Author: KQED

There are thousands of gnomes nailed into the base of Oakland utility poles. Meet the man who painted them there and learn why he did it.

Countless people who have stolen items from this deserted town have come to regret it.

Reported by Carly Severn. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Ryan Levi, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly, and Julia McEvoy. Holly Kernan is Vice President for News. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

Almost 140 years after his death, the beloved eccentric is still celebrated and revered in San Francisco. So who was he?

Reported by Ryan Levi. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Ryan Levi, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly and Julia McEvoy. Holly Kernan is Vice President for News. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question at BayCurious.org.

Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

Anonymous artists once created sculptures made from driftwood and trash at the Emeryville Mudflats.

Reported by Jessica Placzek and Maddie Gobbo. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Erika Kelly, Ryan Levi and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question at BayCurious.org.

Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

San Francisco saw more than 30,000 car break ins last year - three times that of 2010. We tag along with police as they try and catch one of these thieves, and learn about what the city is doing to curb the epidemic.

Reported by Sarah Craig. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Julia McEvoy, Suzie Racho and Ryan Levi. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question at BayCurious.org.

Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

The city was right up there with places like New York, Los Angeles and even Las Vegas. Market Street alone had hundreds of signs lighting up the night.

Reported by Serginho Roosblad. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Ryan Levi, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly, and Julia McEvoy. Holly Kernan is Vice President for News. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

Depending who you ask, eucalyptus trees are either an icon in California or a fire-prone scourge.

Reported by Daniel Potter. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, David Weir, Craig Miller, Ryan Levi and Amanda Font. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question at BayCurious.org.

Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

What would the San Francisco Bay look like if Frank Lloyd Wright got to build the bridge he proposed in 1949?

Reported by Rachael Myrow. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour and Ryan Levi. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question at BayCurious.org.

Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

There are California and Japanese connections to the fortune cookie, going back more than a century.

This sign in front of the tire shop was built in 1958, and it has displayed nothing but quotes ever since.

Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Ryan Levi, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly, and Julia McEvoy. Holly Kernan is Vice President for News. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.