Bay Curious: Exploring the Hidden True Stories of the San Francisco Bay Area

Description

Curious about the San Francisco Bay Area? With explorations into unique local legends, interesting landmarks, and uncovered histories, Bay Curious is a fun, quirky guide to the secret stories of the Bay Area for visitors, newcomers, and California natives alike. Who was America's first and only Emperor? Why are there ships buried under the streets of San Francisco? Was the word "hella" really created in the East Bay? Bay Curious brings you the answers to these questions and much more through fun and fascinating illustrated deep-dives into hidden gems of Bay Area trivia, history, and culture. Based on the award-winning KQED podcast of the same name, Bay Curious brings a fresh eye to some of its most popular pieces and expands to cover stories unique to this book. With subjects ranging from Marin's redwood forests to the Winchester Mystery House, from the Black Panther Party's school program to the invention of the Mai Tai, Bay Curious gives you the entertaining and informative, weird and wonderful true stories of the San Francisco Bay Area.   NOT YOUR AVERAGE GUIDEBOOK: Bay Curious takes a unique approach to exploring the Bay Area through its lesser known but just as fascinating stories, taking readers on a reportorial rather than literal tour. BEYOND THE PODCAST: With 49 entries—inspired by the famous 49-Mile Drive—Bay Curious includes a combination of updated popular episodes from the podcast and brand-new, never-before-heard stories researched for the book, plus fun illustrations and irresistible trivia sidebars. GIFT OR SELF-PURCHASE FOR SF ENTHUSIASTS: For anyone living in San Francisco or visiting with a goal of getting beyond the beaten tourist path, this volume holds a treasure trove of inspiration for an armchair adventure or self-guided tour.   Perfect for: Bay Area locals and new arrivals A fun and unique San Francisco reference book for tourists and visitors Fans of the KQED podcast History buffs Anyone who enjoys unexpected, quirky true stories Cover Title Page Dedication Copyright Contents Introduction People ON OHLONE LAND: The First Bay Area Locals THE STORY OF MARY ELLEN PLEASANT: The Civil Rights Heroine of Victorian San Francisco EMPEROR NORTON: America’s Emperor, San Francisco’s Treasure THE BAY AREA’S HOLLYWOOD: How Charlie Chaplin and Silent Films Flourished in the East Bay Movies Set in the Bay Area THE PORT CHICAGO 50: How a Deadly Bay Area Explosion Led to the Integration of the Navy FRIDA KAHLO’S SAN FRANCISCO: How “The City of the World” Helped Shape an Icon MEET CHARLEY PARKHURST: The Gold Rush’s Fearless, Gender Nonconforming Stagecoach Driver Culture THE HARLEM OF THE WEST: The History of Jazz in the Fillmore District HELLA OAKLAND: The Origins of the Bay Area’s Most Notorious Slang Word A Guide to Bay Area Slang 420 STARTED IN THE BAY AREA: How Five High Schoolers in San Rafael Started a Phenomenon THE OAKLAND COMMUNITY SCHOOL: The Legacy of the Black Panther Party’s Women-Led Elementary School THE WHITE HORSE INN: Is This Unassuming Spot in Oakland the Nation’s First Gay Bar? Compton’s Cafeteria Riot SPINNING RIMS, SPINNING CARS: The History of the Oakland Sideshow NAKED BY THE BAY: Nudity in San Francisco, Uncovered JEANS AND SNEAKERS: How the Bay Area Came to Be a Hub for Casual Style WHEN BREEZERS GOT ROLLING: How Mountain Bike Racing Got Its Start in Marin Places THE WINCHESTER MYSTERY HOUSE: The True Story behind San Jose’s Infamous Haunted Mansion The Iconic Bay Area Spots That Locals Don’t Visit THE COLMA CEMETERIES: How a Town Became San Francisco’s Modern-Day Necropolis THE RISE AND FALL OF DRAWBRIDGE: The Island Ghost Town in the Middle of San Francisco Bay Interesting Bay Area Place-Names WHAT’S THAT THING OFF 280? The Origin of the Flintstone House TREASURE IN THE BAY: How FDR and the World’s Fair Gave Us Treasure Island THE FOUNTAIN AT THE CIRCLE: The State Capital Almost Moved to Berkeley, and All It Got Was This Sweet Bear Fountain Notable Public Art THE ROBIN WILLIAMS RAINBOWS: Why Are There Rainbows on the Tunnel between San Francisco and Marin EYESORE TO ICON: How Sutro Tower Became a Defining Feature of the San Francisco Skyline SUTRO BATHS: The Lost Glass Swimming Palace for the Public The Golden Gate Bridge: Your Questions, Answered Food GREEN GODDESS: The San Francisco Origins of a Beloved Salad Dressing ROCKY ROAD ICE CREAM: How Two Oakland Ice Creameries Claim to Have Invented the Depression-Era Treat SAN FRANCISCO SOURDOUGH: The Microbes That Make the City’s Favorite Bread BRINGING BACK OLYS: The Story of the Bay Area’s Native Oyster MAKING THE MAI TAI: Yes, Your Favorite Tropical Drink Was Invented Here in Oakland Cocktails of the Bay Area THE FILLMORE APPLES: How Bill Graham’s Nazi Escape May Have Inspired an Enduring Symbol of Rock and Roll in San Francisco TEA GARDEN FORTUNES: Unwrapping the Bay Area Origins of the Fortune Cookie Nature THE GOLDEN GATE HERD: What’s with the Bison in Golden Gate Park? WILD TURKEYS: Why Are They Strutting around the Suburbs? A PROLIFERATION OF PALMS: Why Are There So Many Palm Trees in the Bay Area? Name That Team SUMMERTIME CHILL: Wind, Fog, and Microclimates . . . Understanding Bay Area Weather THE VIEW FROM MOUNT DIABLO: The Biggest View in the World? Myth Busting ANCIENT HISTORY: The Bay Area during the Last Ice Age CORVID CRUSH: Why Crows Are Crowding Your Bay Area Skies REDWOODS: Why Do These Ancient Giants Only Thrive in Northern California? The City YOU CAN CALL IT FRISCO: The History of the City’s Contentious Nickname GHOST FLEET: The Buried Ships of San Francisco VAULT LIGHTS: What Are Those Grids of Glass in the Sidewalk, and Why Are They Purple? BRICK CIRCLES IN CITY STREETS: The Underground Firefighting Tanks below San Francisco Intersections THE BUTTERFLY BRIDGE: The Beautiful Bay Bridge Frank Lloyd Wright Never Got to Build BART’S TRANSBAY TUBE TUNNELS UNDER SAN FRANCISCO? Inside the Dark, Dangerous World of the Sewers SAN FRANCISCO PAGODAS: The Unexpected History behind San Francisco Chinatown’s Striking Architecture Did San Francisco Put the Bay in Bay Windows? STAIRWAY TO PARADISE: The Garden Oasis of the Filbert Steps THE 49 MILE DRIVE: Seeing San Francisco through Its Lucky Number Contributors Acknowledgments About the Author