Author: KQED

Question asker José Muñoz wants to know more about the storied history of this place, which was a pivotal stop-off in Charlie Chaplin's career. Was Niles Hollywood before Hollywood was Hollywood?

Additional Reading:

This Tiny East Bay Town Was Once a Movie Making Hotspot

Reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Occupation of Alcatraz began on Nov. 20, 1969, when a group of Native American students, calling themselves the Indians of All Tribes, landed on Alcatraz Island. They wanted to return the land to native ownership, and felt they had a right to the land because of the Treaty of Fort Laramie, which said that land deserted by the federal government should be returned to the natives who once occupied it.

Additional Reading:

WATCH: The Occupation of Alcatraz Turns 50, But the Impact of the Movement Lives On

A Look Back at the Occupation of Alcatraz, 50 Years Later

Reported by Alice Woelfle. Produced by Ericka Cruz-Guevarra, Devin Katayama, Kyana Moghadam and Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin.

Kevin Platt was checking out a flag display outside San Francisco's city hall when he noticed the flag from his home state, Texas, was among them. What gives? Plus, we take a quick dive into the history of San Francisco's oldest square — where the announcement of gold was made, and where the state's first public school house once stood.

Reported by Annika Cline and Marisol Medina-Cadena. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin.

When Bay Curious listener Justin Hartung was growing up in Oakland, he remembers the Bay being blue. After moving to New York for college in the early 90s, and returning back to the East Bay a couple years ago, he noticed a big difference in the hue of the harbor. When did it get so green?

Additional Reading:

Feel Like the S.F. Bay Used to Be Bluer? You're Not Imagining It

Reported by Amanda Font. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Kyana Moghadam, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin.

To celebrate the third birthday of the Bay Curious podcast we are answering listener questions about our favorite episodes, how we make the show, our theme music, the way we choose questions, and questions we wish we received. Also don't miss our birthday celebration on November 14th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Babe's Monte Carlo in San Francisco. Register at BayCurious.org/events.

Additional reading/listening:

Why Do Some Hate the Nickname ‘Frisco’?

What Would It Take to Make Lake Merritt Swimmable?

Bay Curious has been made possible by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Vinnee Tong, Ryan Levi, Suzie Racho, Julie Caine, Erika Kelly, Paul Lancour, Kelly O’Mara, Carly Severn, Katie McMurran, Rob Speight, Pat Yollin, Maggie Galloway, Holly Kernan, Ethan Lindsay, and Julia McEvoy.

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.

VIDEO: Take A Trip Into San Francisco's Sewer System

Web story: Tunnels Under San Francisco? Inside the Dark, Dangerous World of the Sewers

Reported by Carly Severn. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Suzie Racho and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Patricia Yollin, Vinnee Tong and Ethan Lindsey.

The Bay Area is defined by water. Not just by the bay itself, but by the Pacific Ocean and myriad rivers, reservoirs, lakes and ponds. Yet most of the bodies of water you drive past are devoid of people. No swimming. No splashing around. Not even on the hottest days. Why is that?

Additional Reading (including a list of where you can swim):

Why Can’t You Swim in Most Bay Area Lakes?

Reported by Kelly O’Mara. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran and Rob Speight. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Patricia Yollin.

Two Oakland ice cream makers claim they invented the famous flavor — Fenton's Creamery and Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream. Either way, the depression-era creation changed the game for ice cream flavors in America.

More food history episodes:

• Dutch Crunch
• Mai Tai
• Green Goddess Salad Dressing
• It's It Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Sourdough
• Irish Coffee

Reported by Sasha Khokha, host of The California Report Magazine. Edited by Suzie Racho. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Julie Caine, Kyana Moghadam, Carly Severn, Vinnee Tong, Ethan Lindsey and Pat Yollin.

Our first stop is the Bay Model in Sausalito, a roughly 1.5-acre model of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta system. We visit The Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, which pays tribute to over 100 years of surfing in the area. Our last stop is at Musée Mécanique where we meet the owner of this vast coin-operated collection.

Additional Reading:

12 Off-Beat Museums in the Bay Area To Visit This Fall

Santa Cruz Museum Shines Light on the History of Surfing

Reported by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Bianca Taylor and Maggie Galloway. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek and Katie McMurran. Additional support from Julie Caine, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Patricia Yollin.

Lake Tahoe is the backyard playground for many in the Bay Area, so earlier this year we asked the Bay Curious audience what questions they had about this recreational hot spot. We collaborated with TahoeLand, a podcast from Capital Public Radio, to answer them!

– Are there dead bodies at the bottom of the lake?

– What’s the story behind Tahoe Tessie?

– What does it mean to keep Tahoe blue?

– Why is keeping Tahoe blue important?

Find more reporting on how climate change is impacting Lake Tahoe by checking out the TahoeLand podcast.

Web story: Do Preserved Bodies Dwell in Lake Tahoe’s Depths?! The Truth Behind Tahoe’s Myths

Reporting by Ezra David Romero, Sally Schilling and Emily Zentner.

Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Robert Speight, Katie McMurran and Paul Lancour. Additional support from Julie Caine, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and Pat Yollin.

Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

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