Where is the secret nap room at the airport? Why is there a Terminal 1 and a Terminal 3… but no Terminal 2? Which local coffee shop just opened an outpost in T3? Today, co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with newsletter editor Rob Kachelriess, who recently wrote a guide to the Las Vegas airport for Thrillist, to get his insider tips on the best places to eat, drink, and (yes!) sleep at Harry Reid International. Places mentioned: Zerolevel Fitness Center Liquor Library Airport Slots Metro Pizza Moe’...
Mar 19, 2024•23 min
When a Yellow-billed loon, a rare Arctic bird, shut down the Bellagio Fountains water show , the eyes of the world turned to the city from CNN to Fox News to John Oliver. The Nevada Department of Wildlife was able to capture and release the lost bird in an undisclosed location but not without criticism. So how could the rescue of this rare bird have gone better and what does Las Vegas need to be a more bird-friendly city? Co-host Sarah Lohman asks Alex Harper from the Red Rock Audobon Society wh...
Mar 18, 2024•24 min
To no one’s surprise, Elon Musk’s Boring Company is in the news again as Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, throws his support behind the Vegas Loop’s expansion amid safety concerns. Also, a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents is facing calls to resign after doubling down on comments aimed at trans athletes and the American Film Market moving to Vegas revives hopes for a Hollywood 2.0. Hosts Sarah Lohman and Dayvid Figler are joined b...
Mar 15, 2024•35 min
On March 19th, the International Pizza Expo, the largest pizza industry conference in the world, is coming to Las Vegas . So we thought there is no better time to ask the question: Does Las Vegas have a pizza style? And we got the best of the best to give us an answer. Pizza expert Scott Weiner, founder of Scott’s Pizza Tours and Slice Out Hunger, who sits down with host Sarah Lohman to spill some industry tea, give us the breakdown on what a pizza style should look like and lets us in on the fu...
Mar 14, 2024•22 min
For the last several years, Channel 13 has been investigating allegations of horrific animal abuse at SeaQuest, a petting zoo and aquarium at the Boulevard Mall. Through interviews and records requests, they’ve uncovered a pattern of stories involving animals mangled and cooked (yes) to death by their enclosures, creatures so starved they eat gravel or bite guests, and baby birds stomped on by unchaperoned toddlers. Today, co-host Dayvid Figler talks with Channel 13’s chief investigator Darcy Sp...
Mar 13, 2024•22 min
Growing a garden in Las Vegas is already hard enough, but did you know that you might be making it harder on yourself and the environment? Planting invasive species that require more water and provide less habitat for animals is a growing problem as we stretch into the desert. So to kick off spring on the right foot, native plant nursery owner Nestor Robles shares his tips on how to start your own native garden and what it means to decolonize your landscape with co-host Sarah Lohman. You can fin...
Mar 12, 2024•19 min
Smoke and Mirrors, Nevada’s first state-approved marijuana lounge, is now open for business after years of the state working to figure out how regulations and licensing would look. The lounge is attached to Thrive Dispensary in the shadow of Resorts World which is closer to the Strip than other lounges will be allowed to get. So does the lounge give Amsterdam vibes or is it still figuring itself out? Co-host Dayvid Figler and newsletter editor Rob Kachelriess recap their visit and share some ins...
Mar 11, 2024•23 min
The A’s have finally released their latest stadium renderings — and y’all might have noticed, the design looks kind of familiar (Sydney Opera House, anyone)? Today, co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman sit down with contributor and Nevada Current reporter Michael MJ Lyle to break down the new design. Next up, MJ explains the county’s new ethics rules and what it might mean for events like F1 and the Super Bowl. And last but not least, the team gets some deep-dive bird knowledge while discussi...
Mar 08, 2024•27 min
Yesterday, the feds signaled their approval for a long-awaited agreement between the Colorado River states — collectively, the lower basin states (Arizona, California, and Nevada) will reduce our water use by 3 million acre-feet by 2026. The hope is that we’ll be able to replenish our crucial reservoirs, including Lake Mead, the source of 90% of our city’s water. But damming rivers to create reservoirs isn’t without problems. So… was creating Lake Mead in the first place a mistake? Today, we’re ...
Mar 07, 2024•22 min
When the news broke last week that Elon Musk’s Boring Company faced over $100k in fines from Nevada OSHA for some pretty serious safety violations at their Las Vegas Tesla Tunnels (including a “toxic sludge” that burned workers’ skin and dangerously heavy equipment collapsing near tunnel entrances), Las Vegans were surprised. For most of us, this was the first we’d heard of last summer’s investigation. But in the meantime, while the Boring Co. contests the citations, city and county officials st...
