Bay Curious

In May, Bay Curious published the book, "Bay Curious: Exploring the Hidden True Stories of the San Francisco Bay Area." It brings a fresh eye to some of our most popular podcast episodes, and covers brand-new, never-before-heard stories researched for the book. Host Olivia Allen-Price spoke to Alexis Madrigal on KQED Forum about how Bay Curious got its start, what’s in the new book and, perhaps most fun of all, we played trivia with call-in guests on the show. We had so much fun taping this segment that we really wanted to share it with you. So this week on Bay Curious, we're running a condensed version of that KQED Forum program.

Additional Links:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font and Christopher Beale. Special thanks to the entire KQED Forum team for this episode. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Iron Horse Regional Trail runs more than 30 miles through the San Ramon Valley. But many folks who walk or ride their bikes along this paved path may not know it used to be a railroad line. This week, reporter Amy Mayer rides the rails through locomotive history in the San Ramon Valley to learn how the trains may have shaped the surrounding cities.

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Amy Mayer. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we've got a two-question lightning round for you. First, reporter Pauline Bartolone investigates whether the growing popularity of zero emission vehicles is making a noticeable difference in Bay Area air quality. Then, video producer Anna Vignet looks into the history of a bridge with a strikingly similar appearance to the Golden Gate Bridge... in Portugal.

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

These stories was reported by Pauline Bartolone and Anna Vignet. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale, Brendan Willard and Jim Bennett. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay to Breakers in San Francisco is much more than just an annual race. The event has become notorious for its party-like atmosphere, with thousands of people running the 7.5 mile route in wild costumes, or wearing absolutely nothing at all. With its 110+ year history in the city, how did Bay to Breakers go from an ordinary race to a kind of festival-on-foot? Reporter Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman chases down the answer and explores the event's highs and lows on this week's episode.

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Pauline Bartolone, Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Crows seem to be everywhere these days, noticed listener Kevin Branch. He asked Bay Curious: "Why are there so many? Are crows replacing other familiar birds, such as mockingbirds, blue jays and red-winged blackbirds? Is there a plan to reduce crow populations?" KQED's Dan Brekke takes us on a journey to find those answers in this updated episode which first ran in 2019.

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may have noticed that your local chain big box or drugstore has locked certain items behind plexiglass, requiring you to hail an employee to grab things like deodorant or laundry detergent. Companies say know this is annoying, but that it's necessary to prevent theft. So does it actually work? How big of a problem is retail theft anyway? Reporter Katherine Monahan went shopping for the answer.

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Katherine Monahan. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For generations, parents have been taking their young kids to Children's Fairyland, a storybook-themed amusement park next to Oakland's Lake Merritt. So what's the 'Once upon a time...' of this beloved East Bay cultural gem, which may even have inspired Walt Disney? Reporter Pauline Bartolone takes a journey with her own little one to learn about Fairyland's 72-year history.

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Pauline Bartolone. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

High School—It's a pretty wild time in our lives. You're still growing and figuring out who you are, while juggling schoolwork, relationships, responsibilities, and rapidly-approaching adulthood. As part of KQED's Youth Takeover week, four high school students have been sharing audio diaries with us over the past few months. They let us into what's happening in their lives, and all the joys and heartbreaks of being a teenager.

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

Thank you to our youth contributors: Emiliano Mejia, Yulieth Aguilar, Carlos Escala and Finn McDonald. And thanks to KQED Youth Media Program Manager Amanda Vigil and Specialist Emiliano Villa. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a wet winter, California hillsides are carpeted with wildflowers — especially our glowing, golden orange state flower, the California Poppy. In honor of this super-bloom, we're reprising our episode from 2017 about a rumor concerning these little beauties: that it's illegal to pick them. Reporter Jessica Placzek helps us answer that question, and discovers more about them and their use by indigenous peoples.

Additional Reading:

This episode was reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made at KQED by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Brendan Willard and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Paul Lancour, Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During California's Gold Rush when miners flocked to the Bay Area, so too did people selling goods to those fortune seekers. One of these businesses grew to become a historic Union Square department store that brought a taste of French finery to those San Franciscans who could afford it. Reporter Christopher Beale explores the origins and legacy of the 100+ year run of 'City of Paris.'

Additional Reading:

Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

This story was reported by Christopher Beale. Special thanks this week to Raphaël Timmons. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices