Shows / Bay Curious
Bay Curious
Bay Curious is a show about your questions – and the adventures you find when you go looking for the answers. Join host Olivia Allen-Price to explore all aspects of the San Francisco Bay Area – from the debate over "Frisco", to the dinosaurs that once roamed California, to the causes of homelessness. Whether you lived here your whole life, or just arrived, Bay Curious will deepen your understanding of this place you call home.
Episodes
- Bay Curious
Are We Having a 'Crow-maggedon'?
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 night…
- Bay Curious
Local Olympians to Cheer For During the Winter Games
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 Olympics…
- Bay Curious
The Ukrainian Rebel Priest of Hayward
High in the Hayward Hills, Ukraina marks the farm and grave of Ukrainian dissident priest Agapius Honcharenko, who fled Russian authorities and settled here…
- Bay Curious
The San Francisco Church Where John Coltrane is a Saint
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 oldest…
- Bay Curious
How a Pacifica Bar Became a Flashpoint for Queer Civil Rights
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 was shocked…
- Bay Curious
How Tiny Homes Once Housed Thousands in San Francisco
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 built…
- Bay Curious
A Spirited Debate Over the Best Movies Filmed in SF
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 being a…
- Bay Curious
SFO's One-of-a-Kind Art Museum
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 loves the…
- Bay Curious
The Historic Mansion Hidden Under the Bay Bridge
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 nearly…
- Bay Curious
Were Chain Stores Once Banned in San Francisco?
San Francisco is known for its distinct neighborhoods, each with its own shopping street, full of local businesses. Listener Sarah Soule grew up in the city…
- Bay Curious
The Girl in the Fishbowl at Bimbo's 365 Club
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 San…
- Bay Curious
When Biological Weapons Were Secretly Tested in San Francisco
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 harmless…
- Bay Curious
Who Killed Jane Stanford? Inside A 120-Year-Old Mystery
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…
- Bay Curious
Proposition 50, Thoroughly Explained
California voters have one proposition on the ballot this November: Proposition 50. It's supporters want California to adopt a new congressional map that could…
- Bay Curious
The Punk Club That Changed San Francisco
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 city's…
- Bay Curious
Why So Many Motels on Lombard Street?
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 many in one…
- Bay Curious
La Llorona: Ghost or Protector? You Decide
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 stories…
- Bay Curious
Bears, Coyotes, Mountain Lions While Hiking or Camping? What You Should Do
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 hiking in…
- Bay Curious
SF Stairways: Shortest, Longest, and Steepest
There are over 900 stairways in San Franciso. Some are simple wooden stairs, others beautiful climbs covered in mosaics, or utilitarian concrete steps. It’s…
- Bay Curious
The Bay Area’s Got A Wild Pig Problem
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…
- Bay Curious
Amusement Parks of Yore: Playland-at-the-Beach and Idora Park
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 of…
- Bay Curious
Reversing Extinction? Sea Otters and Butterflies Hold Clues
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 — and the…
- Bay Curious
Are Seagulls Native to the Bay Area?
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? Once…
- Bay Curious
How Fremont Became Known As 'Little Kabul'
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 language…
- Bay Curious
Julia Morgan: A Thoroughly Bay Area Architect
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-Arts in…
- Bay Curious
How Daly City Became A Filipino Hub
Nearly one in three Daly City residents identify as Filipino, according to 2019 Census data. Bay Curious listener Ricky Tjandra wondered what makes this town…
- Bay Curious
What Does It Mean to Live In an Unincorporated Area?
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 to…
- Bay Curious
A Summer Trip on the Rails
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 Zephyr. The…
- Bay Curious
The Legacy of Alameda's Japanese-American Baseball Team
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…
- Bay Curious
Transamerica Pyramid: From 'Architectural Butchery' to Icon
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 of…
- Bay Curious
What Is That Massive Tunnel on the Beach South of Fort Funston?
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 day while…
- Bay Curious
What Is the PayPal Mafia?
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; billionaire…
- Bay Curious
How Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs Became Iconic Bay Area Street Food
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 familiar with…
- Bay Curious
A Ford Factory Changed Milpitas, Then it Became a Mall
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 its history…
- Bay Curious
San Francisco Businesses That Date Back to the Gold Rush
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 buggies…
- Bay Curious
Why Are Private Schools So Popular In San Francisco?
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 today's…
- Bay Curious
Check Out KQED's New Show Hyphenación
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 Latinos to…
- Bay Curious
A Peek Into The Lives Of Four Bay Area Teens
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, Fremont…
- Bay Curious
Olivia's Out On Maternity Leave
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 Katrina…
- Bay Curious
Who is the 'Stevens' of Stevens Creek?
A lot of things in the South Bay, specifically around Cupertino and Mountain View, are named after somebody called Stevens. There’s Stevens Creek Boulevard…
- Bay Curious
How Canned Salmon Became Big Business in San Francisco
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 outsized role…
- Bay Curious
The Berkeley Park That Was Once All Trash
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 really was…
- Bay Curious
Behind the Fillmore's Iconic Music Posters
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 a highly…
- Bay Curious
Your Bay Area Transit Questions, Answered: Bridge Tolls, Lane Closures and Vanity Plates Too
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, including…
- Bay Curious
Fairy Houses And A Very Green Waterfall
A Bay Area artist in Richmond has been stealthily building and placing fairy houses around his neighborhood. His creations bring ‘endless fun and fascination’…
- Bay Curious
San Francisco's Oldest Lesbian Bar: Wild Side West
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 offering…
- Bay Curious
It’s Back! A Full 'Close All Tabs' Season Is Here!
Ever wonder where the internet stops and IRL begins? Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent…
- Bay Curious
What is a Frisco Biscuit?
A British sailor named Charles Lightoller visited San Francisco in the late 1800s and raved about the "'Frisco biscuit" he ate there. Carl Merritt read that in…
- Bay Curious
Dating in the Bay Area: Your Stories
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. This…
- Bay Curious
A Fallen Gem: Oakland’s 16th Street Train Station
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 rundown now…
- Bay Curious
Tips and Tricks to Snag California Campsites
Reserving camp sites in California can feel sometimes feel as hard as scoring Taylor Swift concert tickets. KQED's Senior Editor for Audience News, Carly…
- Bay Curious
Journey to a Lonely Island in San Francisco Bay
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 human…
- Bay Curious
What it Takes to Redevelop Old Military Bases
Mare Island, Alameda Naval Air Station, Treasure Island — San Francisco Bay is surrounded by former military bases that look largely abandoned and forgotten…
- Bay Curious
Why Are There so Many Abandoned Military Bases?
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 Station, Mare…
- Bay Curious
Is it Safe to Swim in San Francisco Bay?
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 Dana Cronin…
- Bay Curious
Chinese Food and Donuts: A Classic Bay Area Combo
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! There are…
- Bay Curious
How Fernet-Branca Became San Francisco's Favorite Spirit
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 spirits in San…
- Bay Curious
Which San Francisco Sounds Are Lost to Time?
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 — these…
- Bay Curious
Is Monterey Jack Cheese ... Not From Monterey?
Most people believe that Monterey Jack Cheese originated in ... Monterey. And while the name 'Monterey Jack' establishes a clear claim, this week we're asking…
- Bay Curious
An Instrument Played by the Waves
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 Rock has…