The history of D.C.’s alleys is a weird, crazy metaphor for a couple centuries of race and class and power. We spoke to Kim Prothro Williams, author of Hidden Alleyways of Washington, DC: A History, to learn about the streets behind the streets. 

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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 202-642-2654.

This weekend is 4/20, the annual holiday where cannabis enthusiasts celebrate all things weed. Being in the shadow of the federal government means the laws around cannabis in the city are a little complicated. Alan Amsterdam, Owner of Capitol Hemp, is here to clear the smoke around getting high in D.C. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month. If you become a member by Friday, you have a chance to win a pair of FIS Champions Club tickets to see the Nationals this season!

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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 202-642-2654.

Today is Emancipation Day. Even if you’ve been living in the District for a while, you might not know much about the holiday, and what makes it uniquely D.C. Briana Thomas, author of Black Broadway, joins to explain what you should know about Emancipation Day in D.C. and how to commemorate it.

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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 202-642-2654.

You might have noticed that gas leaks have been in the news more often. It’s pretty scary! When you suspect there’s a gas leak happening, it might not be clear what to do. So today on City Cast DC, we’re talking with environmental reporter Kayla Benjamin to get the lay of the land on what’s happening.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month. Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

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 202-642-2654.

Reporter Michael Pope and author Briana Thomas join the show to talk about what the D.C. budget means for the cost of your child care, what the Virginia budget means for the health of our Metro system, and ways YOU can vote for D.C.’s best restaurants.

You can vote for your favorite restaurants for the RAMMY awards here.

Wanna win tickets to see the Washington Nationals? Become a City Cast DC member today!

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

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 202-642-2654.

D.C. has an absurd amount of parks – 683! Longtime D.C. environmental reporter Jacob Fenston is hitting up all of them for us in the ultimate D.C. park's quest. We catch up with him to see how it's going, what his approach is, and to learn the weirdest thing he has seen in the Potomac so far. 

And don’t forget to vote for City Cast DC as the District’s best podcast!

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month. 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

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 202-642-2654.

If you’ve ever had to GO while out and about in D.C., we’ve got good news. Throne Labs, a high tech toilet company, is bringing  public restrooms to 5 different locations in the city as part of the D.C. Public Restroom Pilot Program. But D.C.’s track record with public restrooms has been iffy at best. Jonathan Katz joined us awhile back to explain why this is a big deal for everyone.

To learn more, here are some resources Jonathan recommends: 

The Big Necessity, by Rose George

No Place to Go, by Lezlie Lowe

The American Restroom Association

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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 202-642-2654.

In today’s roundup, we’re talking about the city sending a warning to unlicensed weed shops in the city, an update on keeping sports teams in D.C., and 1 star reviews of Capital One Arena.

Parents have taken on weed shops in the past, and we explain why that’s a big deal.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month.

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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 202-642-2654.

There’s been a crazy fight going on about whether to erect an apartment building on the site of an old firehouse on U Street — and it’s a fight worth watching because it says a lot about what it takes to actually build anything in D.C. Paul Schwartzman from the Washington Post has been covering it and is here to walk us through the wild details. 

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC. You can also become a member, with ad-free listening, for as little as $8 a month.

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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 202-642-2654.

We’re breaking down the 2025 budget with City Paper’s Alex Koma, and Washingtonian’s Jessica Sidman is here to talk about D.C.’s nominees for the James Beard awards — and a crazy spy story at a local Russian restaurant. 

Check out our interview with James Beard award-winning chef, Rob Rubba, on why we should all be switching to electric stoves!

Also! We're giving away a Hey DC mug! But you have to be a member to enter the drawing, and we're doing it later today! Sign up by 12 pm ET on April 5 to enter, plus, as a member, you'll get ad-free listening and a ton of other exclusive perks.

Want some more DC news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter Hey DC.

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info HERE

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 202-642-2654.