City Cast Pittsburgh

The Michelin Guide is coming to Pittsburgh! The timing is kind of hilarious, since we just did an episode about why our city doesn't have — or need – Michelin star restaurants. Host Megan Harris and City Cast contributors Colin Williams and Hal B. Klein chat about this development, laugh about our clairvoyant conversation, and share which restaurants they think might (or might not) get a star. Plus, executive producer Mallory Falk joins to discuss a Washington Post editorial chiding Pittsburgh Public Schools for going remote during the NFL Draft. The team also gets into concerns about how our unhoused community might get treated during the draft, PA's first underground state park, and more bad news for Pittsburgh's brewery scene. Then, in a members-only fourth segment, we unpack a juicy profile of the Block brothers and share the latest gossip about the future of the Post-Gazette.

Come celebrate Pittsburgh with us on 412 Day! We'll be at Southern Tier Brewing on the North Shore on Sunday, April 12 from 11am-2pm. Find all the details about the free event and RSVP here. We'll be cheering on everything we love about our city.

Notes and references from today’s show:

Learn more about the sponsors of this April 10th episode:

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

City Theatre

Clearview FCU

Sustainable Pittsburgh

Window Nation

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

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While we have a growing number of delicious pizza joints in and around the city, our pizza scene just doesn't compare to New York — at least not yet. City Cast contributor and Post-Gazette dining critic Hal B. Klein is telling host Megan Harris how new technology and our collaborative culture makes Pittsburgh a "rising pizza powerhouse." Plus, Hal's sharing his favorite pizza places in Western Pennsylvania, including one inside a Greensburg Shop 'n Save.

Learn more about the sponsors of this April 9th episode:

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

City Theatre

Clearview FCU

Window Nation

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

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Pennsylvania is one of the few states with a split legislature, which makes it extra hard for a bill to become law. The Democratic-controlled House recently passed a whole slew of bills, including ones to gradually raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15, require data centers to give more information to the state, and codify same-sex marriage. But do any of these proposals stand a chance in the Republican-controlled state Senate? Host Megan Harris and City Cast Philly’s Trenae Nuri are turning to Ian Karbal, government reporter for the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, to get the details about what the relationship between PA's House and Senate look like and where these ideas might land.

Notes and references from today’s show:

Learn more about the sponsors of this April 8th episode:

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

City Theatre

Clearview FCU

Window Nation

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.

Rivers of Steel finally figured out who the Carrie Blast Furnace was named after! Roman Hladio, chief reporter at NEXTpittsburgh, joins host Megan Harris to spill the tea about Carrie Clarke's life, and explain the "polite sexism" behind naming local blast furnaces after women. Plus, they discuss why we just had a record-breaking year for film and TV spending in Pittsburgh, and how space exploration could lead to medical breakthroughs here on Earth, all thanks to a new research lab at the University of Pittsburgh.

Notes and references from today’s show:

Learn more about the sponsors of this April 7th episode:

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

City Theatre

Clearview FCU

Window Nation

Sustainable Pittsburgh

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here.

Kennywood's almost open, and we're not talking about your fly! The amusement park's first day of the season is April 18. To celebrate, we're revisiting a conversation between host Megan Harris and historian Mark Houser about Kennywood's long and storied history. How did a picnic grove turn into the attraction we know and love today, and how do its stewards tow the line between preservation and modernization?

Special thanks Pittsburgh Magazine for sharing their work and our guest Mark Houser for bringing Pittsburgh’s past back to life. Sign up for one of his June skyscraper tours, and listen to Mark and Megan's self-guided audio tour of Downtown.

And check out the Kennywood episode of Defunctland here. It’s super fun and weird.

Come celebrate Pittsburgh with us on 412 Day! We'll be at Southern Tier Brewing on the North Shore on Sunday, April 12 from 11am-2pm. Find all the details about the free event and RSVP here.

**This episode originally published April 19, 2023.

Learn more about the sponsors of this April 6th episode:

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

City Theatre

Clearview FCU

Window Nation

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 

Both Denver and Pittsburgh wanted, but didn't get, a WNBA team. While more and more people are embracing women’s sports, Denver is only the second city in the U.S. to build a stadium specifically for women’s soccer. Will betting on women’s sports drive Denver’s economy or will Denverites be left paying the price for another stadium? City Cast CEO David Plotz talks with City Cast Denver podcast host Bree Davies about why Denver has invested so much into having sports downtown, how Denver has capitalized on repurposing old industrial spaces, and how bad traffic gets when all your sports are downtown. Plus, is it better to have a Mayor with or without aims for a greater political office?

Mentioned on the show:

The $tadium Game: Inside the lucrative world of Colorado’s pro sports stadiums [⁠The Denver Post⁠]

Is there something your city is doing that we should be talking about? ⁠Email David now! ⁠

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City Council's getting in on the NFL Draft action. They've approved security agreements with 18 law enforcement agencies — and that includes bringing in lots of bomb-sniffing dogs. Council is also thinking about increasing the hourly rates for street parking while we have an influx of visitors. Contributor Colin Williams is here with a very hot parking take while host Megan Harris and producer Sophia Lo are excited about snagging free trees. Plus, they're talking about space exploration missions with a Pittsburgh connection and saying goodbye to Fat Head's. 

Notes and references from today’s show:

Learn more about the sponsors of this April 3rd episode:

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Quantum Theatre

Allegheny County Poll Workers

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

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We've got so many fantastic restaurants in the city, and our local chefs are regularly recognized by the James Beard Foundation. But the Michelin Guide hasn't made it to Pittsburgh, and City Cast Pittsburgh contributor and Post-Gazette dining critic Hal B. Klein thinks it should stay that way. Hal's telling host Megan Harris why Pittsburgh's dining scene doesn't fit neatly within the Michelin Guide's parameters and the accolades like StarChefs Rising Stars Awards we can point to instead.

Learn more about the sponsors of this April 2nd episode:

Pittsburgh Cultural Trust

Quantum Theatre

Allegheny County Poll Workers

Become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh at membership.citycast.fm.

Want more Pittsburgh news? 

Interested in advertising with City Cast? Find more info here. 

From outdoor dance parties and Easter egg hunts to spring fungi walks and cinnamon roll crawls, there are so many ways to get out in Pittsburgh this April. Plus, the weather's finally nice enough for a walking tour Downtown. The City Cast team is sharing our top recommendations, plus inviting you to party with us on 412 Day! And if you're excited to try some spring produce, don't miss our guide to local CSAs.

For even more tips on how to make the most of April in Pittsburgh, check out our website.

City Cast Pittsburgh's guide to April is made possible by our awesome sponsors, Lake Erie Wine Country, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Quantum Theatre, and Allegheny County Poll Workers. And City Cast Pittsburgh is also powered by our members, who enjoy an ad-free version of the show. Find out more about how to become a member of City Cast Pittsburgh.

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Episode Description: On this bonus sponsored episode by the Grable Foundation, we explore how learning is evolving in Pittsburgh and what it could look like in the years ahead. When you picture local schools 10 years from now, do you see students glued to tablets and receiving lessons from AI tutors, or do you imagine them building solar-powered backpacks in outdoor classrooms? A new report is imagining what learning could look like here by 2036 and whether we should be excited…or a little freaked out. Jason Swanson, Director of Strategic Foresight at KnowledgeWorks, and Taylor Samstang, Executive Director at Remake Learning, join Executive Producer Mallory Falk to break down the biggest trends shaping the future of education, how you can help shape what comes next, and and why all of this matters even if you don't have kids.

Thank you for listening to this special bonus Sponsored Episode by The Grable Foundation. To learn about this episode sponsor visit Remakelearning.org, Grable.org, and knowledgeworks.org