Sure you could fight the traffic up to Kenosha Pass, but there are so many ways to enjoy a Colorado fall besides leaf peeping. It’s the prime season for fishing, spooky hikes near the city, and even some great off-the-beaten-path nature areas under your nose right here in Denver! Host Bree Davies is joined by a couple of returning favorites — our green chile and politics correspondent Justine Sandoval and comedian and outdoor educator Eeland Stribling — to discuss their picks for some epic adven...
Oct 03, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast More than 221,000 people rely on The Denver Foodie on Instagram for hot local food takes and recommendations for great new places to eat. But now he’s mired in scandal and rebranding amid allegations of stealing content, ripping off clients, and selling out to soulless chains. So we’re going inside the local influencer economy to understand where The Denver Foodie went wrong and how these local sponsored content deals are driving the restaurant hype machine with two of our favorite local Instagr...
Oct 02, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Tuesday, and we’re talking through the biggest stories of the week. Everyone is talking about RTD, with eight board seats on the ballot and Governor Polis making big plans for our public transit provider. The stakes are surprisingly high! Then, reporters have called out the transit agency for a lack of transparency and CEO Debra Johnson’s non-response about the murky details regarding the ousting of RTD’s police chief haven’t helped. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are talking th...
Oct 01, 2024•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Denver community. Welcome to October in the Mile High City! To celebrate the spooky season, we’ve rounded up some of the best things to do, see, eat, and explore in and around Denver — like a trip to the Monster Mash Bash puppet house on 1491 S. Newton Street, a killer party at the historic Richthofen Castle, a visit to the very scary DIY haunted junkyard, and more. B...
Sep 30, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday, and we’re rounding up the news of the week. First, former president Donald Trump is officially obsessed with baseless claim that a Venezuelan gang has “taken over” Aurora and keeps threatening to come to Colorado to do… something? But will he actually make good on his claims? The Lever founder David Sirota joins producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies to talk about how Trump’s rhetoric is affecting Aurora, swaps wins and fails of the week, and share some reporting from his new po...
Sep 27, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Transcript available on Metacast Despite recent exciting developments -- like buzzy restaurants earning Michelin stars and the 16th Street Mall’s slow renovation reveal, downtown is still getting a bad rap. So what could city leaders do to bring workers back and attract more visitors to this unique part of Denver? We’re revisiting a conversation from earlier this year where host Bree Davies, producer Paul Karolyi, and our politics and green chile correspondent, Justine Sandoval, brainstorm a bunch of big ideas to get people exc...
Sep 26, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Lots of people tried their hands at baking bread back when COVID was keeping us home, but some took it even further, sharing their newfound passions with the world and opening bakeries. Now Denver is in the midst of a bakery boom, and the carb competition is on! Cookbook author and bakery aficionado Allyson Reedy joins producer Paul Karolyi to share some recommendations of their favorite bakeries around Denver — from the spot with that one to-die-for item you’ll never forget to the olive loaf th...
Sep 25, 2024•21 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Tuesday, and we’re digging into the biggest stories of the week. First, two local organizations based on innovative strategies for helping our unhoused neighbors — the Denver Basic Income Project and the Denver VOICE — have run into serious funding trouble and could be on the verge of shutting down. Producers Olivia Jewell Love and Paul Karolyi talk about how they may or may not fit into Mayor Mike Johnston’s vision for ending unsheltered homelessness in Denver. Then, why does the proposed ...
Sep 24, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Wage theft is a big problem in Denver, and it’s getting worse. The Denver Auditor’s Office recovered more than $2 million in stolen wages last year, but according to today’s guest, that is just a drop in the bucket. Matthew Fritz-Mauer is the executive director of Denver Labor, the division of the auditor’s office that investigates and remediates wage theft, which recently deployed its new subpoena power in an investigation into three local strip clubs. He’s on today with producer Paul Karolyi t...
Sep 23, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday, and we’re rounding up the biggest stories of the week. First, a surprisingly contentious debate is brewing over two questions facing Denver voters this November: Should the city ban fur and slaughterhouses? Plus, Mayor Mike Johnston is hosting the country’s first ever city-led AI summit this week. So we’ve got a couple of political strategists and friends of the pod — Justine Sandoval and Deep Singh Badhesha — joining producer Paul Karolyi to talk about the local politics of meat, A...
