Bay Curious

For much of the 20th century, swaths of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties were home to seas of chrysanthemums, asters and irises. About 200 acres of chrysanthemums — roughly 150 football fields — were grown at the time. The total valuation of the crop amounted to roughly $2 million. And many of the farmers who grew those flowers were Chinese and Japanese immigrants who had to lease land from white landowners because they weren't allowed to own property. Additional Resources: When Chinese Flower Growers Helped the Bay Area Flower Market Bloom Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Gabriela Glueck. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just off San Pablo Point, near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, there's a tiny spec of an island with a beautiful Victorian-era building on it. East Brother Light Station has been there since 1874, its light beaming out to warn boats away from unexpectedly shallow waters. Bay Curious listener Kathleen Taylor noticed the lighthouse on a ferry ride from Vallejo to San Francisco for a baseball game and wondered what went on there over the years. She tagged along as we visited the island and got a private tour with the current keepers. Additional Resources: A Trip to the Remote Island Lighthouse in the Middle of San Francisco Bay Read the transcript for this episode GoFundMe for East Brother pier replacement Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Olivia Allen-Price. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Curious listener Mary Newsom went on a lot of walks during the coronavirus pandemic. While hiking in the Oakland and Berkeley hills, she noticed that wildlife had come back to the golf courses located in East Bay parks. But once shelter-in-place lifted and golfers were back at it, all she saw were golf balls -- everywhere. It made her wonder, why are there so many golf courses in public parks in the Bay Area? Do they help the parks financially? Additional Resources: Why Are There so Many Public Golf Courses in the Bay Area? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Sarah Wright. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Bay Area cities from Oakland to San Francisco have contracts with Flock Safety, a surveillance company that offers license plate readers that yield far more data than an average speed camera. Many citizens and privacy activists are concerned that the cameras are collecting so much information it's actually a violation of our fourth amendment rights. But law enforcement agencies and their supporters argue that since cities started using the cameras, crime has gone down. Bay Curious listener Dennis Riley has heard some of the news about Flock cameras and began to wonder, how much information do they have about someone like him, who hasn't done anything wrong and isn't suspected of a crime. We dig into why Flock is so controversial, how the technology works and learn what kind of information the cameras are collecting about people and vehicles that pass by. Additional Resources: Why Is Flock Safety So Controversial in the Bay Area? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Morgan Sung. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale, Anna Casalme and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the heart of San Francisco, near the Castro Theater and Corona Heights, there's a rock wall with a striking appearance. Listener Ravi Bhoraskar stumbled on it and wondered why the rock has a shiny, almost wet-looking appearance. And as a new convert to rock climbing, he also wondered if he could climb it. We dig into the history of urban climbs like this one and how they helped put the Bay Area at the forefront of rock climbing innovation. And don't worry, we'll do some climbing too! Additional Resources: The San Francisco Rock Climbing Spot Known For Its Shiny Surface Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Francesca Fenzi. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco’s trash cans have problems. From debris littering the streets around them, to the — more often than not — broken recycling compartments, these green garbage receptacles are past their intended life span. Replacing them has been a saga that Bay Curious started following in 2022, but at last the new cans are popping up on city streets. This is a refreshed version of our 2022 episode about the trash cans with an update at the end. Additional Resources: The Sordid Saga of San Francisco's Trash Cans Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! 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 Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephanie Rolfs, like many Bay Area residents, has spent a lot of time looking out over the bay, watching as ships come and go. The cargo ships in particular are so big and obvious as they sit out in the middle of the bay, south of the Oakland-San Francisco Bay Bridge and north of the San Mateo bridge. She wondered, how do those ships know where to park? Are there invisible parking "spots" they're pulling up to? How does it all work out there? We called Vessel Traffic Services to find out. Additional Resources: Welcome to Anchorage 9: The Giant Ship Parking Lot You Pass Every Day Read the transcript for this episode Why Specialized Mariners Are Required on Every Ship Sailing Into San Francisco Bay Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Olivia shares the trailer for a new show. "Life, Automated" explores how to live, work, and make decisions in a world increasingly shaped by machines. What does the economy look like if AI can do much of what humans can? Will AI tools isolate us further, or steer us back toward community and common ground? Can the average person expect to be better off a decade from now? And what the heck should we tell a sixteen-year-old who wants to know whether learning German (or design, or coding, or the piano) is still worth it? Life, Automated is grounded and non-ideological, going deep without getting too technical. Because you shouldn’t need to be an “AI person” to understand the future we’re collectively building. Find it wherever you listen or at https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/lifeautomated Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bruce Lee was one of the first Asian stars in Hollywood. His path to fame wasn’t easy but it paved the way for other Asian Americans to do the same today. Bruce was a disruptor in the kung fu world -- a young upstart who wanted to do things differently. Though he would eventually become this legendary figure in American culture, it took him years to hone his own style and philosophy. And many of the early moments that shaped him, the ones that made him the Bruce Lee we see on the silver screen, they took place in Oakland and San Francisco. Bay Curious listener Sam Hopkins wondered about his legacy here and why it isn't more celebrated. Additional Resources: The Bruce Lee Fight in Oakland That Became Martial Arts Legend Read the transcript for this episode Bruce Lee Chinese Historical Society exhibit Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Elize Manoukian. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Ishi walked into Oroville, Calif. in 1911, newspapers around the country trumpeted the news with headlines like "Last Wild Indian." He was the last of the Yahi, a tribe of indigenous Californians, who had been decimated by genocide, disease and loss of food sources. Ishi was taken to San Francisco, where he was studied by anthropologists, given housing and a job. Today his story raises questions about how he was treated, ethics in the field of anthropology, and how he’s portrayed. But Native people want to be sure we keep talking about the man himself — not just a victim of his circumstances — but for the remarkable human being he was. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! 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 Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you ask mariners, they’ll tell you, navigating a boat from the open ocean into the San Francisco Bay is notoriously treacherous. There’s the dense fog that can make it hard to see. Strong currents constantly rearrange the sea floor and can quickly throw a vessel off course. And finally – our bridges! If a boat were to strike a pillar it could be catastrophic. That’s why captains of big ships aren’t allowed to navigate into port on their own. A specially trained mariner called a bar pilot – hops aboard every ship that comes into San Francisco Bay, and takes over command. Bay Curious listener Erik Udd wants to know everything about how it all works. Additional Resources: Why Specialized Mariners Are Required on Every Ship Sailing Into San Francisco Bay Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Christopher Beale, Olivia Allen-Price and Katrina Schwartz. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first Yemeni cafe opened in the Bay Area in 2022, and since then nearly 20 have opened their doors around the region. Inside you'll find coffee drinks built around flavors like cardamom and cinnamon, and a warm, friendly atmosphere. Many have become late-night hangouts, and for singles, a place to see and be seen. KQED's Maha Sanad walks us through the history of Yemeni migration to the U.S., and how it's lead to the boom in Yemeni coffee shops we're seeing today. Additional Resources: The Yemeni Coffee Boom: How a Niche Trend Became a Bay Area Cultural Phenomenon Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter: https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/bay-curious Got a question you want answered? Ask it here: https://modules.wearehearken.com/bay-curious/embed/656/share Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Maha Sanad. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1960s and 70s the San Francisco Bay Area was home to many intentional communities and co-ops. A lot of people were interested in living situations that went counter to how they'd grown up, often in separated, single family homes. As time passed, many of those communities have broken up or morphed. But Lafayette Morehouse, in Contra Costa County, is still going strong. Bay Curious listener Sabrina McQueen remembers seeing members of the community around Lafayette when she was growing up. They drove purple cars and lived in a purple house, so the locals called them the "Purple People." She's curious to know what they're all about. Additional Resources: This Bay Area Sex-Loving Commune Is Still Going Strong Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Jon Brooks. