City Cast DC

Have you walked by Wonderland Ballroom in Columbia Heights recently? The familiar picnic table streatery is gone! A string of high-profile closures of DC’s streateries has reignited the debate over outdoor dining, parking, public space, and what kind of city Washington wants to be. City Cast's Alyssa Fowers and Kaela Cote-Stemmermann have been following the issue. They're here to explain how we go...

Do you know how zoning laws affect DC’s housing costs? New Haven, CT, has been governed for years by restrictive zoning that made it physically impossible to build tall buildings downtown, even for housing — that is, until the local government finally aligned to overturn it. City Cast CEO David Plotz sits down with Eli Sabin, a New Haven native and one of the alders (aka city council members) resp...

We’re talking about the National Guard in D.C., how Muriel Bowser isn’t signing the DC budget, and the goofy plans for Dulles. Plus in a members-only fourth segment, a blistering report on the MPD’s cooked-books scandal. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: (202) 642-2654. You can also become a member, w...

Whether it’s chomping on an apple with strangers in Malcolm X Park or vibing to local music at a summer concert series, our August Guide has got you covered. For even more tips on how to make the most of August in D.C., check out City Cast DC’s take on what to do this month.  We’re doing our annual survey to learn more about our listeners. We’d be grateful if you took the survey at dc.citycas...

The National Guard is sticking around — and, like a lot of people who decide to stay in D.C., they’re about to pay through the nose for real estate. City Cast’s Alyssa Fowers and Emma Uber looked through the contract and crunched the numbers and they’re here to explain what it means that the troops are about to pitch up in some of the city’s buzziest neighborhoods. Want some more DC news? Then mak...

D.C. taxpayers — you — spent $220 million last year on overtime for public-safety agencies in D.C. How did this happen? According to a new report from D.C. Auditor Kathy Patterson, agencies are chronically understaffed, so bosses need to pay overtime to get the job done. How did we get here? And what does it mean? Kathy’s here to explain. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our m...

Our co-host Bridget has just published an audiobook that starts with her own journey into an AI relationship — and then examines the phenomenon through a range of others. As she notes, it’s a particularly ubiquitous thing in D.C., even if we don’t talk much about it.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemai...

It’s not a given that every Washingtonian will chip in to help their community. In this episode, City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with writer Taylor Lahey about how functional incentives could be the missing link in traditional systems of donations and volunteering. Inspired by a waste exchange program in Curitiba, Brazil, Lahey is working to create circular systems that effectively incentivize don...

We’re talking about D.C. versus DoorDash, the D.C. building everyone wants to demolish, and the best way to see The Odyssey. Plus, in a members-only segment, the latest on Metro’s plans for the new RFK stadium. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to⁠ sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at: ⁠(202) 642-2654⁠. You can also ⁠become a member⁠, with...

Virginia Horse Country looms large in the DC imagination — a preppy land beyond the suburbs you may hear about from time to time. Especially lately, because Vice President JD Vance is moving there, to a 500-acre estate in Middleburg. The Washington Post’s Paul Schwartzman is here to explain what the place means. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast...

To get public housing in DC, you need to cough up a lot of data about yourself. Which makes it a particular problem when the public housing authority is hacked — and when they don’t tell anyone about it. Reporter Suzie Amanuel has been covering the story and is here to explain.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave...

The movie Heavy Metal Parking Lot turns 40 this year — and feels weirdly contemporary. The basic setup is this: A couple of guys showed up at the parking lot of a Judas Priest show outside DC and just let cameras run as the tailgaters go wild. The difference: The cringe behavior didn’t wind up on social media, but instead became part of an underground art film that slowly became a cult classic. Th...

D.C. has an app that lets citizens request services and report problems around town. And this spring, it just stopped working. Our guest Josh Jacobson worked with a colleague to build their own. You’d think the city would be grateful. You’d be wrong. Josh is here to explain.  Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a...

