Author: KQED

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Bay Curious - The Historic Mansion Hidden Under the Bay Bridge

Tucked under the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge is a once-grand mansion known as the Nimitz House. Bay Curious listener Ben Kaiser wants to know nearly everything about it from who lived in it, to what it might become in the future. Turns out, this weathered home in the middle of San Francisco Bay used to be the quarters of the top Navy commander on Yerba Buena Island and is named for a five-star admiral who died there.


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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 Gabriela Glueck. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

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Bay Curious - Were Chain Stores Once Banned in San Francisco?

San Francisco is known for its distinct neighborhoods, each with its own shopping street, full of local businesses. Listener Sarah Soule grew up in the city and remembers hearing that San Francisco didn't allow big box stores or chains to open within city limits. But recently she's seen more chains and wonders if that was true. We trace the history of San Francisco's regulation of chain stores and the effect it has had on the city.


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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 Scott Shafer. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

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Bay Curious - The Girl in the Fishbowl at Bimbo’s 365 Club

Rita Hayworth, Robin Williams, Adele — these are just a few of the huge stars that have graced the stage of Bimbo’s 365 Club over its 94 years in San Francisco. But the act the club is most famous for is Dolphina — or the “Girl in the Fishbowl.”  Dolphina isn’t a person, though; she’s a character who’s been played by many different women since 1931. When Dolphina performs, it looks like there is a real, live woman, shrunk down to 6 inches, swimming in a fish tank at the bar. How did this quirky act come to be?

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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 Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

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Bay Curious - When Biological Weapons Were Secretly Tested in San Francisco

In 1950, the U.S. military sprayed bacteria over San Francisco as part of a biological weapons test. The test team thought the bacteria it used was harmless, but several people got sick and one person died. We explore the history and impacts of this clandestine operation, now known as Operation Seaspray, on U.S. military policy and one man's family.


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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 Katherine Monahan. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Holly Kernan and everyone on Team KQED.

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Bay Curious - Who Killed Jane Stanford? Inside A 120-Year-Old Mystery

Stanford University on the San Francisco peninsula is a rarified place, so its intriguing that even 120 years after her death, there's still a mystery surrounding the death of Jane Stanford, the university's co-founder. It's a story full of tyrants, frenemies, poisoning and cover-ups that you won't want to miss.


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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, Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ana De Almeida Amaral, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

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Bay Curious - Proposition 50, Thoroughly Explained

California voters have one proposition on the ballot this November: Proposition 50. It's supporters want California to adopt a new congressional map that could give Democrats five more seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, a counter to similar actions taken in Texas. Opponents say it's a step in the wrong direction for good governance, or are upset at the potential loss of Republican seats. We wade into the debate with KQED's Guy Marzorati.

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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 Guy Marzorati. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan, and the whole KQED family.

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Bay Curious - The Punk Club That Changed San Francisco

In San Francisco, Mabuhay Gardens was the epicenter of punk. Located on Broadway at the edge of North Beach and Chinatown, it was ground zero for the city's emerging punk movement in the late 1970s. The Filipino restaurant and nightclub hosted many of the era's most iconic punk bands — including the Avengers, Dead Kennedys, and the Jim Carroll Band. Even punk rock icon Patti Smith took the stage. In this episode, we dig into the history and legacy of the so-called "Fab Mab."


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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 produced by Brandi Howell. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

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Bay Curious - Why So Many Motels on Lombard Street?

Lombard Street is famous for its winding brick lane, but beyond that iconic block lies something unexpected: a stretch of old-school motels. Why so many in one place? This week on Bay Curious, we explore how the growing popularity of automobiles – and the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge – transformed Lombard Street into a bustling hub for motor lodges. Then, we’ll head south to the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge to unpack its history.


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Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts

These stories were reported by Christopher Beale and Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

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Bay Curious - La Llorona: Ghost or Protector? You Decide

In the popular telling, La Llorona is a ghost. She’s the spirit of a woman who haunts watery places, wailing for her lost children. But as with all stories, the meaning of the myth has changed over time and many people now see La Llorona as a protector. For spooky October, we explore the ghostly myth that frightens children and the more empowering version of the legend.


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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 Sebastian Miño-Bucheli. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.

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Bay Curious - Bears, Coyotes, Mountain Lions While Hiking or Camping? What You Should Do

As we go about our lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and explore this beautiful state, it's not uncommon to encounter wild animals. Whether you're hiking in the Santa Cruz mountains and see warnings about mountain lions, or camping in Tahoe where bears have learned human ways, there are some things to know about how to stay safe. KQED's audience desk reporters Sarah Wright and Carly Severn join us with helpful tips about how to coexist in nature with the animals that also call it home.


Additional Resources:

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 and Sarah Wright. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Gabriela Glueck and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Olivia Allen-Price, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Alana Walker, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED.