Bay Curious

If you head to Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve above Oakland, you might wonder the same thing as Bay Curious listener Bourke MacDonald: How did a volcano form here and why did it go extinct? Today on the show, we’re going hiking to learn more about this Bay Area geological wonder. Additional Reading:  What! There Was A Volcano in the East Bay Hills? Video: Geology Tour with Steve Edwards at Sibl...

Bay Curious listener David Mattea grew up in foggy Daly City. He remembers his family driving down the Peninsula to get some sun at a man-made beach on the Stanford campus. He wants to know what happened to it? Well, Searsville Lake is no longer open to the public, but rumors about the place are plentiful, including one about Leland Stanford flooding a town to create it, Additional Reading:  The R...

During the Gold Rush, people flocked to the San Francisco Bay Area to make their fortunes. A few entrepreneurial folks realized seabird eggs could provide protein to the hungry miners. Matthew Tuckner heard there was even a war fought over eggs on the Farallon Islands and wanted to know more. Additional Reading: The Gold Rush Delicacy That Started A War: Eggs The Kitchen Sisters Present podcast Wh...

Bay Curious listener Jaimie Cohen wants to know: "Why are there restaurants that serve Chinese food, doughnuts and burgers all in one location? And why are there so many of them in the Bay Area?" We found that it's a uniquely Californian combination with an unexpected history. Additional Reading:  Why Donuts + Chinese Food = A Very Californian Combination 'The Donut King' official trailer (Premier...

Bay Curious listener Chris Johanson wants to know whether the Nike Missile site in the Marin Headlands ever housed nuclear weapons. It's true. Veterans say the Cold War missile batteries that ringed the Bay Area housed warheads that more than equaled the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs combined. Additional Reading:  Marin Was Once Armed With Nuclear Missiles, Luckily They Were Never Deployed Reporte...

Many people in our community are experiencing homelessness -- about 35,000 throughout the Bay Area at last count. Matthew Schmitz was shocked by how wealth and poverty exist side by side when he moved to the Mission District of San Francisco. He wanted to know how homelessness here compares to other places around the world. *This audio has been updated to correct an error. A previous version misst...

How did a cutting edge railroad become crumbling tunnels to nowhere? This week, the story of the Mountain Route, a long lost rail line that once cut through the Santa Cruz Mountains. In it's heyday, the line provided an easy way for Bay Area residents to get to the beaches of Santa Cruz. Additional Reading:  The Story Behind Those Old Train Tunnels in the Santa Cruz Mountains The Island Ghost Town...

We’re answering your questions in a Bay Curious lightning round. We tackle changes you’ve noticed this past year on our bridges, on the water, and in how we consume. Additional Reading:  End of an Era: No More Toll Takers on Bay Area Bridges It's Not Just You, There Are More Cargo Ships in the Bay Than Usual How the Bay Area Is Using Water, Power and Landfill Space During the Pandemic San Francisc...

For years, Bay Curious listeners Julia Thollaug and Phil Montalvo have wondered the same thing: "What's the deal with the cross on Mount Davidson?" This week, how a 103-foot tall concrete cross ended up on the city's highest peak. It's a story that goes back almost 100 years. Additional Reading:  Why There's A Cross on San Francisco's Highest Peak Sign up for our newsletter where we answer even mo...

Bay Curious listeners Peter Caravalho and Sarah Caravalho Khan live in Cupertino. While wandering around their neighborhood they wondered where the street name "Hoo Hoo Way" came from. Turns out, it's a long story. Additional Reading: This Lumberjack Frat Once Had the Coolest Clubhouse in S.F. Sign up for the Bay Curious newsletter! Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwa...

We asked you to send us reflections on how your life has changed in the year since Bay Area leaders first issued a shelter-in-place order —the emotional beginning of the pandemic year for many of us. Amidst the hard stuff, you're finding bright spots and hope moving forward. Additional Reading: The Year of COVID: Your Stories of the Pandemic 'In the Heart of the Pandemic': COVID-19 Deaths Lo...

In this episode we answer your questions about Bay Area highways. Herb Masters has noticed what looks like a ghost freeway where 280 and 380 intersect on the Penninsula. He wants to know what's going on there. And Daniel Huertas has noticed more garbage on Bay Area roads recently. He's wondering, why? Additional Reading: Is That a Ghost Freeway on the Peninsula? And Are Our Highways Filthier Than...

