Bay Curious

This week the Bay Curious team asked locals to help us make a collective love letter to the Bay Area. We talked to people whose families have been here for several generations, people who just arrived and some who recently left. We heard all kinds of reasons for why you love it. We present to you, your stories and our love letter. Credits Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek,...

When Nicole was growing up, her grandmother always told her: Don't live anywhere built on fill. Her uncle also had strong memories of watching the Marina burn after the 1989 earthquake — when parts of the ground liquefied, causing buildings to collapse and gas lines to break. Nicole wants to follow her grandmother's advice, but she needs to know a few things: "What neighborhoods and cities in the...

We get a lot of BART questions from our listeners, so this week we're answering a slew of them with long-time transit reporter Dan Brekke. How did they build the underwater tunnels for BART? In its nearly 50 years of existence, why has BART taken so long to extend into Santa Clara County? And only normally protruded into San Mateo County and never expanded into any of the North Bay counties? Why a...

Jerry Brown has been a dominant force in California politics for decades. He spent 16 years as governor of California, ran for Senate twice, ran for president three times, and spent eight years as Mayor of Oakland. In this episode, we explore how Brown's legacy in Oakland is playing out today with Devin Katayama of The Bay, and Guy Marzorati, producer of new podcast The Political Mind of Jerry Bro...

Reporter Rachael Myrow and listener Debbie Torrey discover that what we've been told about this famous road is mostly bunk. This story first ran on the podcast in Nov. 2017. Additional Reading: Video: The true story of the 'royal' road El Camino Not-So-Real: The True Story of the 'Ancient Road' Reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran an...

The crosswalks in San Francisco, and many other Bay Area towns, play a 'machine gun' sound when the 'walk' sign is illuminated for pedestrians. A Bay Curious listener recalls hearing chirping sounds in other areas. Why do ours sound the way they do? Plus, we get to know an architect who listens to buildings. Additional Reading: An Architect Who Listens To Buildings Reported by Olivia Allen-Price,...

Listener Britt McEachern is a tour guide in San Francisco, and spends a lot of time walking around city streets. He's noticed grids of glass embedded in the sidewalk and wants to know what they are. Take a journey with reporter Jessica Placzek to learn the purpose and origins of these gems beneath your feet. Additional Reading: What Are Those Grids of Glass in the Sidewalk — And Why Are They Purpl...

This is the second part of our series on Treasure Island. Listener Gary Pilgrim was taking a drive across the Bay Bridge with his new wife when they decided to stop at Treasure Island. After taking in the sweeping views, he wondered how this manmade island came to be in the first place, and what it's future holds. We're answering Gary's questions in a two-part series exploring the island's past an...

Listener Gary Pilgrim was taking a drive across the Bay Bridge with his new wife when they decided to stop at Treasure Island. After taking in the sweeping views, he wondered how this manmade island came to be in the first place, and what it's future holds. We're answering Gary's questions in a two-part series exploring the island's past and future. This week: How was Treasure Island made, and why...

Question asker José Muñoz wants to know more about the storied history of this place, which was a pivotal stop-off in Charlie Chaplin's career. Was Niles Hollywood before Hollywood was Hollywood? Additional Reading: This Tiny East Bay Town Was Once a Movie Making Hotspot Reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additiona...

The Occupation of Alcatraz began on Nov. 20, 1969, when a group of Native American students, calling themselves the Indians of All Tribes, landed on Alcatraz Island. They wanted to return the land to native ownership, and felt they had a right to the land because of the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which said that land deserted by the federal government should be returned to the natives who once occupi...

Kevin Platt was checking out a flag display outside San Francisco's city hall when he noticed the flag from his home state, Texas, was among them. What gives? Plus, we take a quick dive into the history of San Francisco's oldest square — where the announcement of gold was made, and where the state's first public school house once stood. Reported by Annika Cline and Marisol Medina-Cadena. Bay Curio...

When Bay Curious listener Justin Hartung was growing up in Oakland, he remembers the Bay being blue. After moving to New York for college in the early 90s, and returning back to the East Bay a couple years ago, he noticed a big difference in the hue of the harbor. When did it get so green? Additional Reading: Feel Like the S.F. Bay Used to Be Bluer? You're Not Imagining It Reported by Amanda Font....

