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The Complicated Origins of S.F.'s Beloved Japanese Tea Garden
The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park was originally built as a temporary exhibit for the California Midwinter International Exposition of 1894…
4 years ago
Meet The Bison Herd of Golden Gate Park
Bison once roamed the West, but settlers hunted them to the brink of extinction in the 19th century. A captive breeding program operated in Golden Ga…
4 years ago
Golden Gate Park Was Once Miles and Miles of Sand Dunes
Bay Curious listener Will Kardas heard once that it was a magical combination of spit and manure that allowed early San Franciscans to tame the sand …
4 years ago
This Bay Area Sex-Loving Commune Is Still Going Strong
Sabrina McQueen grew up in Walnut Creek and would often see people driving around in purple limos. The locals call them "Purple People," and she's be…
4 years ago
Nope, The Stanford Dish Isn’t Listening For Aliens. It Was Built to Spy on Russia
Former Menlo Park resident Jim Timmons remembers the park around the Stanford Dish fondly. It has tons of wildlife and great views. But he wants to k…
4 years, 1 month ago
Teens Take Us Inside Bay Area Sneaker Culture
If you see someone wearing a pair of pristine, gleaming white sneakers do you ever ask yourself: How do they keep their shoes so clean? We dig into s…
4 years, 1 month ago
For Many Tenants, Section 8 Is A Broken Promise. Can It Be Fixed?
Millions of people are evicted each year, often because they can't pay rent. That causes a cascade of problems and makes it harder for many to get ba…
4 years, 1 month ago
West Oakland's 16th Street Station Was Once A Community Anchor
Listener Tadd Williams often sees the 16th Street Station from I-880. It's a huge, stately building in the Beaux-Arts style. It's looking a little ru…
4 years, 1 month ago
Why You Might See Wacky Art Cars Rolling Downhill in McLaren Park
Bay Curious listener Rich Wipfler loves cars. So when he read that back in 1975 the museum that would become SFMOMA held a soapbox derby where local …
4 years, 1 month ago
What Makes a Street ‘Private’? And Why Does San Francisco Have So Many?
When Victoria Eng did a web search for her Duboce Triangle avenue she learned something curious. “It popped up on a list as an intersection of a priv…
4 years, 2 months ago