Bay Curious

For generations, parents have been taking their young kids to Children's Fairyland, a storybook-themed amusement park next to Oakland's Lake Merritt. So what's the 'Once upon a time...' of this beloved East Bay cultural gem, which may even have inspired Walt Disney? Reporter Pauline Bartolone takes a journey with her own little one to learn about Fairyland's 72-year history. Additional Reading: Th...

High School—It's a pretty wild time in our lives. You're still growing and figuring out who you are, while juggling schoolwork, relationships, responsibilities, and rapidly-approaching adulthood. As part of KQED's Youth Takeover week, four high school students have been sharing audio diaries with us over the past few months. They let us into what's happening in their lives, and all the joys and he...

After a wet winter, California hillsides are carpeted with wildflowers — especially our glowing, golden orange state flower, the California Poppy. In honor of this super-bloom, we're reprising our episode from 2017 about a rumor concerning these little beauties: that it's illegal to pick them. Reporter Jessica Placzek helps us answer that question, and discovers more about them and their use by in...

During California's Gold Rush when miners flocked to the Bay Area, so too did people selling goods to those fortune seekers. One of these businesses grew to become a historic Union Square department store that brought a taste of French finery to those San Franciscans who could afford it. Reporter Christopher Beale explores the origins and legacy of the 100+ year run of 'City of Paris.' Additional...

If you live in a city, you've likely noticed that it's kind of difficult to see the stars at night through the glow of artificial lighting. That urban lighting bubble is getting brighter every year. So what can we do about it? KQED Science reporter Sarah Mohamad shines the light on light pollution, and where you can still go connect with the cosmos. Additional Reading: In Search of Bright Stars: C...

There’s a stretch of Highway 101 between South San Francisco and Candlestick Park where the road gets very straight and runs right next to the Bay. Even though there are lot of 'No Parking' signs in the area, some people are willing to risk a ticket for the good fishing in that particular spot. What are they catching, and what other treasures are fisher folk pulling out of San Francisco Bay and be...

The greater Bay Area is surrounded by a lot of commercial farmland, whether it's vineyards in Napa or strawberries in Watsonville. But there are also a number of urban farms—plots of land, or even rooftop gardens, that lie within big cities. With land at a premium, how can these small growers afford to grow food in an urban environment? Reporter Dana Cronin visits a few to find out.  Additional Re...

The iconic Castro Theatre in San Francisco's historic LGBTQ+ neighborhood is more than just a movie theatre — it's a movie palace. No one denies its cultural importance and landmark status, but there has been debate over the fate of its interior, specifically its seats, after management was taken over by Bay Area-based Another Planet Entertainment. Reporter Christopher Beale takes us back through...

Today we’re getting a little outside the Bay Area because we’re headed to Folsom, just east of Sacramento. There, you’ll find a state park whose name caught the attention of Pendarvis Harshaw, host of KQED's Rightnowish podcast. On a stretch of shoreline, where the northern end of Lake Natoma meets the American River, is Black Miners Bar. Before June 2022 this spot was called by a different name:...

There are hundreds of miles of bike lanes in San Francisco, making it one of the most bike friendly cities in America. But that wasn't the case until the 90s. The transformation was due, in large part, to two groups working without coordination: The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition – an advocacy organization, and Critical Mass – the name of a regular group bike ride. This week, reporter Azul Dahlst...

In the Palo Alto Baylands, right on the edge of a marsh, sits a building with a strong resemblance to a boat. Who built it, and why did they go with the nautical theme? KQED's Silicon Valley Editor, Rachael Myrow, hops aboard to find out. Additional Reading: The Building That Looks Like A Boat Off The Coast of Palo Alto Read a transcript of this episode Sign up for our newsletter This story was re...

You may have noticed that it has rained a LOT so far this year. All that water got us thinking about some of your water-related questions over the years. Where does all the rain water go? Are there really underground rivers in San Francisco? What happens to the ground squirrels when it rains? Do they… drown? This week on the show, it's a three-question lightning round with producer Amanda Font. Ad...