To celebrate the third birthday of the Bay Curious podcast we are answering listener questions about our favorite episodes, how we make the show, our theme music, the way we choose questions, and questions we wish we received. Also don't miss our birthday celebration on November 14th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Babe's Monte Carlo in San Francisco. Register at BayCurious.org/events. Additional reading...

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. VIDEO: Take A Trip Into San Francisco's Sewer System Web story: Tunnels Under San Francisco? Inside the Dark, Dan...

The Bay Area is defined by water. Not just by the bay itself, but by the Pacific Ocean and myriad rivers, reservoirs, lakes and ponds. Yet most of the bodies of water you drive past are devoid of people. No swimming. No splashing around. Not even on the hottest days. Why is that? Additional Reading (including a list of where you can swim): Why Can’t You Swim in Most Bay Area Lakes? Reported by Kel...

Two Oakland ice cream makers claim they invented the famous flavor — Fenton's Creamery and Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream. Either way, the depression-era creation changed the game for ice cream flavors in America. More food history episodes: Dutch Crunch Mai Tai Green Goddess Salad Dressing It's It Ice Cream Sandwiches Sourdough Irish Coffee Reported by Sasha Khokha, host of The California Report Magazi...

Our first stop is the Bay Model in Sausalito, a roughly 1.5-acre model of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta system. We visit The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, which pays tribute to over 100 years of surfing in the area. Our last stop is at Musée Mécanique where we meet the owner of this vast coin-operated collection. Additional Reading: 12 Off-Beat Museums in the Bay Area T...

Lake Tahoe is the backyard playground for many in the Bay Area, so earlier this year we asked the Bay Curious audience what questions they had about this recreational hot spot. We collaborated with TahoeLand, a podcast from Capital Public Radio, to answer them! – Are there dead bodies at the bottom of the lake? – What’s the story behind Tahoe Tessie? – What does it mean to keep Tahoe blue? – Why i...

Back in the 1960s, San Francisco had really bad television reception. By many accounts, it was the worst of any city in America. Good reception required a clear line of sight from the broadcast tower to your TV antenna, and in hilly San Francisco this was a challenge. Broadcasters began the hunt for a location to build a very tall tower that could send a clear TV signal far and wide. A site was se...

If you’re in Berkeley and wander far enough up Marin Avenue, there’s no doubt you’ll run into the Fountain at The Circle. The grand Beaux Arts fountain has become a symbol of the neighborhood and has inspired numerous paintings and drawings. It even has its own Berkeley Public Library card design. But this fountain also symbolizes a big moment in Berkeley’s history, and how one developer’s dream a...

It might seem like everyone thinks their local airport is the worst of them all: the longest security lines, the worst food, the most delays. But we in the Bay Area have good reason to complain. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, in 2018 SFO was the third-most-delayed major airport in the U.S. in terms of arrivals, with about 26 percent of arriving flights delayed. And that’s no...

On a recent visit to San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, KQED listener Michelle Morby didn’t like what she saw. In the middle of the champagne-sipping, pre-performance throng, she spotted someone wearing jeans and white sneakers. “That to me is completely offensive,” Morby said. Morby is someone who likes to dress up when she goes out. “If I got a ticket to the opera tonight, I would pull ou...

After Joseph Morales, an electrician from Chicago, moved to Emeryville this past winter, he found himself wondering: What’s with all the palm trees in the Bay Area? Like Joseph, they didn’t originate here. But they’re all over the place. Not that Joseph minds. “They remind me of vacation,” he says, “having a good time with a cold drink and sitting under a palm tree.” Then again: “Northern Californ...

Ever had your late night revels ended abruptly by the bartender announcing last call just before 2 a.m. here in the Bay Area? If this strikes a chord, you’re not alone. California’s 2 a.m. last call frustrates a lot of people. KQED listener Tara Downey even gets a little embarrassed by it when out-of-town friends visit. “I have friends that live in New York, and so when they come back here it’s a...