Bay Curious

How San Francisco and Ed Hardy Gave Rise to the Custom Tattoo

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

San Francisco has left a mark on American tattoo history. In today's episode, we learn about longtime Bay Area resident Ed Hardy's impact on the indus...

Was Monterey Jack Cheese Created in Pacifica?

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Monterey Jack cheese get its name from the nearby city of Monterey, but the city of Pacifica alleges it should really be called Pacifica Jack. On this...

S.F.’s AIDS Memorial Grove is a Place Like No Other

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dawn Linhardt lives near Golden Gate Park and often wanders through the AIDS Memorial Grove at its eastern end. She finds it to be one of the most tra...

Does Anyone Play Polo at the Golden Gate Park Polo Field Anymore?

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

These days, the Golden Gate Park Polo Field in San Francisco is probably best known as the home to music festivals like Outside Lands. But for nearly ...

Golden Gate Park's Windmills Were Essential, Then Abandoned for Decades.

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Murphy Windmill is one of the largest windmills outside of Holland. It, along with the smaller and older Dutch Windmill, once provided essential w...

The Complicated Origins of S.F.'s Beloved Japanese Tea Garden

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park was originally built as a temporary exhibit for the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894....

Meet The Bison Herd of Golden Gate Park

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bison once roamed the West, but settlers hunted them to the brink of extinction in the 19th century. A captive breeding program operated in Golden Gat...

Golden Gate Park Was Once Miles and Miles of Sand Dunes

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listener Will Kardas heard once that it was a magical combination of spit and manure that allowed early San Franciscans to tame the sand d...

This Bay Area Sex-Loving Commune Is Still Going Strong

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sabrina McQueen grew up in Walnut Creek and would often see people driving around in purple limos. The locals call them "Purple People," and she's bee...

Nope, The Stanford Dish Isn’t Listening For Aliens. It Was Built to Spy on Russia

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Former Menlo Park resident Jim Timmons remembers the park around the Stanford Dish fondly. It has tons of wildlife and great views. But he wants to kn...

Teens Take Us Inside Bay Area Sneaker Culture

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you see someone wearing a pair of pristine, gleaming white sneakers do you ever ask yourself: How do they keep their shoes so clean? We dig into sn...

For Many Tenants, Section 8 Is A Broken Promise. Can It Be Fixed?

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of people are evicted each year, often because they can't pay rent. That causes a cascade of problems and makes it harder for many to get bac...

West Oakland's 16th Street Station Was Once A Community Anchor

14 Apr 2022

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...

Why You Might See Wacky Art Cars Rolling Downhill in McLaren Park

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listener Rich Wipfler loves cars. So when he read that back in 1975 the museum that would become SFMOMA held a soapbox derby where local a...

What Makes a Street ‘Private’? And Why Does San Francisco Have So Many?

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When Victoria Eng did a web search for her Duboce Triangle avenue she learned something curious. “It popped up on a list as an intersection of a pr...

What Happened to the Ohlone Shellmounds?

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shellmounds are man-made mounds of earth and organic matter that were built up by humans over thousands of years. They were created by the people nati...

Latinos in La Misión: A Story of Resistance and Community

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Mission District is one of San Francisco’s most famed neighborhoods -- and one of its oldest. It’s lived a lot of lives, from the Yelamu nativ...

What's It Like to Live on the Filbert Steps?

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Johnson has been trying to explore more areas of San Francisco. He discovered the Filbert Steps on Telegraph Hill one beautiful spring day and it...

The Sordid Saga of San Francisco’s Trash Cans

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listener Matt Leonard asked: "What's the deal with San Francisco's trash cans? Why are they so unwieldy and why does it seem like it's so ...

Despite What You Learned, California Had Slavery. What Now?

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When California became a state in 1850, it entered the union as a state that would not allow slavery. That's the history most people know. But in real...

When the Winter Olympics Came to Lake Tahoe

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You might consider the 1960 Winter Olympics in Lake Tahoe a quaint affair compared to what's going on in Beijing right now, but these games had an out...

Bay Curious Presents: Berkeley's Rainbow Sign

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Located at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Derby streets in Berkeley, The Rainbow Sign was a Black-centered space that was open to all —...

Shipwrecked! How a 120-Year-Old Ship Ended up in the Martinez Mud

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you're out for a walk along the Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline at low tide, you might see the bones of an old ship poking out of the mud. How di...

How You Can Responsibly Recycle Old Clothes

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of us are cleaning out our closets these days, getting rid of the stuff we don't wear and maybe even downsizing. But what do you do with all tho...

How You Can Help Save the Monarch Butterfly And Other Pollinators

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Western monarch butterflies migrate to California to overwinter each year, traveling hundreds, even thousands of miles When they arrive, they need nec...

$15,000 in Toll Penalties?! It Can Happen Faster Than You Think

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious newsletter reader Mike Robbins wrote to us saying he has thousands of dollars in toll violations and penalties. The number seemed so high ...

Is There A San Francisco Accent?

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When trying to identify a San Francisco accent, sometimes people point to the "Mission Brogue." But San Franciscans have always had many ways of speak...

How Black Shipyard Workers in Marin Helped Win World War II

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Bay Area is full of World War II history, even if it isn't always obvious. Listener Lise Ciolino stumbled on some in her Sausalito neighborhood wh...

Why So Many Driverless Cars in SF?

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Lenore Kenny has noticed an uptick in autonomous vehicles on the streets of San Francisco in recent months. Specifically, she's seen a lot of white Ja...

More Whales Are Washing Up Dead on Bay Area Beaches. Why?

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kindergartner Caleb Whan is fascinated by whales. He wants to know all about what they eat and where they live. We've got answers for him and for anot...

Are S.F. Streets Really Named For Gold-Rush Era Sex Workers?

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listener Ron Hewlett heard a rumor that several alleys in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood are named for Gold Rush era sex wor...

La Llorona, Legend and Protector, in the Streets of San Francisco

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you’ve grown up with the legend of La Llorona, you might be surprised to see how she’s depicted in a two-story mural at 24th and York Street in...

Listen If You Dare! Three Bay Area Ghost Stories

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We recommend you listen to this episode on headphones. Join us around the campfire to hear three ghost stories, some of them decades old, and all of ...

Deep in the Santa Cruz Redwoods, Your Mind Will Play Tricks On You

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Clayton Schloss sent Bay Curious this question: "Why do so many people have bumper stickers on their cars from the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz...

Meet the Bay Bridge Troll and the Broadway Tunnel Dragon

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week on the show, we hear the tale of the Bay Bridge Trolls, who have been keeping the Bay Bridge safe since 1989. Plus, we get to know more abou...

Why Are There So Many Graveyards in Colma?

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You'll find millions of graves in Colma, but hardly any in San Francisco. This week on Bay Curious we dig into the history on how that came to be. Plu...

Can Redwood City Really Boast “Climate Best By Government Test”?

30 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Drive around downtown Redwood City and you're sure to see the city slogan on a big arching signs: "Climate Best by Government Test." The slogan caught...

There's a Castle in Pacifica?!

23 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Krisi Riccardi was a girl, her father used to take her on leisurely Sunday drives down Highway 1. She'd enjoy the beautiful scenery until they hi...

A Prison with Million Dollar Views? How San Quentin Came to Be

16 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Terese O'Malley commuted across the Richmond-San Rafael bridge for years, and always wondered about a landmark visible from the bridge: San Quentin St...

State of Drought 6: Big Solutions

03 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’re looking at four big solutions California could tackle that would help us survive a megadrought. We're talking stuff like changes to our infras...

State of Drought 5: Desalination, Water Recycling and More

02 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of listeners, including Steve Held, want to know why Bay Area cities aren't investing more in desalination plants as a long term fix to our wate...

State of Drought 4: Saving Water In Your Home

01 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Even though California’s population has grown since 2017, we’re using 16% less water. Good job everyone! We’ve already made some big strides in...

State of Drought 3: Are We in a Megadrought?

