Bay Curious

We get a lot of BART questions from our listeners, so this week we're answering a slew of them with long-time transit reporter Dan Brekke. How did they build the underwater tunnels for BART? In its nearly 50 years of existence, why has BART taken so long to extend into Santa Clara County? And only normally protruded into San Mateo County and never expanded into any of the North Bay counties? Why are there news kiosks in the BART station that are closed? Why doesn't BART let people run these news kiosks? What is the history?  At the West Oakland BART Station there are ads right next to the third rail. How on earth do they change those out without getting electrocuted? Why does it seem like the escalators are constantly broken? Why does BART announce elevator status all the time? Our question askers this week were Briana, Brad Meyer, Jay Quigley, Mark, Dan and Eric. Additional Goodies Why are BART trains so loud? (Apple Podcasts) Sign up for the Bay Curious newsletter The Bay: An Unspoken Guide to Riding BART (Apple Podcasts) Why are BART Escalators Nearly Always Broken? And How Did They Build Those Tunnels? CreditsProduced by Jessica Placzek and Olivia Allen-Price. Featuring KQED's transit editor Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Patricia Yollin, Carly Severn, Christopher Cox, Bianca Hernandez, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Holly Kernan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jerry Brown has been a dominant force in California politics for decades. He spent 16 years as governor of California, ran for Senate twice, ran for president three times, and spent eight years as Mayor of Oakland. In this episode, we explore how Brown's legacy in Oakland is playing out today with Devin Katayama of The Bay, and Guy Marzorati, producer of new podcast The Political Mind of Jerry Brown. You can subscribe to both in the same place you get Bay Curious.Produced by Devin Katayama, Marisol Medina-Cadena, Alan Montecillo, Jessica Placzek and Olivia Allen-Price. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong, Holly Kernan and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporter Rachael Myrow and listener Debbie Torrey discover that what we've been told about this famous road is mostly bunk. This story first ran on the podcast in Nov. 2017.Additional Reading: Video: The true story of the 'royal' road El Camino Not-So-Real: The True Story of the 'Ancient Road' Reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The crosswalks in San Francisco, and many other Bay Area towns, play a 'machine gun' sound when the 'walk' sign is illuminated for pedestrians. A Bay Curious listener recalls hearing chirping sounds in other areas. Why do ours sound the way they do? Plus, we get to know an architect who listens to buildings.Additional Reading:An Architect Who Listens To BuildingsReported by Olivia Allen-Price, Annika Cline and Sam Harnett. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listener Britt McEachern is a tour guide in San Francisco, and spends a lot of time walking around city streets. He's noticed grids of glass embedded in the sidewalk and wants to know what they are. Take a journey with reporter Jessica Placzek to learn the purpose and origins of these gems beneath your feet.Additional Reading:What Are Those Grids of Glass in the Sidewalk — And Why Are They Purple?Quiz: Test Your Bay Area KnowledgeReported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the second part of our series on Treasure Island.Listener Gary Pilgrim was taking a drive across the Bay Bridge with his new wife when they decided to stop at Treasure Island. After taking in the sweeping views, he wondered how this manmade island came to be in the first place, and what it's future holds. We're answering Gary's questions in a two-part series exploring the island's past and future. This week: What are the plans for Treasure Island? And does climate change threaten them?Additional Reading:Part I: How Treasure Island Got Made — and WhyPart II: Rising Seas and Sinking Land: The Precarious Future of Treasure IslandReported by Kevin Stark. Edited by Kat Snow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listener Gary Pilgrim was taking a drive across the Bay Bridge with his new wife when they decided to stop at Treasure Island. After taking in the sweeping views, he wondered how this manmade island came to be in the first place, and what it's future holds. We're answering Gary's questions in a two-part series exploring the island's past and future. This week: How was Treasure Island made, and why?Additional Reading:How Treasure Island Got Made — and WhyReported by Kevin Stark. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Question asker José Muñoz wants to know more about the storied history of this place, which was a pivotal stop-off in Charlie Chaplin's career. Was Niles Hollywood before Hollywood was Hollywood?Additional Reading:This Tiny East Bay Town Was Once a Movie Making HotspotReported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Occupation of Alcatraz began on Nov. 20, 1969, when a group of Native American students, calling themselves the Indians of All Tribes, landed on Alcatraz Island. They wanted to return the land to native ownership, and felt they had a right to the land because of the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which said that land deserted by the federal government should be returned to the natives who once occupied it.Additional Reading:WATCH: The Occupation of Alcatraz Turns 50, But the Impact of the Movement Lives OnA Look Back at the Occupation of Alcatraz, 50 Years LaterReported by Alice Woelfle. Produced by Ericka Cruz-Guevarra, Devin Katayama, Kyana Moghadam and Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin Platt was checking out a flag display outside San Francisco's city hall when he noticed the flag from his home state, Texas, was among them. What gives? Plus, we take a quick dive into the history of San Francisco's oldest square — where the announcement of gold was made, and where the state's first public school house once stood.Reported by Annika Cline and Marisol Medina-Cadena. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices