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 CuriousTrucks are Banned on Oakland’s I-580. These Sixth Graders Wondered Why
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. They've…
Bay CuriousLightning Round! The Bay Area's Arts Innovators
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 the theater…
Bay CuriousSan Jose Had 5 Chinatowns. Why Did They Vanish?
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 Chinatown? In…
Bay CuriousThe Beautiful Bay Bridge Frank Lloyd Wright Never Got to Build
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 architect…
Bay CuriousWait. There's A Volcano in the East Bay Hills?
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 volcano…
Bay CuriousThe True Story Behind the Myths and Mysteries of Searsville Lake
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 on the…
Bay CuriousThe Gold Rush Delicacy That Started A War: Eggs
During the Gold Rush, people flocked to the San Francisco Bay Area to make their fortunes. A few entrepreneurial folks realized seabird eggs could provide…
Bay CuriousThe Origins of the Bay Area's Donut and Chinese Food Combo
Bay Curious listener Jaimie Cohen wants to know: "Why are there restaurants that serve Chinese food, doughnuts and burgers all in one location? And why are…
Bay CuriousMarin Was Once Armed With Nuclear Missiles, Luckily They Were Never Deployed
Bay Curious listener Chris Johanson wants to know whether the Nike Missile site in the Marin Headlands ever housed nuclear weapons. It's true. Veterans say the…
Bay CuriousHow Bay Area Homelessness Compares Globally
Many people in our community are experiencing homelessness -- about 35,000 throughout the Bay Area at last count. Matthew Schmitz was shocked by how wealth and…
Bay CuriousCrumbling Tunnels to Nowhere: The Story Behind Santa Cruz's Mountain Route
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 through…
Bay CuriousLightning Round! Ch-ch-changes Around the Bay Area
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 in how we…
Bay CuriousWhy There’s a Cross on San Francisco’s Highest Peak
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?" This week…
Bay CuriousThe Wacky Lumberjack Frat Behind 'Hoo Hoo Way'
Bay Curious listeners Peter Caravalho and Sarah Caravalho Khan live in Cupertino. While wandering around their neighborhood they wondered where the street name…
Bay CuriousYour Stories From the Year of COVID
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 emotional…
Bay CuriousWhy So Trashy? Your Highway Questions Answered
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 on the…
Bay CuriousWill Oysters Ever Make a Comeback in the Bay?
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 population of…
Bay CuriousWhat Would Happen If Chabot Dam in the East Bay Hills Broke Open?
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 expect?…
Bay CuriousThe True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins
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 if that…
Bay CuriousHow COVID Could Change the Bay Area For All of Us
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 mental…
Bay CuriousWhy It's So Expensive To Build Housing In The Bay Area
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…
Bay CuriousWhy California’s Vaccine Rollout Has Been Chaotic
The coronavirus vaccine rollout in California has felt chaotic, in part because the state has changed course several times. Many Bay Area residents are…
Bay CuriousOlivia's Having a Baby!
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 Katrina…
Bay CuriousCalling For Time: Whatever Happened to POP-CORN?
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 767-2676…
Bay CuriousWhy Doesn't PG&E Bury the Power Lines to Prevent Wildfires?
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 those were…
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What's the Best San Francisco Movie? A (Sorta) Heated Debate
Listener Ben Kaiser loves watching films shot and set in San Francisco, and is looking for some recommendations. This episode features Peter Hartlaub, San…
Bay CuriousFrida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s Life in San Francisco
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. In this…
Bay CuriousWhat's Special About San Francisco’s Sourdough?
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, and get…
Bay CuriousHow a Berkeley Police Chief Gave Rise to the Modern Force
August Vollmer was Berkeley's first police chief and is credited with pioneering many common aspects of policing used today. Listener Blake Schmidt wanted to…
Bay CuriousWhat's Next For Incarcerated Firefighters In California?