You probably know the broad strokes of the Donner Party Saga: In 1846, a group of migrants traveling to California got stuck in a surprise October snow storm. After exhausting all their resources, they turn to cannibalism to survive. It's a grisly tale ... but the way it's often told is incomplete. We’ll delve into the details many leave behind, and explore what happened to the Donner Party surviv...

Why would a house have a garage if it was built before cars were available? How come some Bay Area homes have a front door that's technically on the second floor? When did everyone decide to paint their Victorian houses in bright, vivid colors? This week on the show, we answer multiple questions about some of the Bay Area's architectural curiosities. Additional Reading: Why Are There Garages on Ba...

A UC Berkeley study estimates there are about 38,000 acres of land owned by faith groups in California, an area roughly the size of Stockton, that are largely going unused. Some churches want to build affordable housing on that extra land— but building any kind of housing in California means jumping through a lot of hoops. Reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi finds out what it would take for houses of worsh...

For more than a century, people in the Bay Area — and especially the East Bay — have puzzled over the existence of stone walls scattered on ridges from near San Jose north through the Berkeley Hills. Sometimes the walls are built in long straight lines. Sometimes they form angles. Occasionally you’ll find rectangular or circular constructions. "Who built these things? How long ago? And why?" asked...

Beth Touchette has lived in Marin County for a long time, and has often seen seen cattle grazing in Point Reyes National Seashore. It's an unusual sight, one not common in National Parks around the United States. She asked Bay Curious: "How did we end up allowing cattle in a national park?" Beth’s question won a voting round on BayCurious.org, and is at the heart of a battle that’s been heating up...

For our final episode of the year, Olivia Allen-Price and Katrina Schwartz answer the questions we get most often about the show: How do you choose which questions to answer? How long does it take to make an episode? What's your favorite episode of all time? And more! Join us for a behind-the-scenes chat about the making of the show, plus we'll share some big news about something exciting coming i...

Over the years, many Bay Curious listeners have wondered about how the iconic Transamerica Pyramid came to be. So, in the year of its 50th birthday we bring you the story of a building that was once deemed "architectural butchery," but is now beloved by many. Additional Reading:  The Transamerica Pyramid at 50: From 'Architectural Butchery' to Icon San Francisco Chronicle archival photos of the Tr...

A group of Black ministers convinced a local Richmond developer to build homes that would be available to all Americans, including Black Americans, in the early 1950s long before the Fair Housing Act. We trace the history of that activism and the fate of the community over the decades. Additional Reading: Homes for All: Richmond's 1950s Attempt at Integrated Housing To Place Our Deeds: The African...

UC Berkeley graduate student Ziad Shafi was surprised when he arrived in the Bay Area and saw that BART trains only have one route through San Francisco. He'd taken metro trains in Prague, Stockholm and Washington, D.C., where the route maps are shaped like spiderwebs — allowing riders to get in striking distance of anywhere in the city. But BART looks more like a tree. He asked: "Why do four of t...

The Bay Area has a vibrant and eclectic music scene, but when Jessica Kariisa moved here last year she couldn’t find many places playing the African dance hits she loves. But African music is her passion, so Jessica went on a mission to find it. You'll definitely want to turn the volume up for this episode! Additional Reading: Finding Musical Gems in the Bay Area’s African Club Scene A longer vers...

Oakland resident Paul Beach cares a lot about recycling. So, he was troubled to hear rumors that all his carefully sorted recyclables might be going into the landfill. He wants to know, how much of our recycling is actually getting recycled? Turns out, when it comes to plastic, not a lot. Additional Reading:  'You Can't Recycle Your Way Out': California's Plastic Problem and What We Can Do About I...

Can spirits really speak to us from beyond death? That's what science editor and skeptic Jon Brooks has been wondering for 27 years, since he and a friend had an experience with a Ouija board that they just can't explain. After losing his mother, Jon decides to dust off the same board he used in 1995 and try to recreate the original experience with as much scientific rigor as one can manage while...

There’s no question that today, the nine-county Bay Area votes solidly blue. But it hasn’t always been this way. One of the most conservative Republican candidates ever picked, Barry Goldwater, was nominated right here in 1964. So, how did the Bay Area become a bastion of blue? Additional Reading: When and Why the Bay Area Became So Liberal Political Breakdown Podcast Prop Fest Series KQED's 2022...