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The San Francisco Bay Area has two major public ferry agencies serving the north and east bay. Together, they carried 4 million people last year. Bay Curious listener Kristen Breck often sees the ferries as they crisscross the bay waters and she wondered, what happens if one breaks down? Where do they go to be repaired? And who does that work? Today, we take you behind the scenes and show what it takes to keep the ferry system running smoothly. Additional Resources: Include a link to the web post for this very episode Read the transcript for this episode Become a KQED member! Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Adhiti Bandlamudi. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you aren't the type of person to wake up at 6:30am six months before you want to go camping to reserve a spot, you might be interested in dispersed camping. It's a free way to get outside and into nature that takes a little more preparation, but can yield big rewards. We break it down for you with KQED's Sarah Wright. Additional Resources: Dispersed Camping 101: How to Find Free Campsites Near the Bay Area How to Find Free Camping in California's National Forests Tips and Tricks to Snag A California Campsite Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Sarah Wright. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jack O'Neill is often credited with inventing the first wetsuit and selling it out of one of the nation's first surf shops near San Francisco's Ocean Beach. But many people don't know that a UC Berkeley physicist had a big role in the wetsuit's early invention too. It's an invention that changed the sport of surfing forever. Now, people surf all kinds of cold locations due to the availability of flexible neoprene suits that keep them warm. Additional Resources: The Wetsuit Changed Surfing -- We've Got a Berkeley Physicist to Thank for It Read the transcript for this episode A Bay Curious Adventure: History in Bloom at the Conservatory of Flowers Event Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Gabriela Glueck. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since it was first unveiled in 1971, the 710-ton brutalist-style Vaillancourt Fountain has been a divisive piece of public art. The tangle of concrete square tubes once fit in seamlessly with the Embarcadero Freeway, a double-decker road which once ran right next to it. But nowadays it stands out against the charming waterfront. On today's episode, we explore the life of this piece of public art, which is currently being taken down by the city. Additional Resources: Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Katie DeBenedetti. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess Garcia loves perusing San Francisco thrift stores for treasures. One day, she came across a vinyl record titled "In Baghdad By the Bay: Cora and Santos Beloy," which piqued her curiosity. She rushed home to listen and was amazed at the sweet nostalgic quality of the voices she heard. When she looked for more information on the couple she couldn't find much, but had this feeling there must be more to their story. It turns out this Filipino American couple were "San Francisco famous" in the 1970s, playing a celebrated set in the Fairmount Hotel's Tonga Room among many other gigs. They were also larger than life figures in their local community. We bring you the story of Cora and Santos Beloy. Additional Resources: A Vinyl Found in San Francisco Contains Echoes of Filipino American Love Story Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Asal Ehsanipour. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Reid noticed a control booth attached to one of Alameda's many drawbridges, and wondered if people are inside, working the bridge. Turns out they are, and it's a round-the-clock job. This week, Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman takes us into the life of a bridge tender, and explores the history of crossing the Oakland Estuary. Additional Resources: Alameda Relies on Bridge Tenders for Safety on Land and Sea Read the transcript for this episode Why Is Part of Alameda Island in San Francisco? Alameda: The Island That Almost Wasn’t Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! 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 Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suzanne Howard was playing around with Google Maps one day and zoomed in on Concord, in the east bay. She noticed a large open space near Concord High School that wasn't labeled, but had some mysterious looking mounds in a grid pattern. What are those things, she wondered? And, what's being done with this space? Could housing be built there? In fact, a massive redevelopment project is in the works in Concord, but it could take decades to materialize. Additional Resources: Why It’s Taken Concord 40 Years to Turn a Bomb Site into a Neighborhood Read the transcript for this episode Why Are There So Many Abandoned Military Bases in the Bay Area? Surprising Ways Former Bay Area Military Bases Are Transforming (And Why It Takes So Long) Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Pauline Bartolone. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices