City Cast DC
City Cast is the daily, local audio companion you knew DC needed. Washingtonians are gritty, proud, and resilient — necessary qualities for a community facing issues that range from an affordability crisis to the fight for statehood to the movement for racial justice… and useful qualities for a region full of whip-smart people, dynamic culture, and constant change. Washingtonians are deeply passionate about our city, whose story is still being written, and City Cast DC is here to tell it. Every weekday morning, our hosts Michael Schaffer and Bridget Todd will engage people from all over the eight wards in conversation about DC’s crises and its beauty, both literal and figurative. It’ll have the feel of eavesdropping on an energetic and informative coffee shop chat, except that with City Cast DC, consider this your official invitation to listen in.
Episodes
April 19, 2024 • 25 mins
Axios’ Cuynet Dil and City Cast’s Julia Karron join our roundup to talk about zombie office buildings and zombie bike lanes and one of the most D.C. stories of all time: A cheating scandal at a pub quiz.
Check out our episode on the fight over the Connecticut Avenue bike lanes here.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You also have a chance to win FIS Champions Club Nats tickets! Be...
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April 18, 2024 • 23 mins
The history of D.C.’s alleys is a weird, crazy metaphor for a couple centuries of race and class and power. We spoke to Kim Prothro Williams, author of Hidden Alleyways of Washington, DC: A History, to learn about the streets behind the streets.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. And we’ve got Nationals tickets for YOU! For a chance to win 2 FIS champions club tickets to any game o...
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April 17, 2024 • 15 mins
This weekend is 4/20, the annual holiday where cannabis enthusiasts celebrate all things weed. Being in the shadow of the federal government means the laws around cannabis in the city are a little complicated. Alan Amsterdam, Owner of Capitol Hemp, is here to clear the smoke around getting high in D.C.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free li...
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April 16, 2024 • 16 mins
Today is Emancipation Day. Even if you’ve been living in the District for a while, you might not know much about the holiday, and what makes it uniquely D.C. Briana Thomas, author of Black Broadway, joins to explain what you should know about Emancipation Day in D.C. and how to commemorate it.
Want some more D.C. news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. Wanna win tickets to see the Washington Nationals? Be...
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April 15, 2024 • 20 mins
You might have noticed that gas leaks have been in the news more often. It’s pretty scary! When you suspect there’s a gas leak happening, it might not be clear what to do. So today on City Cast DC, we’re talking with environmental reporter Kayla Benjamin to get the lay of the land on what’s happening.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free list...
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April 12, 2024 • 27 mins
Reporter Michael Pope and author Briana Thomas join the show to talk about what the D.C. budget means for the cost of your child care, what the Virginia budget means for the health of our Metro system, and ways YOU can vote for D.C.’s best restaurants.
You can vote for your favorite restaurants for the RAMMY awards here.
Wanna win tickets to see the Washington Nationals? Become a City Cast DC member today!
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April 11, 2024 • 12 mins
D.C. has an absurd amount of parks – 683! Longtime D.C. environmental reporter Jacob Fenston is hitting up all of them for us in the ultimate D.C. park's quest. We catch up with him to see how it's going, what his approach is, and to learn the weirdest thing he has seen in the Potomac so far.
And don’t forget to vote for City Cast DC as the District’s best podcast!
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning ...
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April 10, 2024 • 16 mins
If you’ve ever had to GO while out and about in D.C., we’ve got good news. Throne Labs, a high tech toilet company, is bringing public restrooms to 5 different locations in the city as part of the D.C. Public Restroom Pilot Program. But D.C.’s track record with public restrooms has been iffy at best. Jonathan Katz joined us awhile back to explain why this is a big deal for everyone.
To learn more, here are some resources Jonathan ...
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April 9, 2024 • 22 mins
In today’s roundup, we’re talking about the city sending a warning to unlicensed weed shops in the city, an update on keeping sports teams in D.C., and 1 star reviews of Capital One Arena.
Parents have taken on weed shops in the past, and we explain why that’s a big deal.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a m...
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April 8, 2024 • 16 mins
There’s been a crazy fight going on about whether to erect an apartment building on the site of an old firehouse on U Street — and it’s a fight worth watching because it says a lot about what it takes to actually build anything in D.C. Paul Schwartzman from the Washington Post has been covering it and is here to walk us through the wild details.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. Y...