Sometimes it can feel like DC is two (or more) steps behind the needs of its neighborhoods. Enter the residents of Chattanooga, Tennessee. What Chattanoogans don’t have, they make up for in advocacy, whether by showing up to city council and organizing for change or just doing things themselves. City Cast CEO David Plotz sits down with creator and city lover Hope Henchey about how she and her neig...

We’re talking about the problems at the Lincoln Memorial undercroft, that viral July 4 photo of a woman on the Metro, and World Cup specials. Plus, in a members-only fourth segment, we’ll get into the proposed very expensive upgrades to Audi Field — that D.C. taxpayers are going to pay for Want some more DC news? Then make sure to⁠ sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us...

Dating in D.C. can get expensive fast. But romance doesn't have to come with a $300 price tag, which yes that is how much some people are paying for dates in cities! Whether you're planning a first date, trying to keep date night affordable, or just looking for something fun to do with a partner, there are plenty of ways to have a great time in this city without spending much at all. Jade Womack,...

Waymos—the autonomous, self-driving ride-hailing vehicles—are already cruising around D.C. with one big catch: under current D.C. law, there's still a human safety driver behind the wheel. But will D.C. ever allow Waymos to operate without a human driver? And more importantly, should it? The D.C. Council is considering a bill that could finally allow them to operate in the District, but not withou...

Arena Stage is one of D.C.’s most prestigious theaters, but this month its biggest drama happened offstage: The theater’s artistic director was abruptly ousted, and the fallout has been bitter, with accusations of racial bias and workplace toxicity — plus allegations about making staffers fetch groceries. Rebecca Ritzel reported on this for NOTUS and she’s here to share some dishy details. &n...

A new Trump administration report says the Smithsonian institution is run by radicals who aren’t trustworthy. And while the report focused on the American history museum, a lot of people read it as a shot at the institution's leader, Lonnie Bunch. Clint Smith is the author of a recent piece in the Atlantic that profiles Bunch and ponders the future of the Smithsonian. He’s here to walk us through...

There’s lots to love about DC, but being able to get in and out of it easily and cheaply can be an underrated metric of its livability. Accommodating, accessible, and affordable local airports are a specific resource that many cities need. To find out which cities are leading the charge and the kinds of amenities that elevate an airport to gold status, City Cast CEO David Plotz chats with Scott Ke...

We’re talking about new taxes for D.C. residents, the politics of our fountains, and whether Rock Creek Tennis Center is going to be the next local park that gets a controversial Trump-era glow-up. Plus in a members-only fourth segment: DC is finally about to have its debate about Waymo, and we’ll get into the contours. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to⁠ sign up⁠ for our morning newsletter...

What does it take to make a dangerous street safer? That's what we're talking about today with Dan Reed. Dan is a transportation planner and the Maryland Policy Director at Greater Greater Washington. Last year, they were walking their dog through their neighborhood in Silver Spring, Maryland when a driver struck both of them. Dan wrote about the accident—and then about the year they spent fightin...

Have you ever sat on the Metro and wished it could transport you anywhere you dreamed? In her new novel Retro, D.C. author Jessica Goldstein imagines the Metro not as the boring backdrop of everyday life in the DMV, but as a time machine, ferrying wealthy tourists to the Old West for bachelorette parties, Prohibition-era speakeasies, and other moments in history. Today, Jessica is here to talk abo...

City Cast’s Emma Uber and contributor Marc Fisher are here to talk about the Fourth of July weekend in retrospect, the latest on the Reflecting Pool and the fate of the old Capitol Skyline Hotel. In a members-only segment, we're talking about teen gun violence in D.C. Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter City Cast DC. You can text us or leave a voicemail at:...

Washingtonian’s Jessica Sidman, who just published a wild investigation about D.C. food trucks, is here. It seems those rickety trucks that sell hot dogs to tourists down by the Mall are a front for what cops call organized crime — not to mention violence, illegal parking, and some truly gnarly food-safety violations. Jess is here to tell the whole sordid story. Want some more DC news? Then make s...