

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

Aug 8, 2024 • 21min
It's Electric! But Car Charging Infrastructure Could Use a Jolt
California plans to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035. But does the state have enough charging stations to support them? Today, some electric vehicle (EV) owners will tell you that charging an EV can be unreliable and stressful—especially if you are depending on public charging stations. Come 2035, the charging crunch could get much worse. This week on Bay Curious, reporter Dana Cronin takes on a road trip to understand what it will take to get more charging stations in our Bay Area neighborhoods.Additional Reading:
What Will it Take to Improve EV Infrastructure in California?
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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Dana Cronin. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and Ana De Almeida Amaral. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan, and the whole KQED family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 1, 2024 • 27min
Scarlot Harlot Made Sex Worker Rights Her Life's Work
It has been called "the world's oldest profession," but it's not one that's often discussed openly. Of course, we're talking about sex work. Attitudes about certain parts of the industry—from porn to strip clubs—have evolved over time, and so has the language used to discuss it. Even the term "sex work" is relatively new. This week, reporter Steven Rascón brings us the story of the woman who coined the term, and the history of the sex worker rights movement.This episode contains frank discussions about sexual acts, and sex work—some of which is criminalized in California. And it includes some outdated language.Additional Reading:
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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Steven Rascón. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and Ana De Almeida Amaral. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Nastia Voynovskaya, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 25, 2024 • 14min
Which Dinosaurs Roamed the Bay Area?
Before the rise of Silicon Valley, long before the 1906 quake, way before indigenous peoples settled in the Bay Area—actually way, WAY before humans even existed as a species—some fearsome creatures roamed this land. That's right, I'm talking about dinosaurs. This week we're reprising our 2017 episode from reporter Daniel Potter about what kinds of these "monstrous lizards" swam, stomped and flew over the Bay Area.Additional Reading:
Which Dinosaurs Roamed the Bay Area?
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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Daniel Potter. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and Ana De Almeida Amaral. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan, and the whole KQED family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 18, 2024 • 12min
Roses Are Red, Glitter is Plastic
While strolling through the beautiful Morcom Rose Garden, Bay Curious listener Julia Fogelson noticed something peculiar. All over the garden are signs banning a very specific item: glitter. So, what's with all the "NO GLITTER" signs? This week, reporter Christopher Beale takes us to the garden to figure out what sparked the sparkle ban.Additional Reading:
Heading to Morcom Rose Garden? Better Leave Your Glitter at Home
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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Christopher Beale. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, and Ana De Almeida Amaral. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 11, 2024 • 15min
San Francisco's Equine Officers
Gone are the days of the Old West with sheriffs sitting astride their horses and star shaped badges gleaming in the dusty sunshine. But the idea of police on horseback isn't a total relic. San Francisco, with the country's second oldest mounted police force, still has a few hooved officers left. This week on the show, producer Katrina Schwartz heads to the stables to meet this four-legged squad.Additional Reading:
After 150 Years, Why Do San Francisco Police Still Have a Mounted Unit?
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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Kevin Stark, Chris Egusa, Paul Lancour, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 27, 2024 • 20min
Is There Treasure At the Bottom of the Bay?
There are dozens of shipwrecks in and around San Francisco Bay. And Bay Curious listener Brian Teaff wonders: Is there treasure down there? In some ways yes, but it may not be the type of treasure you're imagining.Additional Reading
Is There Treasure At The Bottom Of The Bay?
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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Anna Marie Yanny. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Kevin Stark, Chris Egusa, Paul Lancour, César Saldaña, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 20, 2024 • 20min
How Activists Stopped Developers From Filling in the Bay
In the early 1960s, cities around the San Francisco Bay Area proposed plans to fill in the bay waters and expand. At the time, there was no regional agency looking at what all those projects together would do to the bay as whole. That's where three Berkeley women stepped in to save the bay.Additional Reading
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EXHIBIT: Voices For the Environment: A Century of Bay Area Activism
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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was adapted from the Voices for the Environment podcast. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Sasha Khokha, Dan Brekke, Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 13, 2024 • 16min
Why the Name Brotherhood Way in SF?
Which came first: the churches or the street named Brotherhood Way? That's what Bay Curious listener Noor Moughamian wants to know. She attends the KZV Armenian School located on the San Francisco street and has always wondered about the origin of the name.Additional Reading:
Which Came First, San Francisco's Brotherhood Way Or The Churches On It?
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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Katherine Monahan. This episode of Bay Curious was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Xorje Oliveras, Bianca Taylor, Paul Lancour, Katie Fruit, Jasmine Garnett, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 6, 2024 • 18min
Is the Water in the Bay Getting Greener?
Explore the changing color of the water in San Francisco Bay, with insights from a biologist on factors like light interaction and particles. Learn about the challenges in detecting long-term trends and the natural cycle of water turning green due to photoplankton populations. Join in on a trivia game and find out about a live jazz event at KQED headquarters.

May 23, 2024 • 13min
Ever Seen A Koi Fish on the Sidewalk?
Artist Jeremy Novy, known for koi fish stencils in Bay Area, discusses hidden meanings and Chinese symbolism behind his street art. Explore themes of perseverance, transformation, and community pride through his colorful murals. Learn how art serves as therapy for mental health and creates a sense of belonging in the urban landscape.


