Author: KQED

When listener Beth Caissie moved to San Francisco she'd heard of Ghirardelli Chocolate, but she was surprised there were so many other fabulous chocolate shops around. She wondered if the lineage stretches all the way back to the Gold Rush. It does! And because high quality chocolate was produced here, innovative chocolate makers from all over the world have put their own cultural twist on the sweet treat.

Additional Reading:

• From Ghirardelli to Socola: Unwrapping S.F's Chocolate History
• Why Burlingame Smells Like Chocolate
• 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/podcasts

This story was reported by Adhiti Bandlamudi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

California's primary is just around the corner, on March 5, 2024. This year, there's a statewide Proposition on your primary ballot, but don't worry we've got you covered. Prop 1 asks voters two big questions: Should mental health funding be used for housing? And should the state borrow money to build more housing and treatment facilities? There's tons of interesting stuff in this one.

Additional Reading:

• Episode Transcript
• Did the Emptying of Mental Hospitals Contribute to Homelessness?
• KQED Voter Guide
• 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/podcasts

This story was reported by (insert reporter name). Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Amanda Font, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Look closely at a map of Oakland and you'll notice an odd spot that seems to have been cut out. That's the city of Piedmont. Bay Curious listener David Levine wanted to know how and why Piedmont came to be separate. And he's curious about how that history has affected the relationship between the two places. KQED's Chris Hambrick went to find out. This episode first aired in 2019, but we still get questions about it on the regular.

Additional Reading:

• Why Is Piedmont A Separate City From Oakland?
• East Bay Yesterday Podcast
• Sign up for the Bay Curious newsletter

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. This episode of Bay Curious was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Bianca Taylor, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldana, Maha Sanad and Holly Kernan.

Last year, we invited Bay Curious listeners to submit questions about squirrels, and wow did you deliver! In today's episode KQED's Angela Corral joins in as we tackle the nut economy, why squirrel tails are so fluffy, where they sleep and how long they nurture their young.

Additional Resources

• Yes, That Squirrel Might Be Taunting Your Dog. And More Squirrel Facts
• 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/podcasts

This story was reported by Angela Corral, with help from Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Pauline Bartolone. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

Wander onto the parade ground of Fort Scott, and one of the first questions that comes to mind is: "What is this place?" A large grassy field is bordered by tall beige buildings with red roofs. Their windows are boarded up and the place feels deserted. It's particularly odd because Fort Scott is just steps away from epic views over the Golden Gate Bridge, a well-traveled cycling path, and one of the biggest thoroughfares running through the park. But none of that bustle seems to reach this collection of empty buildings. What's the history of this place and why isn't being put to more modern use? In this episode KQED's Bianca Taylor takes us into the history of Fort Scott.

Additional reading:

• Web story: The Hidden History of Fort Scott in San Francisco's Presidio
• 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/podcasts

This story was reported by Bianca Taylor. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Christopher Beale and Brendan Willard. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Joshua Ling, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

The Bay Area's two water temples can be an unexpected finding if you stumble upon one. Stately, round, and featuring tall stone columns, the open-air structures look like they've been plucked right from ancient Rome. Bay Curious listener Will Hoffknecht wanted to know why these monuments exist and look the way they do. KQED’s Katherine Monahan traces their story back to the European colonization of San Francisco, and finds discontent about what they symbolize around our state.

*This episode has been updated to include that the SFPUC is constructing an interpretive center at the Sunol Water temple and is working with the Muwekma Ohlone Nation to include an exhibit about their history.

Additional Reading:

• Triumph or Insult? The Complicated Legacy of the Bay Area’s Water Temples
• Read a transcript of this episode
• Watch: Hetch Hetchy: To Restore Or Not
• Archival material about Hetch Hetchy from the National Archives
• 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/podcasts

This story was reported by Katherine Monahan. This episode of Bay Curious was made by Olivia Allen-Price, Bianca Taylor, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Cesar Saldana, Maha Sanad and Holly Kernan.

When Bay Curious listener Lori Bodenhamer looks at Google Maps, she's always wondered why a small slice of Alameda island is part of San Francisco. The answer takes us all the way back to women the Spanish colonized the area.

Additional Reading:

• Why Is Part of Alameda Island in San Francisco?
• 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/podcasts

This story was reported by Ryan Levi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Bianca Taylor and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, and Holly Kernan.