Category: DailyShorts

After Joseph Morales, an electrician from Chicago, moved to Emeryville this past winter, he found himself wondering: What’s with all the palm trees in the Bay Area? Like Joseph, they didn’t originate here. But they’re all over the place.

Not that Joseph minds.

“They remind me of vacation,” he says, “having a good time with a cold drink and sitting under a palm tree.” Then again: “Northern California doesn’t really seem to be the ideal location for palm trees. I’m expecting hot weather and sun and beaches. And there’s just palm trees and mountains and cold water. So it just seemed weird.”

Read the full web version: Why Are There So Many Palm Trees in the Bay Area?

Reported by Daniel Potter

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

Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question or sign up for our newsletter at BayCurious.org

Ever had your late night revels ended abruptly by the bartender announcing last call just before 2 a.m. here in the Bay Area?

If this strikes a chord, you’re not alone.

California’s 2 a.m. last call frustrates a lot of people. KQED listener Tara Downey even gets a little embarrassed by it when out-of-town friends visit.

“I have friends that live in New York, and so when they come back here it’s a little bit of a shock to them,” she explained. “They’re kind of like ‘OK, where do we go next?’ And… there’s not really an answer for that. We go home.”

Now she wants to know why last call is so early in San Francisco compared to other big cities.

Read the full web version: Think Bay Area Nightlife Ends Early? That Could Be About to Change

Reported by Carly Severn. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Maggie Galloway, Robert Speight, Katie McMurran, Paul Lancour and Ryan Levi. Additional support from Julie Caine, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey, Pat Yollin and David Weir.

Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question or sign up for our newsletter at BayCurious.org.

Last year, Bay Curious received the question: “How do I make friends?”

We tried reaching out to the question asker, but they never responded. However, surveys show many Americans often feel lonely, and a lot of those lonely people also feel socially isolated.

Last episode we found tips for finding potential friends. This week we talk about how to make friend crushes closer, Aristotle’s ideas about friendship and the potential role of government in addressing social isolation.

For a few tips on how to make friends closer check out the web post: Frustrated by Shallow Friendships? Here’s How to Deepen Them

Reported by Carly Severn

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

Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question or sign up for our newsletter at BayCurious.org.

There isn’t a clear path on how to make close friends. Some people find making friends even harder than dating. They say with romantic relationships there’s at least some semblance of steps: You ask a person out, you go out again, maybe you keep going on dates, maybe one person isn’t feeling it and the relationship ends, or perhaps both people are feeling it, you talk and then make your relationship “official”.

Last year, Bay Curious received the question: “How do I make friends?”

We tried reaching out to the question asker, but they never responded.

Surveys show many Americans often feel lonely, and a lot of those lonely people also feel socially isolated.

To help our question asker, we’re going to start off with tips for finding potential friends, then next week we’ll talk about how to make them closer.

Read the full web version: How To Find New Friends

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

Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller.

Ask us a question or sign up for our newsletter at BayCurious.org.