City Cast DC
City Cast
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
Mentioned books
Oct 3, 2022 • 20min
How El Tamarindo Became an AdMo Institution
We’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with the longest-standing Salvadoran restaurant in the city. Ana Reyes’s family opened El Tamarindo in Adams Morgan in the 1980s, and she’s here to tell us all about its start, its successes, and most importantly — its food!Also: Find out how to get your kids vaccinated for free across the city here.And check in on the lead pipe situation in your area via this map.Need more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter.We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc.And we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 2026422654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 30, 2022 • 24min
Get That Metro Money
In today’s roundup, Michael Brice-Saddler from the Washington Post joins Michael Schaffer and Julia Karron to discuss a new initiative to give D.C. residents $100 for Metro, the redevelopment at Barry Farm, and where to get food for the Jewish high holy days in the area.For more news, check out our morning newsletter! It's getting a new name and look on Monday, so you'll want to be one of the first to check that out. We’re also on Twitter at @citycast_dc. And we’re working on a project about Washingtonians helping each other. Have you received any random acts of kindness lately? Leave us a voicemail with your story (2026422654), and your good samaritan could win a $100 gift card to their local business of choice! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 29, 2022 • 17min
How You Can Help End Food Insecurity in D.C.
September is Hunger Action Month, and as it draws to a close, we’re thinking about how one in three D.C. residents is food insecure. Radha Mutiah from the Capital Area Food Bank joins us to talk about who’s going hungry in the district and how each of us can help.You can check out the Capital Area Food Bank’s report on food insecurity here.Make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter to get even more D.C. newsWe’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dcAnd we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 2026422654 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 28, 2022 • 12min
The Fight Over Trans Rights In Virginia Public Schools
Virginia's “model policies” on how schools should treat transgender students received more than 17,000 public comments in just the first two days of the open feedback period. You have just a few weeks more to submit your thoughts. We’re joined by Virginia Public Radio’s Michael Pope to make sure you‘re informed when you do it.You can also listen to Michael Pope on the podcast Pod Virginia.Need more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletterWe’re also on Twitter! Give us a follow us at @citycast_dcAnd we’d love to hear YOU on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 2026422654 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 27, 2022 • 16min
Do You Still Need to Tip With Service Charges?
Over the last few months, you've probably seen a 20% service charge on some of your restaurant bills. Are you supposed to tip on top of that? Why are restaurants doing this? Washingtonian Food Editor Jessica Sidman has all the answers. Be sure to also check out her Washingtonian piece on service charges.For more D.C. news and culture, sign up for our morning newsletter. Every Wednesday, we've got a fantastic 'neighborhood guide' section that's sure to wise you up to some local gems.We’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dc.And tell us your stories too! Leave us a voicemail with your D.C.-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations by calling 2026422654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 26, 2022 • 17min
Prepare Yourself for Downtown D.C. 2.0
D.C.’s use of office space during the pandemic plummeted, and it hasn’t returned. What does that mean for the city at large, and for all those empty office buildings? Tristan Navera from Washington Business Journal explains that offices can’t bring all workers back, so a new downtown D.C. is on the horizon.Need more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletterWe’re also on Twitter! Give us a follow us at @citycast_dcAnd we’d love to hear YOU on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 2026422654 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 23, 2022 • 21min
A Long-Awaited Grocery in Southeast, NoVa Takes on Youngkin, and 'Monumental' Graffiti
In this week’s roundup, we discuss why the new LIDL grocery store is a big deal, Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new "model policies" for Virginia’s schools, and the effectiveness of getting your message across via graffiti on a monument. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 22, 2022 • 18min
The 'Biggest Trivia Event Ever' Is Coming to DC
People in D.C. love trivia. And that love of trivia has reached its peak since SporcleCon, a gathering of everyone who’s into trivia, is this weekend. Nick Groves of District Trivia joins us to explain why the District is a trivia hot bed, and what residents can expect at SporcleCon.You can grab tickets to SporcleCon here, and if you wanna find more places for trivia in D.C., District Trivia provides this list.Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletterWe’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dcAnd we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 2026422654 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 21, 2022 • 15min
How a Soccer Icon Can Save D.C. United
D.C. United used to be at the top of Major League Soccer. Now, they’re floundering and have enlisted one-time United star and English soccer legend Wayne Rooney to turn them around. Juan Herrera from District Fútbol joins us to explain if Rooney is the man for the job, and what we should expect from the team next season under his leadership.Also, here’s more info on the pilot program for families transitioning out of homelessness.For more D.C. news, sign up for our morning newsletter, and follow us at @citycast_dc.And leave us a voicemail about any random acts of kindness you've experienced in D.C.! Your Good Samaritan could get featured on our podcast or newsletter or both! We're at 2026422654. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 20, 2022 • 22min
Meet the Legendary Artist Behind the Dupont Center
85-year-old artist Lou Stovall has made an indelible mark on the D.C. art scene — from his protest artwork in the 1960s, to his founding of the Dupont Center as a gathering place for artists. Bridget chats with him and his son Will at the Phillips Collection’s Lou Stovall exhibit to talk through what his work means for the city.You can plan your visit to the Phillips to see Lou's work hereWant some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletterWe’re also on Twitter! Follow us at @citycast_dcAnd we’d love to feature you on the show! Share your DC-related thoughts, hopes, and frustrations with us in a voicemail by calling 2026422654 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
