Bay Curious

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.

Between 1949 and 1974, when the developer died, his group built roughly 11,000 homes in California, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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

In the South Bay's colorful salt ponds, a decades-old industry continues to crystalize. Reporter by Lauren Sommer with KQED Science. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Paul Lancour, Ryan Levi, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly, Julia McEvoy and Katie McMurran.

How economics and cultural acceptance are changing queer communities across the Bay Area. Reported by Ryan Levi. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Erika Kelly, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Jessica Placzek and David Weir. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

Rumor has it California's golden poppy has some special protections. Is it true? Reported by Jessica Placzek. Produced and edited by Olivia Allen-Price, Paul Lancour, Suzie Racho, Erika Kelly and Julia McEvoy. Theme music by Pat Mesiti-Miller. Ask us a question at BayCurious.org. Follow Olivia Allen-Price on Twitter @oallenprice.

The hulls of several dozen ships can be found below ground in the middle of San Francisco. 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.

Legend has it the Irish coffee was brought to the U.S. by the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco. Reported by Kelly O'Mara. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, 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.

It started as a quest to make Bay Area highways more beautiful. Plus, three other bonus questions! Reported by Jessica Placzek and Olivia Allen-Price. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Suzie Racho, Penny Nelson, 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.

This week the Bay Curious podcast is celebrating our one-year anniversary with a lightning round of questions and answers! Is it true that George Lucas was inspired to create the AT-AT because of the cranes at the Port of Oakland? No. Sadly, this is not true. George Lucas told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Peter Hartlaub, “That’s a myth. That is definitely a myth.” Hartlaub also followed up with Phil Tippett, the stop-motion animator who oversaw production of the AT-AT sequence. Tippett allows for a small chance that somewhere in the process someone looked at the cranes, but added that the original vehicles actually looked nothing like container cranes, and more like garbage trucks. Sidenote on Phil Tippett: He was credited as “Dinosaur Supervisor” at the end of “Jurassic Park” and has been the topic of several popular internet memes. Poor guy has spent years now explaining what the “supervision” element of his job actually was. Question submitted by Bay Curious listener Matteen Mokalla. How did the Tenderl

Legend has it, El Camino Real is an ancient road that connects the Spanish missions. But is it true? Reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, 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.