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April 5, 2024 • 25 mins
We’re breaking down the 2025 budget with City Paper’s Alex Koma, and Washingtonian’s Jessica Sidman is here to talk about D.C.’s nominees for the James Beard awards — and a crazy spy story at a local Russian restaurant.
Check out our interview with James Beard award-winning chef, Rob Rubba, on why we should all be switching to electric stoves!
Also! We're giving away a Hey DC mug! But you have to be a member to enter the drawing, ...
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April 4, 2024 • 14 mins
How’s your D.C. food trivia game? Two of the city’s premier food journalists are here to match wits about the past and present of Washington culinary life. It’s Jessica Sidman versus Ann Limpert in a D.C. food trivia showdown.
Jess mentioned that she doesn’t think D.C. is in the South, but we’re not sure it’s so simple. Check out the episode where we tried to figure it out.
Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our ...
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April 3, 2024 • 24 mins
Right now, through April 15, D.C. residents can apply to get up to $2000 from the city government to buy an e-bike. But there are limited funds available, and it got us thinking – how desperate ARE we really to buy our own e-bikes? Or, do the ones sprawled around town to rent do the trick? City Cast Producer Ashe Durban systematically tested all the different brands, and he’s here to give us the lay of the land.
Want some more DC n...
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April 2, 2024 • 17 mins
Ted Leonsis, who owns the Capitals and Wizards, is giving us some major whiplash. He’s had an abrupt change of heart and the Caps and Wizards will be staying in D.C. The Washington Post's Candace Buckner is here to tell us how Ted can make Washingtonians love him again and protect his long-term legacy.
Losing the teams would have been a tough blow for Chinatown, which is already dealing with the aftermath of a weird inside robbery...
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April 1, 2024 • 20 mins
April in D.C. is about more than just cherry blossoms. The City Cast D.C. crew has recommendations for upcoming festivals, celebrations, and new ways to explore the city. Let us be your guide to ensure April isn’t the cruelest month.
Plus, at the end of the episode, senior executive producer Priyanka Tilve sits down with our sponsor District Bridges to talk about one event THEY think you should attend this April: Juernes. Learn mor...
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March 29, 2024 • 26 mins
In a dramatic turn of events, Monumental Sports owner Ted Leonsis announced that the Capitals and Wizards will be staying in D.C. after all. Plus, there’s yet another new food hall in the DMV and Nats Park has undergone some futuristic upgrades just in time for the new season. Axios’ Cuneyt Dil and Anna Spiegel join the team to break it all down.
For more on Ted Leonsis’ battle with a local Chinatown busker, listen to our episode w...
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March 28, 2024 • 24 mins
Anything built in Georgetown has to go through the Old Georgetown Board. And, most recently it refused to approve an office-to-residential conversion on Thomas Jefferson St. NW. Topher Matthews, from Georgetown Metropolitan, explains how this unelected board of architects came to be and why it may be out-of-step with the city’s priorities.
Want a free (and beautiful) engraved mug? Sign up to become a City Cast DC member to enter th...
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March 27, 2024 • 18 mins
You might not think of D.C. as a city where you need to watch out for snakes, but multiple snake sightings in the city dispel that notion. Wildlife educator Caroline Seitz loves our scaly, slithery friends and last year, she explained to me what types of snakes are in the area and what you should do if you see one.
Want a free (and beautiful) engraved mug? Sign up to become a City Cast DC member to enter the raffle. Plus you’ll get...
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March 26, 2024 • 21 mins
It seems like there are weed shops, vape shops and smoke shops on every corner in D.C. these days. For some, it's heaven, for others it’s a bit much. Our hosts Bridget Todd and Michael Schaffer sat down to get into how D.C.’s cannabis culture is changing, why there’s so many weed shops, and what it means for the city.
Want a free (and beautiful) engraved mug? Sign up to become a City Cast DC member to enter the raffle. Plus you’ll ...
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March 25, 2024 • 17 mins
There’s been a lot of controversy around D.C.’s public housing agency. The latest involves the question of whether the city is overpaying landlords. Steve Thompson from the Washington Post is here to explain why it matters — to people on public assistance and to everyone else in D.C. too.
Want a free (and beautiful) engraved mug? Sign up to become a City Cast DC member to enter the raffle. Plus you’ll get ad-free listening, for as...
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