Flamboyant Origins of Lowriding Read a transcript of this episode California Lifts Decades-Old Ban on Lowrider Cruising from

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19:38

Ice Plant is Pretty but Pernicious

Bay Curious ·

2024/08/15

If you've been anywhere along the California coast, you've seen it—ice plant. It's a low, spreading succulent with finger-like leaves and bright pink or yellow flowers. Given its prevalence on our shorelines, you might assume ice plant is meant to be there. But it's actually an invasive species that threatens native plants and wildlife. This week on the show, producer Pauline Bartolone digs into the effects of this pretty pest, and some other herbaceous interlopers.Additional Reading: Pretty but

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21:47

It's Electric! But Car Charging Infrastructure Could...

Bay Curious ·

2024/08/08

California plans to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035. But does the state have enough charging stations to support them? Today, some electric vehicle (EV) owners will tell you that charging an EV can be unreliable and stressful—especially if you are depending on public charging stations. Come 2035, the charging crunch could get much worse. This week on Bay Curious, reporter Dana Cronin takes on a road trip to understand what it will take to get more charging stations in our Bay

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27:38

Scarlot Harlot Made Sex Worker Rights Her Life's Work

Bay Curious ·

2024/08/01

It has been called "the world's oldest profession," but it's not one that's often discussed openly. Of course, we're talking about sex work. Attitudes about certain parts of the industry—from porn to strip clubs—have evolved over time, and so has the language used to discuss it. Even the term "sex work" is relatively new. This week, reporter Steven Rascón brings us the story of the woman who coined the term, and the history of the sex worker rights movement.This episode contains frank discussions

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14:25

Which Dinosaurs Roamed the Bay Area?

Bay Curious ·

2024/07/25

Before the rise of Silicon Valley, long before the 1906 quake, way before indigenous peoples settled in the Bay Area—actually way, WAY before humans even existed as a species—some fearsome creatures roamed this land. That's right, I'm talking about dinosaurs. This week we're reprising our 2017 episode from reporter Daniel Potter about what kinds of these "monstrous lizards" swam, stomped and flew over the Bay Area.Additional Reading: Which Dinosaurs Roamed the Bay Area? Read the transcript Sign

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12:24

Roses Are Red, Glitter is Plastic

Bay Curious ·

2024/07/18

While strolling through the beautiful Morcom Rose Garden, Bay Curious listener Julia Fogelson noticed something peculiar. All over the garden are signs banning a very specific item: glitter. So, what's with all the "NO GLITTER" signs? This week, reporter Christopher Beale takes us to the garden to figure out what sparked the sparkle ban. Additional Reading: Heading to Morcom Rose Garden? Better Leave Your Glitter at Home Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our

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15:52

San Francisco's Equine Officers

Bay Curious ·

2024/07/11

Gone are the days of the Old West with sheriffs sitting astride their horses and star shaped badges gleaming in the dusty sunshine. But the idea of police on horseback isn't a total relic. San Francisco, with the country's second oldest mounted police force, still has a few hooved officers left. This week on the show, producer Katrina Schwartz heads to the stables to meet this four-legged squad.Additional Reading: After 150 Years, Why Do San Francisco Police Still Have a Mounted Unit? Read a

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20:03

Is There Treasure At the Bottom of the Bay?

Bay Curious ·

2024/06/27

There are dozens of shipwrecks in and around San Francisco Bay. And Bay Curious listener Brian Teaff wonders: Is there treasure down there? In some ways yes, but it may not be the type of treasure you're imagining.Additional Reading Is There Treasure At The Bottom Of The Bay? Read episode transcript Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going

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19:59

How Activists Stopped Developers From Filling in the Bay

Bay Curious ·

2024/06/20

In the early 1960s, cities around the San Francisco Bay Area proposed plans to fill in the bay waters and expand. At the time, there was no regional agency looking at what all those projects together would do to the bay as whole. That's where three Berkeley women stepped in to save the bay.Additional Reading Read episode transcript EXHIBIT: Voices For the Environment: A Century of Bay Area Activism Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Your

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15:19

Why the Name Brotherhood Way in SF?

Bay Curious ·

2024/06/13

Which came first: the churches or the street named Brotherhood Way? That's what Bay Curious listener Noor Moughamian wants to know. She attends the KZV Armenian School located on the San Francisco street and has always wondered about the origin of the name.Additional Reading: Which Came First, San Francisco's Brotherhood Way Or The Churches On It? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Your support makes

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17:15

Is the Water in the Bay Getting Greener?

Bay Curious ·

2024/06/06

Bay Curious listener Justin Hartung grew up here, and remembers the waters of the bay being more blue than they are today. He wonders: Is the bay getting greener? Bay Curious producer Amanda Font gives us the answer, and takes us into the science behind it.Additional Reading: Feel Like the SF Bay Used to Be Bluer? You're Not Imagining It Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Your support makes KQED

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13:06

Ever Seen A Koi Fish on the Sidewalk?

Bay Curious ·

2024/05/23

There's a hidden meaning behind the koi fish stencils, which can be found all over the Bay Area, and in some other cities too. In this episode, reporter Tamuna Chkareuli introduces us to artist Jeremy Novy's, the artist behind the koi, and we learn how to decode the hidden message within each design. Additional Reading: Web post: Ever Seen A Koi Fish on the Sidewalk? Artist Explains Hidden Meaning Read the transcript for this episode $1.99 e-book deal available during May at: Amazon. Apple

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19:30

The Homes BART Tore Apart

Bay Curious ·

2024/05/16

Back in the early 1960’s, when BART was just a sketch on a map, planners with the young transit agency had a task in front of them. BART had to acquire some 2,200 parcels of land in order to build the future transportation system in the Bay Area. In this week's episode, Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman explores what happened next, and how decades later, memories of the homes and communities that were destroyed remain strong. Additional Reading: When BART Was Built, People — and Houses — Had to Go Read the

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22:21

History of Sutro Baths

Bay Curious ·

2024/05/09

The ruins of Sutro Baths, at the far western edge of San Francisco, are mysterious. Clearly something big used to stand here. Today we take you back in time to what visiting this grand swimming facility would have been like. Additional Reading: Inside Sutro Baths, San Francisco's Once Grand Bathing Palace $1.99 e-book deal available at: Amazon. Apple. Barnes & Noble. Google Play. Kobo. Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Your support

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17:17

Exploring San Francisco's Hidden Tunnels

Bay Curious ·

2024/05/02

San Francisco is 49 square miles, but contains more than 1,000 miles of sewer mains, running under every block. Take a trip with Bay Curious reporter Carly Severn into the depths of the city, and discover an otherworldly cave that has reached legendary status with some urban explorers. This story first aired in 2019.Additional Reading: Exploring San Francisco's Hidden Tunnels (YouTube) Tunnels Under San Francisco? Inside the Dark, Dangerous World of the Sewers Read the transcript for this

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6:10

Behind the Scenes (and Underground) with Carly Severn

Bay Curious ·

2024/05/01

Reporter Carly Severn gives Olivia Allen-Price a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to get under the streets of San Francisco for her 2019 story. If you value the work Bay Curious does, we’re asking for your financial support. Give at donate.kqed.org/podcasts.

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17:37

Alameda: The Island That Almost Wasn't

Bay Curious ·

2024/04/25

Nate Puckett lives, works and raises his kids on Alameda. In fact, he rarely leaves it. So he was surprised to learn that Alameda hasn't always been an island. We dig into a history with so many twists and turns it's make your head spin. Additional Reading: Alameda -- The Island That Almost Wasn't Why Is Part of Alameda Island in San Francisco? Bay Curious at Green Apple Books Event Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Your support makes

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