Hike near Leona Heights in Oakland, and you might come across vibrant graffiti art painted on the concrete remnants of an old conveyor tram that transported rock down the hill. This week on the show, reporter Katherine Monahan reveals the history of this place, and talks to artists who have transformed it into an art gallery hidden in the woods.
Additional Reading:

Read the transcript for this episode

Web story: Hidden in the Oakland Hills Is An Outdoor Gallery of Murals


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This story was reported by Katherine Monahan. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Alex Gonzalez, Dan Brekke, Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Hidden in the Oakland Hills Is An Outdoor Gallery of Murals

It's a three-part transit lightning round! First we look at if aggressive driving has gotten worse in recent years. Then we take a trip on the San Francisco Water Taxi, and discover a low-cost way to get out on the San Francisco Bay. Finally, we crunch on the numbers on if the SMART Train in Sonoma and Marin is easing traffic along the 101 corridor. Buckle up, the answers are coming fast and furious this week.
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Read the transcript for this episode

Is the SMART Train Easing Highway 101 Traffic in Marin and Sonoma?

Scooting Along the San Francisco Bay Front in a Water Taxi

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This story was reported by Dan Brekke, Katrina Schwartz and Paul Lancour. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Xorje Oliveras, Paul Lancour, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Has Aggressive Driving Gotten Worse? And Two Other Transit Qs

When listener Beth Caissie moved to San Francisco she'd heard of Ghirardelli Chocolate, but she was surprised there were so many other fabulous chocolate shops around. She wondered if the lineage stretches all the way back to the Gold Rush. It does! And because high quality chocolate was produced here, innovative chocolate makers from all over the world have put their own cultural twist on the sweet treat.

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From Ghirardelli to Socola: Unwrapping S.F's Chocolate History

Why Burlingame Smells Like Chocolate

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This story was reported by Adhiti Bandlamudi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Unwrapping SF's Rich Chocolate History

California's primary is just around the corner, on March 5, 2024. This year, there's a statewide Proposition on your primary ballot, but don't worry we've got you covered. Prop 1 asks voters two big questions: Should mental health funding be used for housing? And should the state borrow money to build more housing and treatment facilities? There's tons of interesting stuff in this one.

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Episode Transcript

Did the Emptying of Mental Hospitals Contribute to Homelessness?

KQED Voter Guide

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This story was reported by (insert reporter name). Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Prop 1: Big Changes to Mental Health Funding

Look closely at a map of Oakland and you'll notice an odd spot that seems to have been cut out. That's the city of Piedmont. Bay Curious listener David Levine wanted to know how and why Piedmont came to be separate. And he's curious about how that history has affected the relationship between the two places. KQED's Chris Hambrick went to find out. This episode first aired in 2019, but we still get questions about it on the regular.
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Why Is Piedmont A Separate City From Oakland?

East Bay Yesterday Podcast

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This story was reported by Katherine Monahan. This episode of Bay Curious was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Bianca Taylor, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldana, Maha Sanad and Holly Kernan.

Why Piedmont Is A Separate City From Oakland

Last year, we invited Bay Curious listeners to submit questions about squirrels, and wow did you deliver! In today's episode KQED's Angela Corral joins in as we tackle the nut economy, why squirrel tails are so fluffy, where they sleep and how long they nurture their young.
Additional Resources

Yes, That Squirrel Might Be Taunting Your Dog. And More Squirrel Facts

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This story was reported by Angela Corral, with help from Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Pauline Bartolone. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Squirrelmania!

Wander onto the parade ground of Fort Scott, and one of the first questions that comes to mind is: "What is this place?" A large grassy field is bordered by tall beige buildings with red roofs. Their windows are boarded up and the place feels deserted. It's particularly odd because Fort Scott is just steps away from epic views over the Golden Gate Bridge, a well-traveled cycling path, and one of the biggest thoroughfares running through the park. But none of that bustle seems to reach this collection of empty buildings. What's the history of this place and why isn't being put to more modern use? In this episode KQED's Bianca Taylor takes us into the history of Fort Scott.
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Web story: The Hidden History of Fort Scott in San Francisco's Presidio

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts 
This story was reported by Bianca Taylor. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