The Bay Area is known for great oysters, but the ones grown locally are mostly from up in Marin County. San Francisco Bay used to have a thriving population of native oysters and Bay Curious listener Joseph Fletcher wants to know if they'll ever make a comeback. Additional Reading: The Bay Waters Once Teemed With Oysters. What Happened? The Wild Oyster Project Reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curiou...

The question is a simple but alarming one: If the Lake Chabot dam cracked open in a big earthquake, what kind of flooding should the communities below expect? This week's question asker, Hollyann Vickers Keng, has a vested interest in the answer -- she lives there! Additional Reading: A Potential Flood Threat Is Hidden in the East Bay Hills — Chabot Dam Oroville Crisis: Sheriff Called Emerge...

Our question-asker, Sara Russell, grew up hearing stories from her mother about how Irish Coffee was invented in San Francisco. Now, she wants to know if that story is totally accurate. Additional Reading:  The True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins Send us your COVID stories! Record yourself on your smartphone and email: baycurious@kqed.org Or, leave us a voicemail: 415-553-33...

A year into the coronavirus pandemic there's hope on the horizon. It's too soon to know the lasting impacts on the Bay Area, but we asked experts in mental health, transportation and education to try and predict what we might expect in our day-to-day lives as we slowly emerge from this crisis. Additional Reading: How Will A Year of Pandemic Learning Impact Bay Area Schools Long Term? As Battle Ove...

California is the most expensive state to build affordable housing in part because the costs to build are high. Some builders are turning to modular, prefabricated housing as a way to speed up production and rethink the way we've traditionally built in the Bay Area. Additional Reading: The Bay Area Has a Housing Crisis (Obviously.) Could Prefab Be the Answer? 5 Reasons It's So Expensive To Build H...

The coronavirus vaccine rollout in California has felt chaotic, in part because the state has changed course several times. Many Bay Area residents are wondering when and how they can get vaccinated. And what do all the changes mean for getting the most vulnerable people vaccinated? Additional Reading: California Debates Speed Versus Equity in Vaccine Distribution Plan Where Can I Get A COVID-19 V...

On this week's episode, Olivia says goodbye (temporarily!) as she gets ready to welcome a new baby to the Bay! But don't fret, Bay Curious producer Katrina Schwartz will be hosting the show while Olivia's away. We'll learn all about Katrina's roots in San Francisco and the thing that made the city finally feel like home. Additional Reading: Bay Curious Podcast Listeners: We've Got Some Changes For...

Want to know what time it is? These days, it's as easy as looking at your phone. But before the digital age, Bay Area residents could dial POP-CORN or 767-2676 to hear a woman's recorded voice giving the time. Bay Curious unpacks the human history of this now obsolete telephone service. Additional Reading:  You Used To Be Able to Call POP-CORN And Get the Time. What Happened To That? Reported by C...

In just two-and-a-half years the utility’s equipment started more than fifteen-hundred fires, a Wall Street Journal investigation found. Some of those were small, but others were deadly, like the 2018 Camp Fire, which burned the town of Paradise to the ground and killed 85 people. The Camp Fire caused about $16.5 billion in damages. Additional Reading: KQED coverage on PG&E 'Deflect, Delay, Defer'...

Listener Ben Kaiser loves watching films shot and set in San Francisco, and is looking for some recommendations. This episode features Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco Chronicle culture critic, and host of the Total SF podcast; and Carly Severn, KQED's resident movie obsessive and senior engagement editor. Additional Reading and Listening: Share your favorite Bay Area movies in our Facebook discussio...

Bay Curious listener Erin Al Gwaiz wanted to know more about the time that famous Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera spent in San Francisco. In this episode, reporter Marisol Medina-Cadena immerses us in their world — exploring who they were, how they spent their time here, and ultimately how their legacy still resonates today. Additional Reading: Inside Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's L...

We've got food on the mind this week, so are bringing back one of our all-time favorite episodes! Dig into the science behind San Francisco sourdough, and get to know the bacteria that shares our name: Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. Additional Reading: What Makes San Francisco Sourdough Unique? Reported by Julia Scott. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Katie McMurra...

August Vollmer was Berkeley's first police chief and is credited with pioneering many common aspects of policing used today. Listener Blake Schmidt wanted to know, is Berkeley responsible for the tactics and attitudes police are often criticized for? Additional Reading:  How a Berkeley Police Chief Gave Rise to the Modern Force "The Imperial Origins of American Policing: Militarization and Imperia...