The SF Landmark You've Never Heard of...Unless You're French

Commuting from East Bay cities like Berkeley and Oakland into San Francisco can be dismal. So when people learn there used to be an extensive streetcar system that crisscrossed the East Bay they want to know, what happened to it? The Key System, as it was known, could get a person from Berkeley or Oakland into San Francisco in 35-40 minutes and was a popular way to travel in the early part of the 20th century. What happened to it and were there nefarious forces contributing to its demise? Additional Resources: The Rise and Fall of Bay Area Streetcar Transit Systems Read the transcript for this episode Uncovering the Real Story Behind the 'East Bay Mystery Walls' Crows Are Crowding Your Bay Area Skies. Why? Bridge Tolls, Lane Closures and Vanity Plates: Your Bay Area Transit Questions Answered Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you might not recognize the name, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the haunting, almost otherworldly sound the duduk makes. This humble shepherd’s flute wandered out of the Armenian countryside and into Hollywood, making cameos on the scores of movies and shows like The Gladiator and The Last Temptation of Christ. The duduk was even recently synthesized on both Dune soundtracks. Audiences in the Bay Area don’t get many chances to hear the instrument live — unless they’re able to catch a performance by Santa Rosa-based Khatchadour Khatchadourian -- the duduk whisperer. Additional Resources: Meet the Duduk Whisperer: The Bay Area Armenian Folk Musician Revives Centuries of Soul Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Elize Manoukian. This story first aired on the California Report Magazine and was produced by Victoria Mauleon, Suzie Racho, Brendan Willard, Katherine Monahan, Srishti Prabha and Sasha Khokha.  Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a blue house in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood that is constantly mobbed by French tour groups. Bay Curious listener Helen Walker wants to know, "why?" This episode first aired in 2023. Additional Resources: The San Francisco Landmark You've Never Heard Of...Unless You're French Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Chloe Veltman. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Amanda Font, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recently, several listeners have written to us wondering about the large flocks of crows they see darkening the skies over the Bay Area at sunset each night. The crows are like clockwork, swarming to the same locations night after night, often hundreds of them at a time. What's going on? We get answers and along the way explore why we're seeing more crows in the Bay Area in recent years and if they are having a negative impact on other bird species. Additional Resources: Is it Crow-maggedon? Why Crows Are Flocking to Bay Area Cities Each Winter Crows Are Crowding Your Bay Area Skies. Why? Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Send us your feedback: [email protected] Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Dan Brekke. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsay and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan start tomorrow and there are a lot of Bay Area athletes representing our region at the games. We sit down with other Olympics super fans to get you amped up about who to root for and hear from some of the athletes themselves. Additional reading Meet the Bay Area Athletes Competing at the Winter Olympics Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Natalia Navarro and Sarah Wright. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsay and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

High in the Hayward Hills, Ukraina marks the farm and grave of Ukrainian dissident priest Agapius Honcharenko, who fled Russian authorities and settled here with his wife, Albina. These days, his farmstead is marked by a historical placard that caught the eye of our question asker, Tony. Today on the show, we explore the thrilling and noble life of Honcharenko, who life is still celebrated with an annual ceremony. Additional Resources: How a Remarkable 19th-Century Revolutionary Priest From Ukraine Ended up in Hayward Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Gabriela Glueck, Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a church in San Francisco where John Coltrane's music is more than jazz -- it's doctrine. The Coltrane Church, as it’s often called, is the oldest Black jazz organization in San Francisco now. We talk to its founders about the "sound baptism" that jumpstarted the church and learn how it has adapted to a changing San Francisco. Additional Resources: Inside the San Francisco Church Where John Coltrane is a Saint Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Asal Ehsanipour. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Henry Lie grew up in Pacifica and thought he knew everything there was to know about his hometown, just a few minutes south of San Francisco. So he was shocked to learn about a police raid in the 1950s that targeted LGBTQ+ identifying people. He had never heard of the bar, Hazel's Inn, or that Pacifica had a moment when it was a safe gathering spot for the queer community. He wanted to know more. Additional Resources: How the Bay Area’s Gay Bars Became a Battleground for LGTBQ+ Rights in the 1950s Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Ana De Almeida Amaral. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Olivia Allen-Price and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, thousands of San Franciscans were homeless. City leaders needed them to stay in the city to help rebuild, so they built tiny homes and set up villages in neighborhood parks. These earthquake cottages gave many people their first shot at homeownership and helped the city recover. You can still find a few of them dotted around the city if you know what to look for. Additional Resources: San Francisco's Historic 'Relief Cottages,' Built After the 1906 Earthquake, Are Hidden in Plain Sight Read the transcript for this episode Stunning Archival Photos of the 1906 Earthquake and Fire Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Katrina Schwartz. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Gabriela Glueck, Christopher Beale and Katrina Schwartz. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

San Francisco is an iconic looking city, so it's a little surprising that more movies aren't shot here. There are a lot of reasons for that -- cost being a main one -- but there are some very cool movies both set and filmed here. Olivia discusses some of the best ones with San Francisco Chronicle writer Peter Hartlaub and resident KQED movie obsessive, Carly Severn. Additional Resources: The Best San Francisco Movies to Stream This Holiday Season Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Enter our Sierra Nevada Brewing Company monthly trivia contest Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcasts This story was reported by Carly Severn and Peter Hartlaub. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices