355 episodes
Bay Curious KQED
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- Society & Culture
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4.8 • 862 Ratings
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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.
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Mac Dre and Lyrics on Trial
One of the first instances of rap lyrics being used during a criminal trial goes back to the early 90s, and the trial of legendary rapper Mac Dre. Dre is best known as one of the pioneers of 'hyphy' music, which helped put Bay Area hip-hop on the map. There’s a lot of lore around what happened during Mac Dre’s trial, so as part of That’s My Word, KQED’s yearlong project on Bay Area hip-hop history, reporter Jessica Kariisa set out to discover what really happened.
Additional Reading:
Did Mac Dre Really Go to Prison Because of His Lyrics?
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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 Jessica Kariisa. 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. -
Are the Redwoods Doing Okay?
People travel from all over the world to see California's beautiful redwood forests. But some of these spectacularly tall and long lived trees aren't doing as well as they once were, particularly the ones in urban settings. Reporter Dana Cronin explores what makes these magnificent giants so unique, and why they're facing growing challenges.
Additional Reading:
The Bay Area's Famous Redwood Trees Are Struggling
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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, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan. -
Bay Curious Presents: A Book!
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:
Read the transcript for this episode.
Podcast: Olivia on East Bay Yesterday
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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. -
The Iron Horse Trail
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:
This 30-Mile East Bay Trail has Roots on the Railroad
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Take our audience survey
Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest
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. -
Zero Emission Cars and a Golden Gate Lookalike
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:
Are Zero-Emission Vehicles Making a Dent in California's Air Pollution?
What's With the Golden Gate Bridge Lookalike in Lisbon?
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Take our audience survey
Check out our new Bay Curious book
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. -
Bay to Breakers: Half Race, Half Party
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:
Bay to Breakers Is Part Race, Part Parade and Classic San Francisco
Read a transcript of this episode
Sign up for our newsletter
Take our audience survey
Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest
Check out our new Bay Curious book
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.
Customer Reviews
Love this show
One of my favorite podcasts, always looking forward to the next one!
Staying Connected
We moved away from the Bay Area a few years ago. I love being able to listen to Bay Curious to still feel a little connected to the Bay Area. The episodes range from fun, heartwarming, and thought provoking. Also the best part, the episodes are in good bite sized bits of 15-20 minutes.
Need better fact-check
As a long-time listener, I have enjoyed most episodes, learning much Bay Area history along the way. What got me upset is the latest episode about internment camp in Pacifica when I heard it says “Japan invaded China in late 1930’s with the help of Soviet Union”. I was so shocked that I had to roll back to listen again to verify I heard it right. This is factually wrong; Soviet Union was the main source of external help China could get in its resistance against Japanese invasion until Pearl Harbor when USA declared war against Japan, and became ally with China. Not sure if there was a correction, but this careless flip of history from a major media broadcasted over air and internet is just bad.