For more than a century California has relied on incarcerated firefighters to help combat devastating wildfires. Bay Curious listener Brittany Powers wanted to…
Bay CuriousHow Ballots Get Counted in California
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 happens to…
Bay CuriousPart II: The Aftermath and Legacy of the Donner Party Saga
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 the…
Bay CuriousPart I: The Donner Party Story You Haven’t Heard Before
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…
Bay CuriousHow The Official California Voter Guide Gets Made
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 together? And…
Bay CuriousProposition 25: Cash Bail
Proposition 25 would eliminate the use of cash bail in California, replacing it with a threat assessment system using algorithms and judicial discretion. This…
Bay CuriousProposition 24: Consumer Privacy
Proposition 24 would expand California's privacy laws, including the creation of a new state agency to regulate how companies collect and use consumer data…
Bay CuriousProposition 23: Dialysis Physicians
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 dialysis clinics…
Bay CuriousProposition 22: App-Based Drivers
Proposition 22 asks Californians if they want to define app-based transportation and delivery drivers as independent contractors, instead of as employees, as…
Bay CuriousProposition 21: Rent Control
Proposition 21 asks voters if local governments should be allowed to enact rent control measures. It would replace the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act, a…
Bay CuriousProposition 20: Criminal Sentencing and Parole
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 some…
Bay CuriousProposition 19: Property Tax Transfers
Proposition 19 would allow adults 55+, people living with severe disabilities, and victims of natural disasters to transfer their property tax assessment to…
Bay CuriousProposition 18: Youth Voting
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 primary…
Bay CuriousProposition 17: Voting While on Parole
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 the state…
Bay CuriousProposition 16: Affirmative Action
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 use of…
Bay CuriousProposition 15: Commercial Property Tax
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 assesses taxes…
Bay CuriousProposition 14: Stem Cell Research Bond
This year Californians are voting on 12 statewide propositions that will have a big impact on criminal justice reform, taxes, and voting, among other things…
Bay CuriousWhat Was the Bay Area Like During the Last Ice Age?
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Bay CuriousHow the North Bay Became 'Wine Country'
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, taxes and war…
Bay CuriousDoes the Golden Gate Bridge Howl?
Listener Ryan heard an eerie noise while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on his motorcycle. He's not the only one -- the sound can be heard from miles away…
Bay CuriousEvacuation 101 And Why Wildfire Can't Defeat Those Redwoods
Recent fires in the Bay Area have a lot of us thinking about how to evacuate our homes, maybe for the first time. We answer all the basics about when you'll…
Bay CuriousThe Secret Lives of The Palace of Fine Arts Swans
The lagoon in front of San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts has been home to swans since its was built in 1915. Bay Curious listener Mishi Nova loves the spot…
Bay CuriousWhen And Why Did the Bay Area Become So Liberal?
Now there’s no question that today the nine-county Bay Area is solidly blue, but it hasn’t always been this way. Bay Curious listener Marcus wants to know…
Bay CuriousThe Unassuming East Bay Beach Strewn With Ceramic Treasures
On a tucked-away beach in Richmond, Calif., shards of broken pottery outnumber sand or rocks. It’s an odd feeling, like you’ve stumbled on some kind of…
Bay CuriousGetting Naked in San Francisco: A History
The state of California has indecent exposure laws, making it illegal if someone is naked with the intent of being sexual (like masturbating in public), or…
Bay CuriousEthnic Studies: Born in the Bay from History's Biggest Student Strike
Listener Michael Viray wrote in to Bay Curious asking to learn more about the origin story behind ethnic studies: “I’ve heard from one of my professors of…
Bay CuriousVegan Food is Big in S.F. — But Will the Scene Survive COVID-19?
San Francisco beat out Los Angeles, New York and Portland as the top vegan city in America. But with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the food industry — will that…
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How Love Inspired the Murphy Bed
This week we learn how one enamored entrepreneur on a shoe-string budget gave birth to the Murphy bed in San Francisco. Then, we revisit one of our…
Bay CuriousWhy Does The Bay Area Have So Many Microclimates?
Bay Curious listener Scott has lived in the Bay Area his whole life. He's always wondered why the weather can be so different just a few miles apart. This…
Bay CuriousA Long and Winding Journey For Some Drinking Water
Bay Curious listeners Alex Kornblum, 8, and his dad, Heath Kornblum, were talking about their drinking water when they landed on this question: How long does…
Bay CuriousWhy San Francisco's Fillmore District Is No Longer the 'Harlem of the West'
Last year, this question won a public voting round on BayCurious.org: "The Fillmore district used to be known as the Harlem of the West. What's the story…