Synopsis
Bay Curious is a podcast about the unexplored San Francisco Bay Area. Each week we take a deep dive into the mysteries that make this area quirky, delightful and, at times, dysfunctional. Its a show about questions and the adventures you stumble upon when you go looking for answers. Now heres the twist: You ask the questions. You decide what we work on. You help us find the answer. Join host Olivia Allen-Price to explore the Bay one bite-sized episode at a time. The show is produced at KQED in San Francisco. Learn more at BayCurious.org.
Episodes
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How Joseph Eichler Introduced Stylish Housing for the Masses
03/01/2018 Duration: 11minBetween 1949 and 1974, when the developer died, his group built roughly 11,000 homes in California, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area.
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Everything You Want to Know About Legal Weed in California
21/12/2017 Duration: 18minReported by Jessica Placzek, Eli Wirtschafter and Ryan Levi. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Ryan Levi, Erika Kelly and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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What Are Those Weird, Pink Ponds in San Francisco Bay?
14/12/2017 Duration: 12minIn the South Bay's colorful salt ponds, a decades-old industry continues to crystalize. Reporter by Lauren Sommer with KQED Science. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Ryan Levi, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly, Julia McEvoy and Katie McMurran.
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Is the Castro Getting Less Gay?
06/12/2017 Duration: 14minHow economics and cultural acceptance are changing queer communities across the Bay Area. Reported by Ryan Levi. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Erika Kelly, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Jessica Placzek and David Weir. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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Can You Go To Jail For Picking California’s State Flower?
30/11/2017 Duration: 11minRumor has it California's golden poppy has some special protections. Is it true? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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The Buried Ships of San Francisco
23/11/2017 Duration: 10minThe hulls of several dozen ships can be found below ground in the middle of San Francisco. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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The True History of Irish Coffee and Its San Francisco Origins
16/11/2017 Duration: 13minLegend has it the Irish coffee was brought to the U.S. by the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. Reported by Kelly O'Mara. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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Why Are There Rainbows on the Tunnel Between S.F. and Marin? (Plus Bonus Anniversary Questions)
09/11/2017 Duration: 18minIt started as a quest to make Bay Area highways more beautiful. Plus, three other bonus questions! Reported by Jessica Placzek and Olivia Allen-Price. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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Bay Curious Lightning Round: Inspiration for AT-ATs, the ‘Tenderloin’ and Popeye’s Voice
09/11/2017 Duration: 18minThis week the Bay Curious podcast is celebrating our one-year anniversary with a lightning round of questions and answers! Is it true that George Lucas was inspired to create the AT-AT because of the cranes at the Port of Oakland? No. Sadly, this is not true. George Lucas told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Peter Hartlaub, “That’s a myth. That is definitely a myth.” Hartlaub also followed up with Phil Tippett, the stop-motion animator who oversaw production of the AT-AT sequence. Tippett allows for a small chance that somewhere in the process someone looked at the cranes, but added that the original vehicles actually looked nothing like container cranes, and more like garbage trucks. Sidenote on Phil Tippett: He was credited as “Dinosaur Supervisor” at the end of “Jurassic Park” and has been the topic of several popular internet memes. Poor guy has spent years now explaining what the “supervision” element of his job actually was. Question submitted by Bay Curious listener Matteen Mokalla. How did the Tenderl
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El Camino Not-So-Real: The True Story of the ‘Ancient Road’
02/11/2017 Duration: 12minLegend has it, El Camino Real is an ancient road that connects the Spanish missions. But is it true? Reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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Why Are There So Many Dead People in Colma? And So Few in San Francisco?
26/10/2017 Duration: 11minReported by Jon Brooks. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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Wildfires: You’ve Got Questions, We’ve Got Answers
20/10/2017 Duration: 17minWhat does containment mean? How are wildfires named? What happens after your house burns? Reported by Lindsey Hoshaw, Jessica Placzek, Sukey Lewis and Olivia Allen-Price. Technical director is Paul Lancour. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Many songs in this episode were by Petaluma artist Gio Benedetti, and proceeds from their sale will benefit wildfire survivors. Find and buy his music here: https://giobenedetti.bandcamp.com/ Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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What are the Mysterious Brick Circles in San Francisco Intersections?
