🍽️ Is this the real reason restaurants are struggling?

🎙️ DPS School Board Races: Teachers Respond

Last week, the City Cast Denver podcast sat down with BoardHawk podcast co-host Alexis Menocal-Harrigan to talk about the upcoming Denver school board races. But listeners — many of them teachers — asked to hear more from the teachers union side of things. So we invited Denver Classroom Teachers Association president Rob Gould on the show to share a different side of the conversation. [City Cast Denver 🎧]

✏️ A Look Back at Superintendent Marrero’s Last Year

The Denver school board had mostly praise to share about Superintendent Alex Marrero in his annual performance evaluation last week. According to their metrics, he met nearly 74% of his goals for the 2024-25 school year.

• The tough decisions: The past year hasn’t been a total walk in the park for Superintendent Marrero, who had to make the call on several school closures earlier this year. And now, he may be calling for five more if their test scores don’t improve.
• But wait, there’s more: Let’s not forget the internal strife on the school board, beef with the feds, and the looming threat of “financial catastrophe” from impending state and federal budget cuts. [Chalkbeat; Denver Post 🔒]
• How would you grade the superintendent? After a year of tests, does Alex Marrero deserve an A+ or bottom marks? We want to know 📧

🍽️ Denverites Aren’t Dining Out

You probably don’t need me to tell you Denver’s dining scene is struggling. But new credit/debit card data from Bank of America puts an emphasis on the point, showing that Denver has experienced the steepest drop in restaurant spending among 20 major U.S. cities since this time last year. The 6.7% year-over-year decrease is more than triple the decline seen in cities like Austin, Boston, and Washington D.C. [Denverite]

🛏️ Salvation Army to Lay Off 93 Denver Workers

The cuts are a direct result of the organization’s recent decision to end its partnership with the City of Denver. Its contract managing three local homeless shelters expires at the end of the year. The city says it’s working with The Salvation Army to relocate impacted employees to other local shelters and agencies. [9News]

It’s November — a time of giving back, feeling grateful, and eating good. In the calm before the holiday chaos, we hope you can find some time for a little fun. Here are our picks for the best things to do/see/eat around Denver this month.

🏀 Enjoy a Family-Friendly Night Out Watching the Nuggets

Sure, there are plenty of great bars around town to catch our Nuggs in action, but where do you go if you’ve got kids in tow? Fire on the Mountain’s got a menu just for the kiddos, plenty of TVs, super nice staff, and an atmosphere that welcomes sports fans and little ones alike.

🥫 Help Support Local Food Access Programs

With SNAP benefits in peril, many Denverites are likely facing food insecurity this month. Local food access organizations are already working tirelessly to fill the gaps. Donations of food, money, and volunteer time are in high demand — check out our list of grocery access organizations to see how you can help the community stay healthy and fed.

🍜 Warm Up With a Sizzle

After years of touring their Pho King Rapidos food truck around the city, owners Long Nguyen and Shauna Seaman finally went brick-and-mortar, opening Saigon Noodle Club in the Edgewater Market. We recommend the menu’s Pho Sizzle — a brothless version of the tummy-warming classic soup featuring sautéed noodles, chunks of super tender beef, and all the pho fixins’.

🏈 Relish the Best Years of the Denver Broncos

If you missed the Broncos ‘90s heyday when king quarterback John Elway helped deliver Denver’s back-to-back Super Bowl wins, now is your chance to relive the team’s glory days with “Elway,” a new documentary debuting on closing night of the Denver Film Festival. Rumor has it the Duke of Denver might even make an appearance at the screening — but if he’s a no-show there’s always the animatronic version of Elway at Scheel’s in Johnstown, which is arguably just as good! 😉

⛰️ Plan the Perfect Colorado Mountain Getaway

Fall is prime hot spring season — the air is crisp and those steamy mountain waters will keep you toasty. Looking for an adults-only soak? Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs offers the globally-inspired WorldSprings tour de pools for ages 21 and up. It features 11 mineral pools, a cold plunge, and a Dead Sea-inspired dip complete with a waterfall. Soakers are welcome to grab a snack or sip on a vast menu of mocktails, cocktails, and CBD delights.

• For the kiddos: The Glenwood Springs Resort Pool is child-friendly!

🦃 Help Someone Celebrate Their ‘First Thanksgiving’

Help refugee and immigrant families in the community celebrate the Denver holiday season at the African Community Center’s 20th annual First Thanksgiving dinner at the Z New Summit Event Center in Aurora on Friday, Nov. 21. A cherished community tradition, you can participate by purchasing a ticket ($20 or whatever you’re able to donate!) or by volunteering to help with the event (set-up, check-in, food running, transportation, clean-up, etc.).

👉 Psst! There’s even more where these came from! Tune into the City Cast Denver podcast for more recommendations!