Bay Curious

Gone are the days of the Old West with sheriffs sitting astride their horses and star shaped badges gleaming in the dusty sunshine. But the idea of police on horseback isn't a total relic. San Francisco, with the country's second oldest mounted police force, still has a few hooved officers left. This week on the show, producer Katrina Schwartz heads to the stables to meet this four-legged squad.Additional Reading: After 150 Years, Why Do San Francisco Police Still Have a Mounted Unit? Read a transcript of this episode Sign up for our newsletter 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/podcastsThis story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Kevin Stark, Chris Egusa, Paul Lancour, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

There are dozens of shipwrecks in and around San Francisco Bay. And Bay Curious listener Brian Teaff wonders: Is there treasure down there? In some ways yes, but it may not be the type of treasure you're imagining.Additional Reading Is There Treasure At The Bottom Of The Bay? Read episode transcript Sign up for our newsletter 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/podcastsThis story was reported by Anna Marie Yanny. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Kevin Stark, Chris Egusa, Paul Lancour, César Saldaña, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

In the early 1960s, cities around the San Francisco Bay Area proposed plans to fill in the bay waters and expand. At the time, there was no regional agency looking at what all those projects together would do to the bay as whole. That's where three Berkeley women stepped in to save the bay.Additional Reading Read episode transcript EXHIBIT: Voices For the Environment: A Century of Bay Area Activism Sign up for our newsletter 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/podcastsThis story was adapted from the Voices for the Environment podcast. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Sasha Khokha, Dan Brekke, Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Which came first: the churches or the street named Brotherhood Way? That's what Bay Curious listener Noor Moughamian wants to know. She attends the KZV Armenian School located on the San Francisco street and has always wondered about the origin of the name.Additional Reading: Which Came First, San Francisco's Brotherhood Way Or The Churches On It? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter 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/podcastsThis story was reported by Katherine Monahan. This episode of Bay Curious was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Xorje Oliveras, Bianca Taylor, Paul Lancour, Katie Fruit, Jasmine Garnett, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Explore the changing color of the water in San Francisco Bay, with insights from a biologist on factors like light interaction and particles. Learn about the challenges in detecting long-term trends and the natural cycle of water turning green due to photoplankton populations. Join in on a trivia game and find out about a live jazz event at KQED headquarters.

Artist Jeremy Novy, known for koi fish stencils in Bay Area, discusses hidden meanings and Chinese symbolism behind his street art. Explore themes of perseverance, transformation, and community pride through his colorful murals. Learn how art serves as therapy for mental health and creates a sense of belonging in the urban landscape.

Back in the early 1960’s, when BART was just a sketch on a map, planners with the young transit agency had a task in front of them. BART had to acquire some 2,200 parcels of land in order to build the future transportation system in the Bay Area. In this week's episode, Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman explores what happened next, and how decades later, memories of the homes and communities that were destroyed remain strong.Additional Reading: When BART Was Built, People — and Houses — Had to Go Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest $1.99 e-book deal available at: Amazon. Apple. Barnes & Noble. Google Play. Kobo. Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Azul Dahlstrom-Eckman. This episode of Bay Curious was made by Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price, Pauline Bartolone and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Tamuna Chkareuli, Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

The ruins of Sutro Baths, at the far western edge of San Francisco, are mysterious. Clearly something big used to stand here. Today we take you back in time to what visiting this grand swimming facility would have been like.Additional Reading: Inside Sutro Baths, San Francisco's Once Grand Bathing Palace $1.99 e-book deal available at: Amazon. Apple. Barnes & Noble. Google Play. Kobo. Sign up for our newsletter 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/podcastsThis story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Christopher Beale Additional support from Tamuna Chkareuli, Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

San Francisco is 49 square miles, but contains more than 1,000 miles of sewer mains, running under every block. Take a trip with Bay Curious reporter Carly Severn into the depths of the city, and discover an otherworldly cave that has reached legendary status with some urban explorers. This story first aired in 2019.Additional Reading: Exploring San Francisco's Hidden Tunnels (YouTube) Tunnels Under San Francisco? Inside the Dark, Dangerous World of the Sewers Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter 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/podcastsThis story was reported by Carly Severn. The episode was also made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Tamuna Chkareuli, Jessica Placzek and Rob Speight. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Reporter Carly Severn gives Olivia Allen-Price a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to get under the streets of San Francisco for her 2019 story. If you value the work Bay Curious does, we’re asking for your financial support. Give at donate.kqed.org/podcasts.