12/10/2017 Duration: 12minSpend some time walking around San Francisco, and you'll probably notice the large, brick circles decorating the pavement at some intersections. What are they for? Reported by Sarah Craig. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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How San Francisco’s Drag Royalty Does Good, While Looking Fierce
05/10/2017 Duration: 16minHow an S.F. drag artist founded one of the biggest and most bejeweled charities dedicated to LGBTQ causes. Reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Paul Lancour, Jessica Placzek, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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Their Country Hated Them, But They Fought for It Anyway
28/09/2017 Duration: 15minBay Curious listener Marcy Ballard wrote to us wanting to know more about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team — a segregated, Japanese-American unit that fought for the U.S. during the Second World War. She’s pretty sure they must have some remarkable stories to tell. After all, these were men considered to be enemy aliens by the government because of their Japanese heritage. Offensive Anti-Japanese propaganda was circling everywhere. Many were forced to live in internment camps, surrounded by barbed wire and patrolled by armed guards. And yet, they volunteered to fight for America. Soon after, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team was created. Its Japanese-American members proved themselves to be valiant soldiers. They took control of strategically important towns in France, and aided in the liberation of Rome. They broke stalwart German defenses, and discovered and freed prisoners of the Dachau concentration camp. They were regularly sent to the front lines to fight in some of the war’s bloodiest battles. Some have
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Quake Prep: BART’s Tunnel Plan and the Muni Bus That Could Save You
21/09/2017 Duration: 13minPicture a set of binoculars — only a pair the size of a low-rise building. That’s the shape of BART’s Transbay Tube — the dual-bore, 3.8-mile passageway that connects the West Oakland Station to San Francisco’s Embarcadero Station. Every weekday during peak commute hours, more than 60,000 BART riders cruise through the tube. What most don’t know is that they’re in a trench on the floor of San Francisco Bay. Bay Curious listener Jennifer Schulz rides through the tube a lot and can’t help but to think: What if there was an earthquake? How safe is the Transbay Tube? Would it crack? Would bay water flood into my jam-packed BART car? Could I be trapped? Since 2005, BART has been undergoing a major earthquake retrofit. The final phase is expected to begin next year, finishing up some time in 2023. The cost? So far, $1.3 billion. KQED’s Tena Rubio spoke with Tom Horton, BART’s earthquake safety manager. Is the Transbay Tube safe during an earthquake? What I can say is that it’s safer than most other places people ar
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History of the Berkeley Pier: A Ferry Tale
14/09/2017 Duration: 09minFor years Martin Kunz has been looking down the hill from his office at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, out over the water, at one of the longest piers in California — the Berkeley Pier. “I see this every day from my office when I have lunch, and I was curious what the history behind this is,” he said. He submitted a question to Bay Curious, so off we went to find the answer. Lately, the Berkeley Pier has primarily been used as a fishing pier, but decades ago it had a very different purpose. Berkeley’s Population Boom Back in the early 20th century, Berkeley was growing fast. Its population went from 13,214 residents in 1900 to 56,036 in 1920. Thousands of refugees from San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake found homes in Berkeley, the University of California experienced rapid expansion and an electric train system connected Berkeley to other Bay Area cities, such as Oakland. Berkeley was establishing itself as an urban center, yet many of its residents still worked jobs in San Francisco. To get there, workers commu
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Parking After the Street Sweeper Passes: Legal or Not?
31/08/2017 Duration: 10minThere's one "no parking" sign in San Francisco that you can bend the rules on ... if the conditions are right. Reported by Penny Nelson. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Paul Lancour, Jessica Placzek, Penny Nelson, Suzie Racho and Katie McMurran. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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The History of Nudity in San Francisco Uncovered
24/08/2017 Duration: 15minWhether at Baker Beach or Bay to Breakers, it’s not unusual to see public nudity in San Francisco. What are the current laws on the matter, and how did the city become known for bodies in the buff? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson and Julia McEvoy. Our managing editor is Ethan Lindsey. Vice President for News is Holly Kernan. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.
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Rusty Navy: The Bay Area’s ‘Mothball Fleet’ Enters a New Era
17/08/2017 Duration: 12minReported by Craig Miller. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Jessica Placzek, Suzie Racho and Penny Nelson. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.