City Cast Denver

The humble user review — taken alone, is just one person’s opinion. But put a bunch together, and that aggregated star rating can make or break a local business. So today, we’re going inside the minds of the people leaving one-star reviews for some of our favorite Denver places. Producer slash quizmaster Paul Karolyi puts producer Olivia Jewell Love and returning fave JD Lopez to the test. Can they guess famous Denver landmarks based only on one-star reviews? Who knows Denver’s haters best?For more from JD, you can hear him share his ice cream obsession on our ice cream battle episode from July or interview local creatives on his podcast Left Hand Right Brain. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenverChat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenverText or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Thirst Denver BadBoyBoards Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

It’s easy to walk down the streets of Denver and see the major issues facing our city — housing, homelessness, public safety, etc. It’s much less clear how Denverites really feel about those issues. A brand new nonprofit polling group, Colorado Polling Institute, has stepped forward to fill the gap, promising regular surveys of how Denverites feel about their mayor, city council, encampment sweeps, DIA, RTD, and more. Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins producer Paul Karolyi to break down the CPI’s first batch of cold, hard polling facts. Patty mentioned Westword’s coverage and a piece about the first CPI poll in the Denver Gazette For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenverChat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenverText or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: BadBoyBoards Thirst Colorado Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

It’s easy to forget, but Denver is still a young city, constantly searching for an identity. So it’s confounding why there’s so little research on a characteristic as important as the way we speak. Do Denverites even have an accent? Or maybe there’s more than one? Fortunately, we found some researchers at CU Boulder who are working to cross the t’s and dot the i’s on the particulars of Mile High speech patterns. Host Bree Davies sat down with Jeremy Calder, an assistant professor in the linguistics department, and graduate student Andrew Ting last spring to discuss their “Voices of Colorado” project to hear what they’ve learned about how Denverites speak. What do you think about the Denver accent? Text or leave us a voicemail at (720) 500-5418‬. Just remember to include your name and neighborhood, and we might play it on the show!Paul mentioned the recent sale of the Milk Market food hall, the new effort to block the expansion of Gross Reservoir, and his interview last year with KUNC water reporter Luke Runyon: “Is Denver Hoarding Water?” For more of our water coverage, check out these episodes: Is Colorado On Its Way to A True Water Crisis? (May 8, 2023) Can Science Fix Our Water Woes? (Jan. 26, 2023) Could Denver Run Out of Water? (June 13, 2022) For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenverChat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenverText or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode: Thirst Denver BadBoyBoards Denver Center for the Performing Arts Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Denver's homelessness crisis, struggles of business owners, UFO sightings and controversies, positive stories about abortion clinics and bike buses, and the role of coaches in sports

When a brand new Denver restaurant landed on Bon Appétit’s most anticipated openings list, we were sooooo curious — what’s the big whoop about Sap Sua? Fast-forward to now and the contemporary take Vietnamese cuisine has got people talking. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi dig into all the latest food and dining news with newsletter editor and resident foodie Peyton Garcia, who also gives us an update on what common consumption is — and is not — and ponders whether a new CBD coffee shop popping up in Platt Park is past its prime or right on the mark. Plus, our recommendations for your weekend. Paul mentioned some Harvard University research on CBD. We wanna hear from you, dear listeners: What’s the best bakery in the Denver metro? Call our hot pastry hotline and leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show! 720-500-5418. Phone shy? Email us: denver@citycast.fm.And finally, your official City Cast Denver Maybe For Your Weekend.  Denver Mineral, Fossil, Gem & Jewelry Show - our official “City Cast Denver Maybe” pick! Cuisine and Culture — Tracing Andean Culture Wheat Ridge’s International Heritage Festival/Oktoberfest 9/11 Heroes Run For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenverChat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenverText or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Learn more about the sponsors of this episode:Denver Center for the Performing ArtsLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

For more than 100 years, the brick power plant at Zuni Street and West 14th Avenue generated electricity for Denver using steam. But now that the plant has been retired, it presents a conundrum: Should the crusty old building and its two smokestacks be demolished? Or somehow redeveloped into an asset for the Sun Valley neighborhood? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi visit the defunct Zuni Generating Station with Denver’s first-ever chief urban designer Eugenia di Girolamo to talk about how the building known to some as “The Devil’s Castle” could become Denver’s next iconic landmark. The Denver Post has more on the old Xcel Generating Station, and the Colorado Encyclopedia has more on the Denver Tramway Powerhouse (Aka, the REI building). Bree talked about the latest development in DPS’s “seclusion room” controversy and flu season. What non-residential building would you most want to live in? Residential conversions are all the rage, but is everyone thinking way too small! Of all the non-residential buildings in Denver, which would you most want to move into? Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear your pick on the show: (720) 500-5418‬For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenverChat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode:Denver Center for the Performing ArtsLooking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Discover the hidden art adventure of Art Drop Day in Denver and the potential for artists to gain recognition. Learn about upcoming art and mental health events supporting local artists and fighting stigma. Face your fears at the Butterfly Pavilion's adult-only Bugs and Brews event. Explore Denver events in September, including comedy festivals and chili fest, with the High Plains Comedy Fest as the top choice. Subscribe to the Hey Denver newsletter for more city news.

When State Senator Julie Gonzales wrote the Towing Bill of Rights last year, she had no idea that she’d have to get towed herself to find out just how badly tow companies have been skirting her law. The legislator took to social media last week to share a parking saga gone wrong that ended up exposing some shady towing practices. The senator joins host Bree Davies and returning fave, comedian and co-chair of the Denver American Indian Commission Joshua Emerson, to talk about what happened, and how she’s already working on strengthening the law next legislative session. Plus the crew digs into their wins and fails of the week — Joshua gushes over a new baby orangutan at the Denver Zoo, Bree is weirdly obsessed with Jack Harlow’s new video, “Denver,” and so much more. Sen. Gonzales mentioned Stop Fraud Colorado, where consumers can report towing issues and fraudulent situations with tow companies. Check out Joshua Emerson at the High Plains Comedy Fest this September. Bree talked about Overdose Awareness Day, and checking out Harm Reduction Action Center for more ways to help. For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenverChat with other listeners on Reddit: r/CityCastDenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colorado Restaurant Association “Beautiful: A Carole King Musical” at the Arvada Center Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise

Find out which Denver Metro restaurants made it to the coveted Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand list. Learn about Arvada's move towards public consumption and the slow progress in Denver. Share your thoughts on pumpkin beer and discover exciting events in the city including an airplane exhibition, a lake cleanup, a brew festival at Coors Field, and a celebration of Mexican culture at a historic church in Denver.

They don’t make stuff like they used to…turns out that’s true for Denver’s buildings as well. Art Writer and Architecture critic Michael Paglia has written about the Mile High’s growth spurts over many decades for Westword, and he’s seen some multi-story highs and lows, architecturally speaking. Michael joins host Bree Davies to discuss the city’s built environment of the 21st century — the good, the bad, and the really, really ugly — while pointing out some of the bright spots in our architectural story.Read some of Michael’s in-depth pieces for Westword on Denver’s Architecture, both good and bad:  “Ten of the Best New Buildings in Downtown Denver” (2019) “The Ten Worst 21st Century Buildings in Downtown Denver” (2015) “With the AIA Convention in Denver, A Look at Ten Architectural Gems” (2013) Bree and Michael talk about the One River North building with the canyon in the middle, as well as these buildings (and here’s a lil’ map of them, if you wanna do a tour):  Prism - 999 17th Street Coloradan - 1750 Wewatta Street  Via - 828 Broadway 2785 Speer - 2785 Speer Boulevard For even more news from around the city, subscribe to our morning newsletter Hey Denver at denver.citycast.fm.Follow us on Instagram: @citycastdenverChat with other listeners on reddit: r/CityCastDenverLearn more about the sponsors of this episode: Colorado Restaurant Association “Beautiful: A Carole King Musical” at the Arvada Center Text or leave us a voicemail with your name and neighborhood, and you might hear it on the show: (720) 500-5418‬Looking to advertise on City Cast Denver? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise