Bay Curious
Episodes
Unsung Heroines: Rebel Girls of the Bay Area
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Women have dramatically influenced San Francisco Bay Area history since before the Gold Rush, but their stories are often far less well known. Rae Ale...
The Bear on the California Flag
19 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There's a pervasive story that the bear on California's state flag is modeled on a real California grizzly that was kept in captivity in San Francisco...
Secrets of Golden Gate Park
16 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
San Francisco's Golden Gate Park is at the heart of city life. Created in 1870 when the land was mostly sand dunes, the park is now one of the crown j...
The Navy Jet Generations of SF Kids Played On
12 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
One of Aaron Van Lieu's first memories is playing on a real fighter jet in San Francisco's Carl Larsen Park. Located on 19th Avenue at Vicente Street,...
Why So Many Legal Courts in S.F.?
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Longtime listener Henry Lie was driving through San Francisco one day when he realized the staggering number of legal courts located in the heart of t...
How South San Francisco Went From Industrial City to Biotech Hub
05 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
When scientists began tinkering with DNA in the 1970s, biotechnology was not welcome in leafy residential neighborhoods or many college towns. But it ...
The Eccentric Personalities Behind Sunnyside Conservatory
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Balmana grew up in San Francisco and has driven down Monterey Boulevard near the Glen Park neighborhood hundreds of times. She often notices a la...
The Case of the Missing Tree Frogs
26 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Bay Curious listener Dave Ellis lives in the South Bay city of Saratoga. When he was a kid growing up there, he remembers loud tree frogs chorusing al...
How Italian Is North Beach? The Surprising Stats
23 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Bay Curious listener Grant Strother has been visiting San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood his whole life. He loves to get a caprese sandwich at M...
The Rise and Fall of Bay Area Streetcars
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Commuting from East Bay cities like Berkeley and Oakland into San Francisco can be dismal. So when people learn there used to be an extensive streetc...
Meet the Duduk Whisperer
16 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
While you might not recognize the name, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the haunting, almost otherworldly sound the duduk makes. This humble sh...
The SF Landmark You've Never Heard of...Unless You're French
12 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There's a blue house in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood that is constantly mobbed by French tour groups. Bay Curious listener Helen Walker wants t...
Are We Having a 'Crow-maggedon'?
09 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Recently, several listeners have written to us wondering about the large flocks of crows they see darkening the skies over the Bay Area at sunset each...
Local Olympians to Cheer For During the Winter Games
05 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan start tomorrow and there are a lot of Bay Area athletes representing our region at the games. We sit down with other...
The Ukrainian Rebel Priest of Hayward
29 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
High in the Hayward Hills, Ukraina marks the farm and grave of Ukrainian dissident priest Agapius Honcharenko, who fled Russian authorities and settle...
The San Francisco Church Where John Coltrane is a Saint
22 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
There's a church in San Francisco where John Coltrane's music is more than jazz -- it's doctrine. The Coltrane Church, as it’s often called, is the ...
How a Pacifica Bar Became a Flashpoint for Queer Civil Rights
15 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Henry Lie grew up in Pacifica and thought he knew everything there was to know about his hometown, just a few minutes south of San Francisco. So he wa...
How Tiny Homes Once Housed Thousands in San Francisco
08 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, thousands of San Franciscans were homeless. City leaders needed them to stay in the city to help rebuild, so they ...
A Spirited Debate Over the Best Movies Filmed in SF
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
San Francisco is an iconic looking city, so it's a little surprising that more movies aren't shot here. There are a lot of reasons for that -- cost be...
SFO's One-of-a-Kind Art Museum
11 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Barry Asin flies through SFO about once a month and often stops to take a look at the art exhibits dotted throughout the terminals. He particularly lo...
The Historic Mansion Hidden Under the Bay Bridge
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Tucked under the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge is a once-grand mansion known as the Nimitz House. Bay Curious listener Ben Kaiser wants to know n...
Were Chain Stores Once Banned in San Francisco?
20 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
San Francisco is known for its distinct neighborhoods, each with its own shopping street, full of local businesses. Listener Sarah Soule grew up in th...
The Girl in the Fishbowl at Bimbo's 365 Club
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Rita Hayworth, Robin Williams, Adele — these are just a few of the huge stars that have graced the stage of Bimbo’s 365 Club over its 94 years in ...