The Hidden History of Fort Scott

The Bay Area's two water temples can be an unexpected finding if you stumble upon one. Stately, round, and featuring tall stone columns, the open-air structures look like they've been plucked right from ancient Rome. Bay Curious listener Will Hoffknecht wanted to know why these monuments exist and look the way they do. KQED’s Katherine Monahan traces their story back to the European colonization of San Francisco, and finds discontent about what they symbolize around our state.
*This episode has been updated to include that the SFPUC is constructing an interpretive center at the Sunol Water temple and is working with the Muwekma Ohlone Nation to include an exhibit about their history.
Additional Reading:

Triumph or Insult? The Complicated Legacy of the Bay Area’s Water Temples

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Watch: Hetch Hetchy: To Restore Or Not


Archival material about Hetch Hetchy from the National Archives

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This story was reported by Katherine Monahan. This episode of Bay Curious was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Bianca Taylor, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldana, Maha Sanad and Holly Kernan.

Two Water Temples ... Why?!

When Bay Curious listener Lori Bodenhamer looks at Google Maps, she's always wondered why a small slice of Alameda island is part of San Francisco. The answer takes us all the way back to women the Spanish colonized the area.

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Why Is Part of Alameda Island in San Francisco?

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This story was reported by Ryan Levi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Bianca Taylor and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, and Holly Kernan.

San Francisco's Sliver of Alameda

For decades there was a phone service in Northern California that would read you the time and date if you dialed POP-CORN, the letters that represented 767-2676. That service went dark back in 2007, and Bay Curious listener George wants to know why. In this nostalgic episode, we take a romp through the innovative technlology that powered time-and-date services, and meet the beloved voice behind POP-CORN, Joanne Daniels.
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Read the transcript for this episode

You Used to Be Able to Call POP-CORN and Get the Time. What Happened to That?

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Reported by Christopher Beale. This episode was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Suzie Racho, Christopher Beale and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldana, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan, and the entire KQED Family.

Dialing POP-CORN

During World War II, 10,000 Italian citizens living in California were forced to leave their homes as part of security measures meant to protect the West Coast from enemy invasion. Others were forced to register as enemy aliens, and were subject to property seizures, curfews and travel restrictions. On this week’s show, Pauline Bartolone investigates what West Coast Italians faced during WWII, how it was different from what Italians experience elsewhere, and why many people — including Italians – don’t know this history.

Additional Reading

How Bay Area Italians Were Treated as 'Enemy Aliens' During WWII

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Una Storia Segreta: When Italians Were Enemy Aliens

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This story was reported by Pauline Bartolone. Special thanks to Historian Stephen Fox and to James King for writing in to Bay Curious with the question. 
This episode of Bay Curious was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Christopher Beale and Pauline Bartolone. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett, Bianca Taylor, Holly Kernan and the entire KQED family.

How Italians Were Treated As 'Enemy Aliens' During WWII

In the 1960s and 70s, American beer drinkers didn't have many options. Large brewers were pumping out beer that was bland, tasteless and characterless. But in San Francisco, one small brewer was doing it differently. Their methods weren't new — they were making beer the old fashioned way — but their brew stood out as robust and flavorful among the sea of lackluster options. Their beer garnered a lot of attention — and helped launch a craft brewing revolution. This week on the show, producer Amanda Font explores craft beer's history in San Francisco, and visits a successful brewery who is carrying on the creative torch.
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How San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Started the Craft Beer Craze

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

How Anchor Brewing Started the Craft Beer Craze

Foggy days are a fact of life in the Bay Area, but climate change could lead to fewer of them in the coming years. While that might be welcome news to some, the truth is fog is an important weather phenomenon for all kinds of reasons. This week, reporter Dana Cronin demystifies the mist and finds out what we might expect for the future of fog.
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With Climate Change, What Will Happen to the Bay Area’s Fog?

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This story was reported by Dana Cronin. 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, and Holly Kernan.

The Future of Fog

San Jose is the most populated Bay Area city with a million residents. Yet, for a city its size, it feels pretty spread out. And that's not great for climate change or population growth. This week we're sharing an episode of the podcast Sold Out from our colleagues at KQED. Reporter Adhiti Bandlamudi takes stock of why San Jose is a so characterized by urban sprawl, and how the city is looking at ways to build for a denser, greener future.
Additional Reading:

How the Bay Area's Biggest City Wants to Overcome Its Sprawl

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This story was reported by Adhiti Bandlamudi. The Sold Out team also includes Erin Baldassari, Erika Kelly, Kevin Stark, Jen Chien and Brendan Willard.
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, and Holly Kernan.

Rethinking San Jose's Urban Sprawl

The Fillmore Auditorium is so chock full of musical history, it feels like the building itself has a soul. Nowhere is that better on display than in the theater's iconic poster room, filled with colorful framed signs for hundreds of shows through the decades. Since 1985, concertgoers have gotten their own free copies of the posters as they leave the theater. But who is the person behind these awesome keepsakes? Reporter Bianca Taylor introduces us to Arlene Owseichik, the creative director responsible for more than 2,000 of them.
Additional Reading: 

Meet the Woman Behind the Fillmore's Famous Posters

Check our episode on the Fillmore apples

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This story was reported by Bianca Taylor. 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, and Holly Kernan.

The Poster Queen of the Fillmore

During the height of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco, in a small church a few blocks from the heart of the Castro, one pastor changed the experience of communion and committed felonies to comfort his flock. Reporter Christopher Beale brings us this story, which he originally produced for his podcast "Stereotypes: Straight Talk from Queer Voices," and later aired on The California Report Magazine.
Additional Reading: 

'Acts of Great Love': How the Marijuana Minister of the Castro Helped His Flock Endure the AIDS Epidemic

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Buy tickets for our theatrical walking tour of the National AIDS Memorial Grove

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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. 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, and Holly Kernan.

The Marijuana Minister of the Castro

One hundred twenty-eight years ago, San Francisco was haunted by a bizarre, brutal murder case. And in terms of macabre ingredients, this story truly had it all. In the final episode of our Boo Curious series, reporter Carly Severn digs into the story of Theo Durrant, and the subsequent media frenzy around this case that draws parallels with our modern-day obsession with 'true crime.'
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Murder in the Belfry: How the Story of Theodore Durrant Captivated Victorian San Francisco

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This story was reported by Carly Severn. 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, and Holly Kernan.

The Demon of the Belfry

One chapter in the Bay Area's long tradition of local subcultures is often overlooked: America’s first official satanic church was started right here in San Francisco. In the third installment in our Boo Curious series, producer Amanda Font finds the devil in the details of The Church of Satan's larger-than-life founder, Anton LaVey, and the Black House where it all started. It's a story filled with lust, intrigue and a fair amount of theatrics.
Additional Reading: 

How the Church of Satan Was Born in San Francisco

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This story was reported by Amanda Font. 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, Maha Sanad, Matthew Green and Holly Kernan.

Anton LaVey and the Church of Satan

This is the second episode in our month-long BOO Curious series! Today we've got a double feature. First, we look at how 19th century estate in Oakland became the undisputed star of spooky films dating back to the 1970s. Then, we head a little south to Hayward, where the centuries-old Legend of the Lone Tree inspires intrigue with its story of love, betrayal ... and gruesome murder.
Additional Reading:

Dunsmuir: The Oakland Mansion that Inspired Hollywood Nightmares

The Legend of Lone Tree Connects Us to Hayward's History

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Get tickets for our walking tour at the AIDS Memorial Grove

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These stories were reported by Rachael Myrow and Pauline Bartolone. 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, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

A Spooky Mansion & The Notorious Lone Tree

Welcome to the first episode in our October series we're calling BOO Curious! We're kicking off this month of stories about creepy places in the Bay Area with a trip to a tourist attraction that's steeped in ghostly legend: the Winchester Mystery House. This unusual, sprawling Victorian mansion was built by Sarah Winchester, who is said to have kept building onto the house for decades in order to keep the spirits at bay. Is there any truth to this story of paranormal paranoia? Reporter Carly Severn went to find out.
Additional Reading:

After 100 Years, the Mysteries of the Winchester House Endure

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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts
This story was reported by Carly Severn. 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, Attila Pelit and Holly Kernan.

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