Sep 20, 2024•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the biggest week of the year for Denver comedy, with High Plains Comedy Festival returning to S. Broadway for its 11th year, Comedy Works reporting a return to pre-pandemic numbers, and occasionally comedic Broncos legend Peyton Manning interviewing Larry David on stage at the Paramount Friday night. But amid all the excitement, three of Denver’s buzziest comedy venues are shutting down. Denver Post arts and culture reporter John Wenzel and stand-up comic Joshua Emerson join producer Pau...
Sep 19, 2024•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast Have Coloradans spent too much time chasing Bigfoot when we have a cryptid native to our own Rocky Mountains hiding under our noses? The researchers at History Colorado have been digging into the archives, and they’ve uncovered stories of a creature that is almost too bizarre to believe — a “mountain whale” called the Slide-Rock Bolter. But true or not, these stories have a lot to say about Colorado’s past and present. So today, History Colorado’s foremost expert on the Slide-Rock Bolter, Lucy S...
Sep 18, 2024•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Former president Donald Trump doubled down on his erroneous statement at last week’s debate that a Venezuelan gang has “taken over” Aurora, Colorado, suggesting at a Friday news conference that if he wins a second term in office he would order a mass deportation of Venezuelan newcomers, starting in the Denver suburb. So Westword editor Patty Calhoun joins producer Paul Karolyi to talk about Aurora’s moment on the national stage and dig into the other big stories of the week — from a couple of ho...
Sep 17, 2024•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast Minimum wage in Denver is going up again in January, and the number of restaurants is going down. While Denver’s restaurant community boasts a brand new Michelin star as of last week, more and more restauranteurs are leaving the Mile High in pursuit of greener pastures. So what exactly is happening that’s making it so hard to run a great restaurant here? The Colorado Restaurant Association’s CEO Sonia Riggs and government affairs director Colin Larson join host Bree Davies to talk about how Denv...
Sep 16, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday, and we’re rounding up the news of the week. First, grocery stores across the metro area are locking down everything from laundry detergent to coloring books. But is the shoplifting hysteria just a symptom of the hypercharged political climate? Then, Lyft is “exploring alternatives for our dockless bikes and scooters” and being vague about if they will continue to operate in Denver at all. Denver Post neighborhoods reporter Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton joins producer Paul Karolyi and host...
Sep 13, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast For the last few weeks, Denver’s top elected officials have been debating a very big new idea: What if Denver didn’t allow for the construction of any more gas stations in certain parts of the city? Amanda Sawyer, Diane Romero-Campbell, and Paul Kashmann have touted the proposal as a step toward making the Mile High more walkable, more amenable to new housing, and less car-reliant. But how would banning one type of business lead to a more pedestrian-friendly Denver? Senior associate and urban pl...
Sep 12, 2024•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Casa Bonita finally opens reservations to the public — no special invitation needed — this month! But before the new chapter begins, we’re revisiting the whole CB saga with the new documentary “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” From the cliff divers’ death trap and a rooftop graveyard full of murdered pigeons to an ancient and dangerous HVAC system and the health department nightmare that was Casa’s kitchen, the doc exposes just why, exactly, Matt Stone and Trey Parker had to dump $40 million into the stri...
Sep 11, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Exactly one year after giving out its first stars to Colorado restaurants, the Michelin Guide is back with an updated guide to our local restaurant scene in 2024. So we’re skipping our usual Tuesday news round-up, and Westword food editor Molly Martin is joining producer Paul Karolyi to dish on the most surprising winners, biggest snubs, and what Monday's announcement means for Denver chefs, restaurateurs and eaters. Molly has a list of all the new winners, and the article she wrote last week wi...
Sep 10, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the past few weeks, we’ve heard concerns over Governor Polis’s property tax deal being done “behind closed doors.” We watched as the GOP barred the press from covering controversial leadership votes. And now some Democratic lawmakers who were accused of shutting out reporters are simultaneously being honored as “defenders of the free press.” What is going on with Colorado politicians and transparency — or a lack thereof? Colorado Politics reporters Marianne Goodland and Ernest Luning join hos...
Sep 09, 2024•25 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday, and we’re rounding up the news of the week! First, Denver Police are banning food trucks in LoDo on the weekends in an effort to curb late-night violence, and the mayor has a new $500-million plan to fix downtown. But will these moves make the city center any better? Then, the brand new Ford Amphitheater in Colorado Springs just opened in August, and the noise complaints are piling up — is the venue exceeding decibel limits or are the neighbors just grouchy? Producer Paul Karolyi an...
Sep 06, 2024•57 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Michelin Guide returns to Colorado next week to award its highly-anticipated stars to local restaurants with the right kind of high-end culinary chops. So, who will make the cut? Can last year’s winners retain their glory? And what does it all mean for Denver’s dining scene anyway? Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi are joined by writer and former fine-dining server Jake Browne to dig into the Mile High’s more recent foray into the world of Michelin glory and what Colorado has to gai...
Sep 05, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Wednesday, and we’re talking about the biggest news of the week. First, no more waiting for that elusive email invite — starting September 16, Casa Bonita will be open to anyone who wants to make a reservation. But old school CB fans are in store for some big changes with even bigger implications for the workers. What does it mean for the longevity of the Pink Palace? Then, the alleged takeover of some poorly managed apartment buildings in Aurora by the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela ma...
Sep 04, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you're new here, welcome! We’ve put together a starter pack for you with episodes and articles to welcome you to the City Cast Denver community. Welcome to September, our gateway month to the fall season full of opportunities to see beauty in Colorado! We’re taking you through some of our best picks of stuff to do, see, eat, and drink this month — like a hot new “carbon positive” bar opening with a killer view of the city, a quirky miniatures show, the best spot for leaf-peeping, and more. Fo...
Sep 03, 2024•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday and we’re talking about the biggest stories of the week. First, is the big exodus of businesses from South Broadway really that bad for Denver and good for Englewood? Times are always changing in the Mile High City, but the vibe shift is real. Then, the New York Times took another stab at its visitor’s guide to “36 Hours in Denver,” and we have thoughts. Producer Paul Karolyi and host Bree Davies are joined by Westword staff writer and returning fave Catie Cheshire to dig into these ...
Aug 30, 2024•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s the most delicious time of year here in Colorado. The farmers markets are buzzing, the roadside chile stands are roasting, and the locally grown produce is overflowing from grocery store shelves all across the metro area. So we got our whole team together to do some research and swap crazy, fun facts about Palisade peaches, Rocky Ford melons, Olathe sweet corn, and of course Pueblo chiles. Olivia would like to let you know that there’s a big truckload sweet corn sale coming up on September ...
Aug 29, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Which novels would you recommend to give someone an honest view of what Denver is really all about? Because this sure ain’t the dusty cowtown of Louis L’Amour’s dime store Westerns, and it’s not just a way point for another adventure in the wilderness either. One of Denver’s most acclaimed novelists, Peter Heller, has a new book out this month, and he recently wrote a “literary road guide” to Denver for The New York Times, featuring a wide range of novels about our city. So we brought him back o...
Aug 28, 2024•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Tuesday, and we’re digging into all the stories Denverites are talking about this week. First, football is back! ESPN is broadcasting CU head coach Deion Sanders and the Buffs’ season opener from Folsom Field in Boulder this Thursday evening, but unlike at every home game last season, tickets are not sold out. Host Bree Davies and producer Paul Karolyi talk about the fizzling enthusiasm for Coach Prime and his uneasy relationships with the press and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Then, we dis...
Aug 27, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ever since the parent companies of King Soopers and Safeway agreed to a $24.6 billion merger back in 2022, many Denverites have been worried about the future of their neighborhood grocery stores. Colorado’s Attorney General Phil Weiser investigated the deal and filed a lawsuit to block it back in February, and then the Federal Trade Commission followed with a challenge of their own a few weeks later. The FTC’s case is going before a federal judge in Portland, Oregon, in a trial starting today, a...
Aug 26, 2024•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s Friday, and we’re rounding up the biggest stories of the week. First, DPS students returned to hot, sweaty classrooms this week as 29 Denver public schools are still without air conditioning. DPS leaders have a plan to help, but is anyone asking the right questions about the cost of a cool, consistent 72°? Chalkbeat Colorado bureau chief Melanie Asmar and stand-up comedian Joshua Emerson join producer Paul Karolyi to talk A/C in DPS, as well as a new city-led reconsideration of historic Den...
Aug 23, 2024•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Trash mountains, rat infestations, no hot water for days — every day seems to bring a new horror story about unlivable conditions facing renters across the metro area. Out in Aurora, dozens of tenants were forced onto the streets when the city condemned their apartment building (and the landlord blamed a Venezuelan gang). Meanwhile, in Denver, a group of tenants is calling on the state attorney general to investigate alleged conflicts of interest around the city’s new rental licensing program. D...
Aug 22, 2024•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