When Biological Weapons Were Secretly Tested in San Francisco
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In 1950, the U.S. military sprayed bacteria over San Francisco as part of a biological weapons test. The test team thought the bacteria it used was ha...
Who Killed Jane Stanford? Inside A 120-Year-Old Mystery
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Stanford University on the San Francisco peninsula is a rarified place, so its intriguing that even 120 years after her death, there's still a mystery...
Proposition 50, Thoroughly Explained
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
California voters have one proposition on the ballot this November: Proposition 50. It's supporters want California to adopt a new congressional map t...
The Punk Club That Changed San Francisco
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In San Francisco, Mabuhay Gardens was the epicenter of punk. Located on Broadway at the edge of North Beach and Chinatown, it was ground zero for the ...
Why So Many Motels on Lombard Street?
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Lombard Street is famous for its winding brick lane, but beyond that iconic block lies something unexpected: a stretch of old-school motels. Why so ma...
La Llorona: Ghost or Protector? You Decide
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the popular telling, La Llorona is a ghost. She’s the spirit of a woman who haunts watery places, wailing for her lost children. But as with all ...
Bears, Coyotes, Mountain Lions While Hiking or Camping? What You Should Do
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As we go about our lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and explore this beautiful state, it's not uncommon to encounter wild animals. Whether you're h...
SF Stairways: Shortest, Longest, and Steepest
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There are over 900 stairways in San Franciso. Some are simple wooden stairs, others beautiful climbs covered in mosaics, or utilitarian concrete steps...
The Bay Area’s Got A Wild Pig Problem
11 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Originally imported to Monterey County for sport by a wealthy landowner in the 1920s, wild boars now number in the hundreds of thousands, and they are...
Amusement Parks of Yore: Playland-at-the-Beach and Idora Park
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Summer is coming to an end, so we're taking a journey back in time to remember two amusement parks that have etched themselves into the imaginations o...
Reversing Extinction? Sea Otters and Butterflies Hold Clues
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Bay Area is a biodiversity hotspot, home to species found nowhere else on Earth. But decades of urbanization have pushed many of these animals —...
Are Seagulls Native to the Bay Area?
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Seagulls are everywhere in the Bay Area — flocking to Giant's games in San Francisco and crowding South Bay salt ponds. But are they actually native...
How Fremont Became Known As 'Little Kabul'
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past 40 years, Afghans have steadily immigrated to the East Bay town of Fremont, hoping to start new lives close to others who share their l...
Julia Morgan: A Thoroughly Bay Area Architect
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Julia Morgan, the pioneering female architect, was born in San Francisco, raised in Oakland and educated at UC Berkeley and the the Ecole des Beaux-Ar...
How Daly City Became A Filipino Hub
24 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Nearly one in three Daly City residents identify as Filipino, according to 2019 Census data. Bay Curious listener Ricky Tjandra wondered what makes th...
What Does It Mean to Live In an Unincorporated Area?
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alameda is the second most populous county in the Bay Area, after Santa Clara. Oakland is the biggest city, but the county stretches all the way out t...
A Summer Trip on the Rails
10 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Train travel isn't as common as it used to be, but there's one Amtrak route that train enthusiasts love because it's so beautiful -- the California Ze...
The Legacy of Alameda's Japanese-American Baseball Team
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The island of Alameda has produced some great baseball players. Hall of Fame hitter Willie Stargell even has a street named after him! Some of those b...
Transamerica Pyramid: From 'Architectural Butchery' to Icon
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Transamerica Pyramid, located in downtown San Francisco, is a skyline staple. But when it was proposed, people hated the idea of a towering symbol...
What Is That Massive Tunnel on the Beach South of Fort Funston?
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On a Daly City beach just south of Fort Funston there's a large tunnel carved into the cliff. Bay Curious listener Francisco Alvarado noticed it one d...
What Is the PayPal Mafia?
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley have been popping up in political circles. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has been advising President Trump; bi...
How Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs Became Iconic Bay Area Street Food
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever walked around Pier 39 in San Francisco or made a late-night exit from a concert at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, you're probably famil...
A Ford Factory Changed Milpitas, Then it Became a Mall
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Great Mall of Milpitas wasn't always a mall; it used to be a massive Ford factory. Bay Curious listener Brandon Choy wanted to know more about it...