Mar 06, 2024•24 min
A female desert tortoise can lay up to 14 eggs a year — and can breed for over 80 years. So if our randy reptilian friends are this fertile, why are they still endangered? Co-host Sarah Lohman sits down with wildlife biologist Beth Wolff to talk about the dangers that tortoises face in the Vegas Valley, why baby tortoises resemble “chicken nuggets,” and what to do if you encounter one (spoiler alert: it may or may not involve tortoise pee). Have you joined our membership program yet? This is you...
Mar 05, 2024•23 min
Spring has sprung in Las Vegas and so has our guide to March in the city! From must see shows to ways to get outside before the heat sets in, we’ve got you covered. Publisher of thelist.vegas Andrew Kiraly joins co-host Sarah Lohman to help you make the most of your March. This is the last week to become a founding member of City Cast Las Vegas. Join the club! We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram . You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719 . Want some more Las Vegas ne...
Mar 04, 2024•22 min
Elon Musk’s Boring Company has taken over Las Vegas news this week. Construction workers for the Vegas Loop (unofficially the Tesla Tunnels) filed complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over safety concerns that include working in toxic sludge with harmful accelerants and a lack of proper safety equipment. OSHA’s investigation was contested by the company, which claims there is insufficient evidence. In another part of the Valley, Henderson police issued 600+ tr...
Mar 01, 2024•37 min
Las Vegas is known for a lot of things, but bagels are not one of them. But maybe they should be! It’s hard to compete against cities on the East Coast but Vegas bagels should not be overlooked. Today, we taste test four popular eateries in search of our city’s best bagels. Hosts Sarah Lohman and Dayvid Figler are joined by City Cast Las Vegas executive producer Sonja Cho Swanson to share their winners and the history behind Las Vegas’s favorite bagel spots. Want to support local media and becom...
Feb 29, 2024•24 min
It’s safe to say that the Fontainebleau’s opening was… rocky, at best. In the two months after opening on December 13th, 2023, the property saw four executives abruptly leave, Nachogate went viral, and locals were infuriated over the on-again-off-again tier matching program. Journalist Arash Markazi lives on the north end of the Strip (he literally has a view of the Fontainebleau from his window), and recently called it a “bad bet.” But, as he tells co-host Sarah Lohman, there may be some hope y...
Feb 28, 2024•23 min
Celebrity commentator and OG influencer Perez Hilton moved to Las Vegas a year ago and has quickly tapped into our red-hot social media scene — observing the best (and worst) of Vegas influencers from his Vegas-based account, @lasvegasperez. So today, co-host Dayvid Figler sits down with Perez Hilton to get the inside track on how influencers impact our city, which of them have beef with each other (and why it involves footplay), and how much money an influencer can make. Love our podcast? Join ...
Feb 27, 2024•23 min
We know what capital-capital is (that’s money), but what is social capital? And more importantly, why does Nevada have so little? In multiple rankings of the state, one from a congressional study, Nevada ranks next to dead last in this important metric. Co-host Dayvid Figler talks with commentator Kim Foster, whose latest book, “The Meth Lunches,” dives into what it looks like when a community is rich (and conversely, poor) in social capital, and how it goes far beyond simple neighborliness. Lov...
Feb 26, 2024•24 min
The news this week about a “ missing murderer ” conjured images of a guy with a knife creeping through backyards. But the truth is a lot more paperwork-related than the headlines might have you believe. Co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman sit down with producer Layla Muhammad to discuss. They also get into the protests over our rising gas bills , which have even Summerlin residents up in arms, and the swanky new Las Vegas Airbnb experience hosted by Christina Aguilera that you can apply for ...
Feb 23, 2024•31 min
With nearly a quarter of our jobs in leisure and hospitality, tipping is baked into Vegas culture. But as we’re being asked to tip in more places at higher percentages, customers are experiencing more “tipping fatigue.” Today we look back at a conversation with Las Vegas writer and former hospitality worker Brittany Bronson. She tells co-host Dayvid Figler how tipping can help and hurt workers fighting for fair pay — and shares her essential rules for tipping in Vegas. Vote for us in Las Vegas W...
Feb 22, 2024•25 min
“Across the Tracks: A Las Vegas Westside Story” is a new documentary that celebrates the history of Las Vegas’ predominantly Black neighborhood, the Historic Westside. Through interviews with original residents and historians, the documentary paints a picture of the origins of Las Vegas, starting with the railroad and the community brought up around it. In today’s episode, co-host Dayvid Figler talks with filmmaker Emmett Gates and writer Soni Brown about why this documentary still resonates tod...
Feb 21, 2024•23 min
After recent news that a coyote might have bitten a football player in town for the Super Bowl, and, last week, that a two-year-old girl had to get a rabies shot after a coyote attacked her at Lake Las Vegas, the tensions over coyotes and humans coexisting in our desert town have surfaced again. So we’re bringing back a conversation co-host Dayvid Figler had last year with UNLV wildlife ecologist Dr. David Choate. They talk about why we’re seeing more coyotes, and what to do if you encounter one...
Feb 20, 2024•22 min
The numbers are trickling in, and by some estimates, the Super Bowl was an economic victory for our city. But not everyone cashed in. Today, co-hosts Sarah Lohman and Dayvid Figler sit down with contributor and Nevada Current reporter Michael MJ Lyle to talk about what the Super Bowl could do differently — and if its success changes the calculus on publicly-funded stadiums. Next, the team discusses two proposed downtown housing developments , including a hotly-contested sober living project, bef...
Feb 16, 2024•35 min
The new year always seems to bring on a slew of new celebrity chef restaurant openings in Vegas: This season it’s Blake Shelton, Bobby Flay, and Michael Mina. And this summer, Gordon Ramsay will open his seventh (yes) Las Vegas restaurant. But does Las Vegas really need another celebrity chef restaurant? Co-host Sarah Lohman sits down with food writers Gemini Stevens and John Curtas to discuss the rise and (possible) fall of our celebrity chef era, and which celeb restaurants are actually worth ...
Feb 15, 2024•22 min
Over the last 20 years, the Culinary Union has become a force in Nevada politics to be reckoned with. Politicians court their endorsement, and their support can sway legislation. The historic contracts they just signed with the major Strip casinos (and now, most of the downtown properties, too) are a testament to the union’s sway. So what impact does the union have on our city, whether you’re in the union or not? How do they wield their influence in Las Vegas, and do they ever go too far? Co-hos...
Feb 14, 2024•25 min
The cowboy is an iconic figure in the history of the Southwest United States. Even when Las Vegas isn’t hosting the National Finals Rodeo or other rodeo events, you can still spot people in cowboy hats and boots around the city. What people may not know, from the now-typical image of the white heroic cowboy, is that there is a long legacy of Black cowboys who helped shape the history of this region. Contributor Brent Holmes shares the erased history of Black cowboys in Las Vegas with co-host Sar...
Feb 13, 2024•22 min
Super Bowl LVIII is officially in the books — so how did this year’s event, hosted by Las Vegas, measure up? Co-host Dayvid Figler and executive producer Sonja Cho Swanson sit down on Sunday night after the game to compare notes: Highlights, lowlights, and all the fun, messy drama (cough-streakers-cough) that took place in our city. Plus, we rate the halftime show and our favorite commercials. We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram . You can also call or text us at 702-514-...
Feb 12, 2024•25 min
What a week, right? You have the School Board and the superintendent embroiled in a popcorn-worthy resignation melodrama ; you have the mayor of Las Vegas casting shade at the Oakland A’s, and then (whoops, negative press!) lamely trying to uncast it; you have a future Darwin Awards nominee climbing the Sphere to send an anti-abortion message. And we have podcast co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman, joined by TheList.Vegas publisher Andrew Kiraly, eager to sort it all out for you. We’re on s...
Feb 09, 2024•31 min
Ethel M Chocolates is probably our valley’s sweetest fixture: Since 1981, the chocolate maker has been crafting premium sweets from their factory in Henderson. So who was Ethel M., anyhow? Why did a chocolatier choose the nation’s hottest state to set up shop, and what goes on inside their Willy Wonka test kitchen? Today, co-host Sarah Lohman sits down with Ethel M’s chief chocolatier, Mark Mackey, to get the inside scoop on his sweet creations and Ethel M’s surprising origins. We’re on social m...
Feb 08, 2024•23 min
Las Vegas has been anticipating hosting Super Bowl LVIII for the past few years and the time is finally here. This Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers face off against the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. Bryan Salmond, the main sports anchor for News 3 Las Vegas, sits down with co-host Sarah Lohman to explain how we landed the big game, what our city offers as hosts, and how locals feel about another major sporting event. We’re on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram . You ca...
Feb 07, 2024•23 min
Is there a prize for the most confusing primary process this year? Nevada Republicans might have just won it. GOP voters can cast their vote in both the state primary AND the caucus, but only one will decide who wins Nevada’s delegates at the Republican nominating convention. So what’s behind this split, and how does that affect Nevada’s national standing in the presidential election cycle? Nevada Independent reporter Tabitha Mueller joins co-host Dayvid Figler to explain what voters need to kno...
Feb 06, 2024•22 min
