City Cast DC with Michael Schaffer

🖼️ Smithsonian reopening schedule

November 14, 2025 · 💌 Kaela

It’s the best (and worst) time of year in D.C.: Ginkgo season! The bright yellow trees are lighting up D.C.’s streets with golden hues and vomit-like aromas.

Some ginkgo facts for ya:

It’s one of the oldest tree species on earth — fossils of its leaves are 200 million years old.
The fruit is filled with butyric acid, the same chemical in our stomach that’s in vomit. Mmm!
D.C. has thousands of them! Casey Trees has a map of all of D.C.’s Ginkgo trees.

*Ginkgo trees burst with autumnal color on Swann Street NW. (Tim Brown/Getty Images)*

What's CITY Talking About

Smithsonians Start To Reopen

The National Museum of American History and National Air and Space Museum reopen today after being closed for the government shutdown. All other Smithsonian Institutions and the National Zoo will reopen on a rolling basis by Monday. [Smithsonian]

Plus, we've got you covered with other updates to know now that the shutdown is over. [City Cast DC 🎧]

Music Venue Staff Get Union Recognition

Workers at three major D.C. venues — 9:30 Club, the Atlantis and Lincoln Theatre — have won voluntary union recognition from production company I.M.P. Now, they’ll begin to negotiate a contract. [Washington Post 🔒]

Trump Unveils Vision for EEOB

President Trump has a new construction project in mind: painting the entire historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building white. [Fox5]

Plus, peep this profile of Mayor Bowser which includes previously unreported details about her interactions with Trump and other White House officials. [Washington Post 🔒]

FIFA Draw Uses Kennedy Center For Free

FIFA is taking over the Kennedy Center later this month for the 2026 World Cup draw but it won’t pay the typical rental fee. It was booked at Trump’s request and will disrupt the Kennedy Center’s performance schedule for almost three weeks. [Washington Post 🔒]

Architecture Firm Chosen For RFK

The Washington Commanders hired Texas-based design firm HKS to transform the 180-acre RFK Stadium site into a new neighborhood. The firm said it aims to reconnect D.C. to the Anacostia River and “create a destination for residents and visitors that thrives beyond game day.” [WTOP]

Bethany Young talks real safety for D.C.’s underserved neighborhoods

D.C.’s safest neighborhoods are also the most well-resourced. Bethany Young, Director of Policy at DC Justice Lab, shares that the key to achieving safety for all of our communities is investment and precision, especially in areas of the city that have been under-resourced for decades. Join the conversation about how real safety in D.C. begins by preventing crime from occurring in the first place.