San Francisco Businesses That Date Back to the Gold Rush
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Several Bay Area businesses have been around for a really long time. Normandin's car dealership in San Jose opened in 1875 and first sold horses and b...
Why Are Private Schools So Popular In San Francisco?
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to private school enrollment, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Mateo and Marin counties are all well above the state average. But why? In...
Check Out KQED's New Show Hyphenación
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Xorje Andrés Olivares and guests to explore what it means to live within a hyphenation. Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated ...
A Peek Into The Lives Of Four Bay Area Teens
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As part of Youth Takeover Week at KQED The Bay and Bay Curious have teamed up to collaborate with four high school students who live in San Pablo, F...
Olivia's Out On Maternity Leave
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Olivia Allen-Price will be taking a step back from the show for a few months to give birth to her second child. Bay Curious producer and editor Katrin...
Who is the 'Stevens' of Stevens Creek?
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of things in the South Bay, specifically around Cupertino and Mountain View, are named after somebody called Stevens. There’s Stevens Creek Bo...
How Canned Salmon Became Big Business in San Francisco
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Starting in the mid-1800s, salmon canneries were big business along the West Coast, stretching all the way up to Alaska. San Francisco played an outsi...
The Berkeley Park That Was Once All Trash
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Bay Curious listener Tom Rauch grew up in Berkeley in the 1960s. Some of his most vivid memories from that time are of the old Berkeley dump. “It re...
Behind the Fillmore's Iconic Music Posters
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
These days, when you see a show at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, you might be lucky enough to get your very own poster for free. They’re...
Your Bay Area Transit Questions, Answered: Bridge Tolls, Lane Closures and Vanity Plates Too
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
One of the topics we get the most questions about from our audience is transportation. Today we round up answers to a handful of your questions, inclu...
Fairy Houses And A Very Green Waterfall
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A Bay Area artist in Richmond has been stealthily building and placing fairy houses around his neighborhood. His creations bring ‘endless fun and fa...
San Francisco's Oldest Lesbian Bar: Wild Side West
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
San Francisco's oldest lesbian bar, The Wild Side West, is in the Bernal Heights neighborhood. It's been open since 1962 and has a long history of off...
It’s Back! A Full 'Close All Tabs' Season Is Here!
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder where the internet stops and IRL begins? Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and i...
What is a Frisco Biscuit?
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
A British sailor named Charles Lightoller visited San Francisco in the late 1800s and raved about the "'Frisco biscuit" he ate there. Carl Merritt rea...
Dating in the Bay Area: Your Stories
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Whether it's on the apps or in real life it can be hard to meet romantic partners. We explore what it's like to be dating right now in the Bay Area. T...
A Fallen Gem: Oakland’s 16th Street Train Station
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Listener Tadd Williams often sees the 16th Street Station from I-880. It's a huge, stately building in the Beaux-Arts style. It's looking a little run...
Tips and Tricks to Snag California Campsites
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Reserving camp sites in California can feel sometimes feel as hard as scoring Taylor Swift concert tickets. KQED's Senior Editor for Audience News, Ca...
Journey to a Lonely Island in San Francisco Bay
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Just off the coast of Richmond is a small island that's home to over a hundred bird species, lots of field mice, one dog and one man. The singular hum...
What it Takes to Redevelop Old Military Bases
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Mare Island, Alameda Naval Air Station, Treasure Island — San Francisco Bay is surrounded by former military bases that look largely abandoned and f...
Why Are There so Many Abandoned Military Bases?
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
All around the edges of San Francisco Bay you'll find reminders of a once robust military presence in this area. The Presidio, Alameda Naval Air Stati...
Is it Safe to Swim in San Francisco Bay?
09 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you can brave the cold and get over your worries about sharks, is it a good idea to swim in the bay's somewhat murky depths? This week, reporter Da...
Chinese Food and Donuts: A Classic Bay Area Combo
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do you ever finish a big plate of lo mein and suddenly think, 'Boy, I could really go for a Boston cream'? If you're in the Bay Area, you're in luck! ...
How Fernet-Branca Became San Francisco's Favorite Spirit
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
About 25 years ago, Fernet-Branca went from a somewhat eclectic drink, shared among the city's old school bartenders, to one of the most iconic spirit...
Which San Francisco Sounds Are Lost to Time?
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our lives are full of sounds. The rumble of car engines, a particular birdsong, the 'ding' of phone alerts, even the voices of our friends and family ...
Is Monterey Jack Cheese ... Not From Monterey?
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most people believe that Monterey Jack Cheese originated in ... Monterey. And while the name 'Monterey Jack' establishes a clear claim, this week we'r...
An Instrument Played by the Waves
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Wave Organ is an environmental sculpture that goes below the surface of the bay to create a unique sonic experience for visitors. Listener Robbie ...
Bay Curious Presents Mindshift: The Black Panther Legacy and Oakland Community Schools
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When people think of the Black Panthers, most imagine militant Black men in berets carrying guns. While that's not an inaccurate picture, the Black Pa...
The Explosive History Hidden in Glen Canyon Park
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
These days, Glen Canyon Park is a tranquil urban park with hiking trails, soccer fields and a playground, which makes it all that more difficult to im...
An Eerie Night on the USS Hornet
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are plenty of 'haunted' places in the Bay Area. But some locations are said to attract ghosts, even if they don't have a connection to the place...
Bay Curious Presents Close All Tabs: Stan Wars, The Fandom Menace
29 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We're presenting an episode of Close All Tabs, a new miniseries from KQED that explores the intersection of internet culture and politics. In this epi...
How Often Should our Wild Lands Burn?
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
California has over 33 million acres of forest land, about a third of the state's total area, as well as other wild land areas. For decades we've done...
A Final Resting Spot for Furry Friends
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Burying the dead in San Francisco has long been banned, but at the Presidio pet cemetery hundreds of dogs, cats, fish, iguanas, and turtles have been ...
The Secret History of Mary Ellen Pleasant
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of San Francisco's purported “ghosts,” has a remarkable real-life story often left out of San Francisco's history books. Today we bring back a...
Proposition 36: Increasing Penalties for Drug and Theft Crimes
04 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2014, Californians passed Prop 47, a criminal justice reform measure aimed at sending fewer low-level offenders for drug and theft crimes to prison...
Proposition 35: Funding Medi-Cal
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As our Prop Fest series continues, KQED Health Correspondent Lesley McClurg joins us to explain Prop. 35, which aims to improve Medi-Cal access by mak...
Proposition 34: Prescription Drug Spending (But Also ... Rent Control?)
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we take a closer look at Prop 34, which takes aim at how revenues earned through a federal drug pricing program are spent by a very specific nu...
Proposition 33: Removing State Limits on Rent Control
01 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly 30 years, the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act has limited how far local governments can take rent control policies. This year, Proposition...
Proposition 32: Minimum Wage Increase
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As you know, California is already an expensive state to live in. When you add up rent, gas, and groceries, things get expensive real fast. Propositio...
Proposition 6: Ending Forced Labor for Prisoners
27 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 1865, the U.S. ratified the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibited slavery and involuntary servitude — except as punishment for con...
Proposition 5: Lower the Voting Threshold to Pass Some Local Bonds
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Bonds are a way for state and local governments raise money for projects—things like schools, infrastructure, or transportation. In part 4 of our Pr...
Proposition 4: Climate-Related Programs Bond
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Prop Fest continues we tackle Proposition 4, which asks voters to approve $10 billion in bonds to fund conservation and climate change related prog...
Proposition 3: Marriage Equality Amendment
24 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the second installment of our Prop Fest series we'll dig into Prop 3, which would enshrine the right to marriage for all couples into California's ...
Proposition 2: School Facilities Bond
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the first episode of our Prop Fest series, a collaboration from Bay Curious and The Bay podcasts, where we break down each of the 10 statewide...
The Hunters Point Crane
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Does Mount Diablo Have the Biggest View in the World?
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 summi...
Port Costa: Quirky, Historic, Cool
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Low Down on Lowriders
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Candy colored paint jobs, tons of artistic details, with bodies slammed almost to the ground or bouncing on hydraulics—lowriders definitely turn hea...
Ice Plant is Pretty but Pernicious
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 pin...
It's Electric! But Car Charging Infrastructure Could Use a Jolt
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
Scarlot Harlot Made Sex Worker Rights Her Life's Work
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Which Dinosaurs Roamed the Bay Area?
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Roses Are Red, Glitter is Plastic
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While strolling through the beautiful Morcom Rose Garden, Bay Curious listener Julia Fogelson noticed something peculiar. All over the garden are sign...
San Francisco's Equine Officers
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 po...
Is There Treasure At the Bottom of the Bay?
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 wa...