Bay Curious
KQED
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
Mentioned books
Mar 30, 2026 • 16min
The Towering Cross in the Middle of San Francisco
Jackie Proctor, Mount Davidson’s resident historian and longtime local, offers eyewitness history of the hill and cross. Suzy Racho, field reporter, brings on-site reporting and interviews. They trace the cross’s 1920s origins, its 1930s concrete construction and presidential lighting, legal battles over church-state issues, the 1990s controversy and eventual sale, and ongoing lighting traditions.
Mar 26, 2026 • 22min
The Mercury Mine That Built a Boomtown Near San Jose
Rachael Myrow, an investigative reporter who traced the rise and fallout of New Almaden, narrates the story of a once-rich mercury mine. She explains what cinnabar and quicksilver are. She outlines how mercury powered the Gold Rush, recounts ownership battles and legal fights, and highlights the toxic legacy left in the Bay and local cultural traces.
9 snips
Mar 23, 2026 • 19min
Unsung Heroines: Rebel Girls of the Bay Area
Rae Alexandra, arts and culture reporter at KQED and author of Unsung Heroines, digs up overlooked women who shaped the Bay Area. She explains her research methods and surprising finds. Stories include Tianfu (Tien) Wu’s rescue work and Charlotte Brown’s 1863 streetcar lawsuit. Illustrated challenges and the book’s chronological approach round out the conversation.
7 snips
Mar 19, 2026 • 25min
The Bear on the California Flag
Katherine Monahan, a reporter who investigated the story of the bear on California's flag. She visits museum mounts, traces sensational capture tales, and parses historical art and records. The story unravels myths about Monarch and points to another bear, Samson, as the likely visual model. The piece also reframes how grizzly histories are told and what the bear symbolizes today.
10 snips
Mar 16, 2026 • 29min
Secrets of Golden Gate Park
Nicole Meldahl, a local historian and director of the Western Neighborhoods Project, and Marta Lindsay, author and longtime park guide, take you into Golden Gate Park’s hidden past and secret corners. They tell the story of sand dune reclamation, transplanted monastery stones, pandemic-made trails, clever dune fences and John McLaren’s forty-year vision. Short, curious, and full of surprising places to explore.
Mar 12, 2026 • 17min
The Navy Jet Generations of SF Kids Played On
Aaron Van Lieu, a local whose childhood play on a Navy jet in Carl Larsen Park sparked this story. He recalls climbing the cockpit and canopy. The show traces three jets that lived in the park, why surplus Navy planes became playgrounds, safety concerns and removal, and the restored F-8’s surprising new home at a museum.
8 snips
Mar 9, 2026 • 17min
Why So Many Legal Courts in S.F.?
Molly Lacob, Deputy General Counsel of Operations at KQED and former litigator, walks through why San Francisco hosts so many courts. She explains state versus federal court roles. She traces historical reasons from California’s early politics to the Ninth Circuit’s placement. She also highlights why the Northern District fits tech litigation and what that means for future AI cases.
6 snips
Mar 5, 2026 • 17min
How South San Francisco Went From Industrial City to Biotech Hub
Lesley McClurg, KQED health correspondent who reported the story, traces South San Francisco's shift from heavy industry to a dense biotech cluster. She explores why industrial zoning and available space attracted pioneers like Genentech. The episode covers the Asilomar safety pause, regional capital and risk-taking, and how early labs and alumni founders created a biotech hotspot.
Mar 2, 2026 • 16min
The Eccentric Personalities Behind Sunnyside Conservatory
Mary Balmana, a longtime San Francisco neighbor curious about a grand hidden Victorian. Katrina Schwartz, journalist who researched and narrated the conservatory’s history. They explore the conservatory’s unusual octagonal redwood structure, its inventor William Merrills and financial drama, secretive later owners, neighborhood rescue efforts, and the long restoration that revived the garden.
Feb 26, 2026 • 17min
The Case of the Missing Tree Frogs
Dana Cronin, KQED field reporter who investigates local mysteries on location. She searches creeks for Pacific tree frogs, interviews frog experts about pesticides, habitat change, disease and drought, and explores habitat restoration and signs of frogs returning after winter rains.
