Bay Curious

Recent fires in the Bay Area have a lot of us thinking about how to evacuate our homes, maybe for the first time. We answer all the basics about when you'll know it's time to go, what to bring, and where to go. And, we take some hope from the resilience of our redwood forests, even after tragic wildfires.Additional Reading:  What Big Basin's Redwoods Mean to You (and Why They'll Be OK) Fire Evacuation: What Actually Happens? And How Can You Plan? We Can Make Wildfires Less Horrific. Will We? Reported by Carly Severn and Danielle Venton. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

The lagoon in front of San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts has been home to swans since its was built in 1915. Bay Curious listener Mishi Nova loves the spot and the swans. She wondered how the swans survive the night and escape the coyotes.Additional Reading:  The Swans at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts Have Attitude Check out what different birds sound like on the Audubon website A Very Curious Activity book Reported by Asal Ehsanipour. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley.

Now there’s no question that today the nine-county Bay Area is solidly blue, but it hasn’t always been this way. Bay Curious listener Marcus wants to know: When and why did the Bay Area become overwhelmingly liberal? The answer depends on who you ask.Additional Reading: When and Why Did the Bay Area Become So Liberal? Political Breakdown podcast KQED's 2020 Election Coverage Reported by Scott Shafer. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

On a tucked-away beach in Richmond, Calif., shards of broken pottery outnumber sand or rocks. It’s an odd feeling, like you’ve stumbled on some kind of archaeological site right next to the Costco. Locals affectionately call this place TEPCO beach, after the Technical Porcelain and Chinaware Company that used to operate in nearby El Cerrito. Bay Curious listener Jo Ann Yada wants to know the story behind the beach, and how so much broken pottery wound up here.Additional Reading: The Unassuming East Bay Beach Strewn With Ceramic Treasures TEPCO: The Defunct Ceramics Factory That Still Dishes Out Nostalgia Subscribe to The California Reporter Magazine Podcast on Apple Podcasts Sign up for our monthly Bay Curious newsletter Reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong, and Asal Ehsanipour.

The state of California has indecent exposure laws, making it illegal if someone is naked with the intent of being sexual (like masturbating in public), or intentionally offensive (like flashing someone). If you’re just hanging out naked minding your own business, California leaves that up to local governments. Today on the show, we're bring back an episode that first ran in 2017 ... that traces the fascinating history of being naked in San Francisco.Additional Reading: The History of Nudity in San Francisco Uncovered Subscribe to the Bay Curious newsletter Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Listener Michael Viray wrote in to Bay Curious asking to learn more about the origin story behind ethnic studies: “I’ve heard from one of my professors of ethnic studies at UC Davis that there was actually a revolution in the Bay Area for an ethnic studies field. Is this true? And how did it happen?”Today on Bay Curious, we’re revisiting the longest student strike in U.S. history. We'll learn about the five-month standoff between students and administrators at San Francisco State, that ultimately led to the first College of Ethnic Studies in the nation.Additional Reading: How the Longest Student Strike in U.S. History Created Ethnic Studies Sign up for the Bay Curious newsletter Reported by Asal Ehsanipour. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley.

San Francisco beat out Los Angeles, New York and Portland as the top vegan city in America. But with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on the food industry — will that title endure? In today's episode we explore what's made vegan eating so popular in the Bay Area, and then learn how businesses are coping during these challenging times.Additional Resources: Read: Vegan Food is Big in the Bay Area — But Will the Scene Survive COVID-19? Get the Bay Curious Activity Book Sign up for our newsletter! Reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley.

This week we learn how one enamored entrepreneur on a shoe-string budget gave birth to the Murphy bed in San Francisco. Then, we revisit one of our most-popular Bay Curious episodes of all time, about the Flintstone House in Hillsborough. The home's architect, who wasn't available for our original story, shares the backstory to his unique design.Additional Resources: Read - How A San Francisco Love Story Inspired the Invention of the Murphy Bed Read - What's That Thing Off 280? The Flintstone House Listen to our original Flintstone House story on Apple Podcasts Subscribe to the Bay Curious newsletter! Reported by Katrina Schwartz and Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley.

Bay Curious listener Scott has lived in the Bay Area his whole life. He's always wondered why the weather can be so different just a few miles apart. This week, we dig into Bay Area microclimates -- what are they, why do they exist, and do heat islands affect our weather.*This episode has been updated to fix an error in Andrew Oliphant's title.Additional Reading:  Why Does The Bay Area Have So Many Microclimates? Why San Francisco Gets So Windy and Foggy In The Summer Sign up for the Bay Curious newsletter! Reported by Daniel Potter. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Don Clyde.

Bay Curious listeners Alex Kornblum, 8, and his dad, Heath Kornblum, were talking about their drinking water when they landed on this question: How long does it take for water to get from Hetch Hetchy to San Francisco? And how far does it travel?Resources mentioned in this episode: How Hetch Hetchy Valley’s natural beauty was sacrificed to quench SF’s thirst (SF Chronicle) Video: Hetch Hetchy: To Restore or Not (KQED) Hetch Hetchy the cat's Instagram page Sign up for the Bay Curious monthly newsletter Reported by Sarah Craig. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Rob Speight. Additional support from Erika Aguilar, Jessica Placzek, Kyana Moghadam, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Carly Severn, Bianca Hernandez, Ethan Lindsey, Vinnee Tong and Michelle Wiley.