31 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We've been flirting with exceptional drought on and off in California for many years now. Bay Curious listener Nicholas Hardy is wondering if it's tim...

State of Drought 2: Where Our Water Comes From

27 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For most of us in the Bay Area, the journey our water takes to reach us is hidden from view. It travels long distances, sometimes more than a hundred ...

State of Drought 1: Facing Our Hotter, Drier Future

26 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

California is in drought. Again. And the infrastructure used to sustain the state's 40 million residents — and $50 billion agriculture industry — ...

The Story Behind the Bay Area's Favorite Sandwich Bread

19 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dutch Crunch is a common find at Bay Area sandwich shops, but get 10 miles outside of the Bay and that option disappears. Jonathan Hillis and Lauren A...

Your Guide to the Gavin Newsom Recall Election

12 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You may have thought we were done with elections for a little while, but there's another big one coming up. On September 14th, Californians will vote ...

In Daly City, Filipino Culture Runs Deep

05 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listener Ricky Tjandra used to work helping international students find families to stay with in the Bay Area. In Daly City, he worked wit...

Daly City Is One of the Densest Cities in the Country. Why?

29 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Daly City is only eight square miles, but it's one of the densest cities in the US. There are a few factors behind this, but one of the most interesti...

‘It’s Pure Energy’: How Hyphy Came to Define Bay Area Hip Hop

22 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to cultural exports of the Bay Area, Hyphy is in a league of its own. The subgenre of hip hop has an up-tempo, hyperactive beat that mak...

Who Were the First People to Live in the Bay Area?

15 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listener Héctor Pérez has long wondered about the first people to call the Bay Area home. He wants to know what life was like for them a...

What Questions Do You Have About the Drought?

08 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This summer is shaping up to be really dry. Water officials around the Bay Area are asking people to conserve and wildfires are already burning throug...

Trucks are Banned on Oakland’s I-580. These Sixth Graders Wondered Why

01 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, we take on a question from the sixth graders at East Oakland's Life Academy of Health and Bioscience. Many of them live near Interstate 880...

Lightning Round! The Bay Area's Arts Innovators

24 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s arts appreciation week on Bay Curious! We take on questions about the tension between the creative freedom in the Bay vs commercial acclaim in ...

San Jose Had 5 Chinatowns. Why Did They Vanish?

17 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Most Bay Area residents know about the long established Chinatowns in San Francisco and Oakland, but did you know that San Jose used to have a Chinato...

The Beautiful Bay Bridge Frank Lloyd Wright Never Got to Build

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As soon as the Bay Bridge was completed in 1936, people wanted a second bridge. Even back then, traffic was terrible. Did you know the great American ...

Wait. There's A Volcano in the East Bay Hills?

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 vo...

The True Story Behind the Myths and Mysteries of Searsville Lake

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 o...

The Gold Rush Delicacy That Started A War: Eggs

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

During the Gold Rush, people flocked to the San Francisco Bay Area to make their fortunes. A few entrepreneurial folks realized seabird eggs could pro...

The Origins of the Bay Area's Donut and Chinese Food Combo

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listener Jaimie Cohen wants to know: "Why are there restaurants that serve Chinese food, doughnuts and burgers all in one location? And wh...

Marin Was Once Armed With Nuclear Missiles, Luckily They Were Never Deployed

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listener Chris Johanson wants to know whether the Nike Missile site in the Marin Headlands ever housed nuclear weapons. It's true. Veteran...

How Bay Area Homelessness Compares Globally

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Many people in our community are experiencing homelessness -- about 35,000 throughout the Bay Area at last count. Matthew Schmitz was shocked by how w...

Crumbling Tunnels to Nowhere: The Story Behind Santa Cruz's Mountain Route

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

Lightning Round! Ch-ch-changes Around the Bay Area

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Why There’s a Cross on San Francisco’s Highest Peak

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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?" Th...

The Wacky Lumberjack Frat Behind 'Hoo Hoo Way'

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bay Curious listeners Peter Caravalho and Sarah Caravalho Khan live in Cupertino. While wandering around their neighborhood they wondered where the st...

Your Stories From the Year of COVID

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 e...

Why So Trashy? Your Highway Questions Answered

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Will Oysters Ever Make a Comeback in the Bay?

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 popu...

What Would Happen If Chabot Dam in the East Bay Hills Broke Open?

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

The True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

How COVID Could Change the Bay Area For All of Us

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 m...

Why It's So Expensive To Build Housing In The Bay Area

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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, ...

Why California’s Vaccine Rollout Has Been Chaotic

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The coronavirus vaccine rollout in California has felt chaotic, in part because the state has changed course several times. Many Bay Area residents ar...

Olivia's Having a Baby!

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 Ka...

Calling For Time: Whatever Happened to POP-CORN?

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

Why Doesn't PG&E Bury the Power Lines to Prevent Wildfires?

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 tho...

What's the Best San Francisco Movie? A (Sorta) Heated Debate

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Listener Ben Kaiser loves watching films shot and set in San Francisco, and is looking for some recommendations. This episode features Peter Hartlaub,...

Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s Life in San Francisco

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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....

What's Special About San Francisco’s Sourdough?

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

How a Berkeley Police Chief Gave Rise to the Modern Force

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

August Vollmer was Berkeley's first police chief and is credited with pioneering many common aspects of policing used today. Listener Blake Schmidt wa...

What's Next For Incarcerated Firefighters In California?

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

For more than a century California has relied on incarcerated firefighters to help combat devastating wildfires. Bay Curious listener Brittany Powers ...

How Ballots Get Counted in California

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Are ballots counted by machines or humans? How sure are we there was no meddling with votes along the way? When do they stop counting ballots? What ha...

Part II: The Aftermath and Legacy of the Donner Party Saga

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What happened to the Donner Party survivors after they escaped the snowy Sierra? In this episode we explore how this notorious disaster struck deep at...

Part I: The Donner Party Story You Haven’t Heard Before

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

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 sno...

How The Official California Voter Guide Gets Made

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Colin Nichols gets the official California voter guide in the mail like folks in 11 million other households. It got him wondering, who puts it togeth...

Proposition 25: Cash Bail

16 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Proposition 25 would eliminate the use of cash bail in California, replacing it with a threat assessment system using algorithms and judicial discreti...

Proposition 24: Consumer Privacy

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Proposition 24 would expand California's privacy laws, including the creation of a new state agency to regulate how companies collect and use consumer...

Proposition 23: Dialysis Physicians

14 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode takes a closer look at Prop 23, which would require dialysi...

Proposition 22: App-Based Drivers

13 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Proposition 22 asks Californians if they want to define app-based transportation and delivery drivers as independent contractors, instead of as employ...

Proposition 21: Rent Control

12 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Proposition 21 asks voters if local governments should be allowed to enact rent control measures. It would replace the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Ac...

Proposition 20: Criminal Sentencing and Parole

09 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode takes a closer look at Prop 20, which aims to roll back som...

Proposition 19: Property Tax Transfers

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Proposition 19 would allow adults 55+, people living with severe disabilities, and victims of natural disasters to transfer their property tax assessm...

Proposition 18: Youth Voting

07 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode tackles Prop 18, which would allow 17-year-olds to vote in ...

Proposition 17: Voting While on Parole

06 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Proposition 17 asks Californians if people convicted of felonies should be allowed to vote while on parole. This would impact about 40,000 people in t...

Proposition 16: Affirmative Action

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're exploring the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode tackles Prop 16, which asks voters to overturn a ban on the...

Proposition 15: Commercial Property Tax

02 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're digging into the 12 statewide ballot propositions in our Prop Fest series. This episode tackles Prop 15, which would change how the state assess...

Proposition 14: Stem Cell Research Bond

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This year Californians are voting on 12 statewide propositions that will have a big impact on criminal justice reform, taxes, and voting, among other ...

What Was the Bay Area Like During the Last Ice Age?

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How the North Bay Became 'Wine Country'

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The area north of San Francisco has come to be known as "wine country," but listener Michael Viray wanted to know, how did it get that way? Bugs, taxe...