City Cast DC with Michael Schaffer
Check out the new 8000-series trains
May 23, 2023
Morning, D.C.! Get a sneak peek of the new 8000-series Metro cars at Gallery Place this week. Metro is hosting a design pop-up through next Tuesday and wants your input on the cars’ look and feel.
What's CITY Talking About?
Penn Social Does a Wrap Around
Penn Social is getting rid of its coffeeshop section and sticking with its trademark sports bar and party space vibe. The Chinatown staple reopened last spring with a new coffeehouse and work space, but struggled to find customers when most workers remained remote. Now, the owners hope to bring the original feeling and customers back to Penn Social. [DCist]
- Related: Downtown D.C. is struggling! Tristan Navera from the Washington Business Journal tells us the city needs to take some specific, concrete steps to revitalize the area. [City Cast DC 🎧]
AI-Generated Pentagon Explosion
Never fear, there was no explosion near the Pentagon on Monday. But Twitter certainly thought so. An image of billowing smoke near the building went viral yesterday before officials reported that it was not a real photo. The very convincing image seems to have been made by generative artificial intelligence. The account that originally tweeted the picture took it down within the hour. [WUSA9]
HQ2 Has Landed
Amazon officially opened its two 22-story office towers in Pentagon City. The opening comes nearly five years after Amazon picked Northern Virginia for HQ2 and committed to creating 25,000 jobs by 2030. Oh, and if you were wondering… Amazon has named the buildings Jasper and Merlin, after codenames for past keystone projects. [WTOP]
Sponsored Content
Step into their (radio-transmitting) shoes
Alan Turing’s Enigma Machine, James Bond's Aston Martin, and the ice axe that killed Leon Trotsky are now on display at the International Spy Museum. Visit the world’s largest collection of espionage artifacts, and test your abilities as a covert operative. Your mission awaits. Book today.
What To Do
🌸 Paint Peonies | Tuesday | 6 - 8 p.m.
Head to Shop Made in DC to paint your own peonies with paint-by-number prints and lots of local sips. [$35, The Wharf]
🌎 Comedy for Climate Justice | Tuesday | 7:30 p.m.
The best satire comes from the scariest social topics. Join EarthRights International and some hilarious comedians for this show and fundraiser on climate justice. [$15, 14th Street]
🌝 Exploring the Moon | Wednesday | 8 p.m.
Join NASA’s chief exploration scientist to hear what’s next for lunar science and exploration. [Free, National Mall]
🍳 Zero Waste Cooking | Thursday | 7 p.m.
Save food, shrink that grocery bill, and learn to make the most of the food you have with cookbook authors Margaret and Irene Li. [$8+, Mt Pleasant]
Today on City Cast
How to Create Your Own D.C. Tour
D.C. was just ranked the third-best destination in the U.S. for tourism this summer. But giving and taking tours in the District isn’t so cut and dry. Kaitlin Calogera and Rebecca Grawl, who founded A Tour of Her Own, explain what makes tours in D.C. tick, and which ones to try, even if you’re a local.
It’s D.C. trivia time!
Answer to last week’s question: Who is Hains Point named after? Designer Army Corps of Engineer Peter Conover Hains, the same person who designed the Tidal Basin! Kudos to Denise L. who was the only one to get this question correct. It was a toughie.
Next week’s question: What is the design for the D.C. flag based on? Give it your best guess!
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