Bay Curious

Whether at Baker Beach or Bay to Breakers, it’s not unusual to see public nudity in San Francisco. What are the current laws on the matter, and how did the city become known for bodies in the buff? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson and Julia McEvoy. Our managing editor is Ethan Lindsey. Vice President for News is Holly Kernan. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reported by Craig Miller. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Jessica Placzek, Suzie Racho and Penny Nelson. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Oakland is home to the fifth-busiest container port in the country and all around it, containers are stacked sky high like colorful, life-size Lego bricks. Listener Ajith Kumar asked Bay Curious: “Why are there millions of containers in West Oakland? How much trade is happening via those containers every month?” Bay Curious gets the answer. Credits: Jessica Placzek, Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Bay Curious listener who hikes a lot wonders: Should he be scared of mountain lions? We find out for him. Reported by Vinnee Tong. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Penny Nelson, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two years ago, a big steel and concrete median barrier went in on the Golden Gate Bridge, and two yellow machines appeared that move it several times a day. Bridge commuters have some questions. Reported by Kelly O'Mara. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Julia McEvoy, Penny Nelson and Suzie Racho. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drawbridge was a popular bird hunting destination decades. What happened? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Suzie Racho. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you attended sixth grade anywhere in or near San Jose, there’s a high likelihood you've been to see the largest collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities on public display anywhere west of the Mississippi. I'm talking about the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum. Credits: Rachael Myrow, Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Jessica Placzek, Julia McEvoy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why the "O" in SFO? And why is one of Chicago's airports coded ORD? And IAD for Dulles? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since Bay Curious first answered your questions on homelessness in 2017, the cost of living has continued to rise in the Bay Area and with it, the number of people living without a home. In the nine county Bay Area, just over 34,000 people are experiencing homelessness, according to point-in-time counts conducted in January by most counties In at least five of the nine counties, the recent count revealed an increase in the number of homeless people from the last time the count was done in 2017. In this episode, we explore four common questions about homelessness with Audrey Cooper, editor in chief of The San Francisco Chronicle and Kevin Fagan, a reporter with The San Francisco Chronicle who has covered homelessness for more than two decades. More resources: * 89 answers to your questions from The San Francisco Chronicle * One Day, One City, No Relief: 24 hours inside San Francisco’s Homeless Crisis * Homelessness in SF is Complex. Here Are Answers to the Most Common Questions == Produced by Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What causes homelessness? What's the best way to help people you see on the street? And what other cities have had success in solving homelessness? Reported by Jessica Placzek, Olivia Allen-Price and Vinnee Tong. Production help from Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our question-asker saw a tsunami hit San Francisco in the movie San Andreas, and wonders: would it really be like? Reported by Johanna Varner and Olivia Allen-Price. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Vinnee Tong, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The answer is satisfyingly full of toothy prehistoric beasts. Reported by Daniel Potter. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson and Jessica Placzek. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask around in the more historic parts of San Francisco and you’ll find a good number of the homes were built in 1906. Or so people have been told. Reported by Penny Nelson. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

California became the first state to ban single-use plastic bags in November. A middle-schooler from Sacramento wants to know if the ban actually helps the environment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people are using bots to get campsites at state and national parks. Is it legal? Is it fair? Credits: Jessica Placzek, Olivia Allen-Price, Paul Lancour, Vinnee Tong, Julia McEvoy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Franciscans have been having a love-affair with this ice cream treat since 1928. Reported by Alyssa Kapnik Samuel and Seth Samuel. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Penny Nelson, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Our managing editor is Ethan Lindsey. Vice President for News is Holly Kernan. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It used to take hours or days to change the lights at city hall lights. Now it's done with a few clicks. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reported by Julia Scott. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Jessica Placzek, Penny Nelson and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reported by Olivia Allen-Price and Adam Grossberg. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Jessica Placzek, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson, Ethan Lindsey and Julia McEvoy. Our Vice President for News is Holly Kernan. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They look like a work of abstract art, but these colorful dots on Bay Area streets have a big purpose. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson, Jessica Placzek, Julia McEvoy, Ethan Lindsey and Holly Kernan. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s been a wet winter across Northern California this year, and that means a bounty of mushrooms. Get ready for a lesson in fungi from KQED Science reporter Lesley McClurg. Reported by Lesley McClurg. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Jessica Placzek and Julia McEvoy. Vice President for News is Holly Kernan. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It would take a lot of money, work and imagination to turn Lake Merritt into a swimmable body of water. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Our Vice President for News is Holly Kernan. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia on Twitter @oallenprice and use the #BayCurious hashtag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take a tour inside this unique Peninsula home that architects find whimsical. Would you live there? Reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Jessica Placzek, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This year's rainy winter has left San Francisco Bay Area roads riddled with potholes. Why? And will Caltrans fix them? Reported by Penny Nelson. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Jessica Placzek and Julia McEvoy. Our Vice President for News is Holly Kernan. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not long after people started using it, others started hating it. They said only out-of-towners used it. Reported by Vinnee Tong. Produced and edited by Paul Lancour, Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Vinnee Tong and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Cupertino couple wondered where the street name "Hoo Hoo Way" came from. Turns out, it's a long story. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Julia McEvoy, Suzie Racho, Holly Kernan, David Weir and Ethan Lindsey. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marin County is the whitest county in the Bay Area -- but why? Reporter Ericka Cruz-Guevarra takes us through some pivotal moments in Marin history that contributed to its demographics today. Reported by Ericka Cruz-Guevarra. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Putting a number on displacement is a tall order, but we do have an idea about who is leaving Oakland. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bay Curious listener Kristin Seitz was looking at a map of San Jose when she noticed an awful lot of holes. The city's territory isn't one undivided shape, but rather resembles a piece of Swiss cheese. Seitz wondered: Why are there so many unincorporated "urban islands" in the San Jose area? Reported by Ericka Cruz-Guevarra. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Owners of historic buildings might be able to sell the air space above their building, allowing developers elsewhere to build higher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Listener Jenny Wread has noticed the Bay Area's smog on her commute. And she's hearing more Spare the Air alerts. How is the air quality doing in the Bay Area as the population grows? Reported by Matt Beagle. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take a trip around the San Francisco Bay and get to know our local foghorns -- where they are, how they work, who turns them on. Reported by Laura Klivans. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Ryan Levi and Suzie Racho. Additional support from Julie Caine, Julia McEvoy, Ethan Lindsey and Howard Gelman. Holly Kernan is Vice President for News. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question or sign up for our newsletter at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you live in the Bay Area, a foggy day can be a good excuse for some guilt-free time indoors. If you live near the water, days like that bring something else: foghorns. Reported by Laura Klivans. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Suzie Racho, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the 1960s, San Francisco was in the midst of a sexual revolution. Officials across the Bay in Oakland wanted none of it. Reported by Adizah Eghan. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Sutro Tower was first proposed, nearly everybody hated it. How did it get built? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Big Apple, Sin City, the Big Easy -- all famous nicknames for American cities. But have you heard of Man Jose? This week we explore if San Jose should be called Man Jose. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. And use the #BayCurious hashtag! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

f you’ve walked past Adobe’s corporate headquarters in downtown San Jose, you may have spotted them: four big orange LED lights that look like flat-head screws, turning in apparently random patterns. This week’s Bay Curious question comes from listener Geoff Morgan, who wanted to know: What do the turning wheels on the top of the Adobe building mean? To start with, it helps to know Adobe makes computer software for people who work with words, pictures and sound. “At the core of our DNA, really, is art and technology,” says Siri Lackovic, the company’s senior brand strategist. That’s why you’ll find clever art installations all over their office towers. Siri is one of the two people on the planet who know the whole story behind the glowing orange orbs Geoff noticed. The other person, of course, is the guy who came up with the concept, New York artist Ben Rubin. “The hope is that someone would look up and say: ‘What is that?’ ” Ben says. “What is that thing trying to say, you know? What is its message?” The name of this installation is San Jose Semaphore. “Semaphore, by definition, is really a form of visual communication,” Siri explains. Way back when, the only way to communicate surreptitiously over a short distance — say, from land to a ship — would be to rely on flag bearers. “They would hold up the flag, and depending on the position of the flag, would let them know if it was safe to come in, or better to stay put,” she says. This resonates with Geoff, the KQED listener who asked the question. “I actually was in the Navy, and so I remember people communicating with flags, and it was always interesting to me because it looked very official, but a lot of times, they were talking about the latest baseball scores from ship to ship and things like that,” he says. In case you didn’t serve in the Navy, here’s an amusing set of dramas executed in semaphore by Monty Python. So, the short story on San Jose Semaphore is that it’s an art installation. The long story stretches back to artist Ben Rubin’s childhood in Boston during the 1970s. Back then, he owned a Heathkit shortwave radio. Sometimes, when he turned it on, he’d hear the strangest things. “These sort of clicks and beeps and mechanized announcements,” Ben says. “Who could not listen to an encrypted message and not wonder what it says, you know?” As NPR reported in a 2000 feature for the “Lost and Found Sound” series, these were numbers stations, shortwave radio broadcasts that historians believe transmitted messages to spies stationed around the world, starting in World War I. To the average listener, the letters, numbers and songs broadcast on the stations sound random. But if you have the key to decode the gobbledygook — it’s a message. Ben was fascinated by these numbers stations. So when it came time for college, he got a bachelor’s degree in computer science and semiotics, the study of signs and symbols. After graduation, he starting making art inspired by his studies. Now he makes media installations using technology, sound, images and physical structures — like the piece on the top of Adobe’s building in San Jose. Silicon Valley Loves A Challenge Each of these orange discs can assume four positions: horizontal, left-leaning diagonal, vertical, right-leaning diagonal. Four positions, plus four discs, means there are 256 possible combinations. Every 7.2 seconds, those wheels turn to a new configuration of sort of positions. Then they rest. “When they’re in that resting position, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We've all seen the signs warning us of eyes in the sky looking for speeders. A Bay Curious listener wanted to find out if someone really was up there ready to hand out tickets. Reported by Kelly Dunleavy O'Mara. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take a trip to Recology's Recycle Central, where San Francisco's waste is sorted and sent off for processing. Join the Bay Curious team as they test your trash I.Q. Reported by Lindsey Hoshaw. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After patients were released from mental hospitals, there wasn't always a place for them to go. On this week's episode, we explore if deinstitutionalization was a factor in the Bay Area's homeless crisis. Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The busy streets of San Francisco seems like the last place you'd find wild parrots. And yet, there they are. How'd they get here? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Vinnee Tong, Paul Lancour and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long associated with the Bay Area, the word 'hella' has gained widespread use. But how was the word born? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Long associated with the Bay Area, the word 'hella' has gained widespread use. But how was the word born? Ask a question at baycurious.org Follow Olivia Allen-Price @oallenprice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes the noise on BART is so loud you can hardly think. Why such a racket? And could it possibly damage your hearing? Sam Harnett and Eli Wirtschafter help host Olivia Allen-Price get to the bottom of this weeks questions, which comes from listener Eric Bauer. Ask a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ships from the Gold-Rush era are hidden deep underground throughout the city. How did they get so far from the shoreline? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices