☎️ New area code, who dis?
BY PEYTON GARCIA | @CITYCASTDENVER
Metro Denver just got a brand new area code: 983. It doesn’t quite roll off the tongue like 3(oh!)3, but hey, I guess those of us with 720s just moved up the food chain, right?
If you’re new here, it won’t take long for you to learn that many of us wear our 303 area code like the highest badge of honor. Is it just me or is that a lot of judgment to pass on a phone number?
City Cast Host Bree Davies: I carry the burden of being the owner of a 720 number since 1999 when I got my first cell phone. Whenever I give my number to a fellow ‘Old Denver’ head, I feel secretly judged when I utter ‘720…’ It has haunted me for over two decades.
Me: I was sooo bummed when I had to give up my 303 number and switch over to 720! My mom would definitely want you to know she got her 303 phone number from her days in old Thornton and is still proudly reppin’ it. I totally feel awe when I see an OG 303 number out in the wild.
City Cast Producer Paul Karolyi: As the resident transplant, I’ll speak truth to Old Denver power on this one. You longtime Denverites can be so weird about these arbitrary numbers!
🗣️ Got an opinion? We want to know! Reply to this email, and we might share your comments right here in the newsletter.
A taste of Pueblo … in Denver 🌶️
“Pueblo [feels] super familiar; It feels like your grandpa’s chair. If you can appreciate it for what it is, you love it.”
— Homegrown Puebloan David Casados
Is Denver Ready for a Pueblo-Themed Bar? We Asked a Real Puebloan
Denver now has a Pueblo-themed bar. Yes, Pueblo as in the Southern Colorado city. We had questions, like: Who would want to theme a bar after a Colorado town? Would this place make a mockery of the real thing? And really, what does it mean to capture the essence of a place like Pueblo, anyway? So we took our born n’ raised Puebloan friend downtown and asked him.
More news you should know
☕ Would you like some fair labor with that coffee? The Starbucks at Colfax Avenue and Milwaukee Street has just become the second location in Colorado (and the first in Denver) to officially unionize. The Denver baristas agreed to join the Colorado Care Workers Unite union in a unanimous 13-0 vote. [5820]
- 🎙️ Hear from the baristas: With Starbucks employees across the country pushing to unionize, we recently spoke with two local baristas fighting for better working conditions.
⚖️ 12 protesters are suing Denver Police: I know what you’re thinking, “Didn’t we just do this?” Kinda. Earlier this year, we witnessed virtually the same exact case go before a federal jury. (The protesters won that one, btw.) But this case is just one of MANY excessive-use-of-force claims filed against cities and police departments around the country by demonstrators who protested the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. [Denverite]
🏫 Meet the contenders for new Denver school board member: Julie Bañeulos, Leo Darnell, David Diaz, Adeel Khan, and Charmaine Lindsay are all vying for the open position. At a forum on Monday, the candidates spoke in front of residents on matters including charter schools, enrollment-based funding, and gentrification. [Chalkbeat]
- 📅 Mark your calendar: Members of the community can sign up for public comment during two upcoming meetings on May 26 and June 9.
From our friends at Mortified 🎤
Taste the Mortified rainbow! Special Pride edition!
You’ve seen the hit Netflix series and listened to the podcast — now catch the show live! Mortified stars adults sharing their most angst-ridden teenage diary entries, poems, love letters, artwork, and songs — in front of total strangers. Mortified has been hailed as a “a cultural phenomenon” by Newsweek and celebrated for years by This American Life, The Today Show, Entertainment Weekly, and more.
Come see what everyone is talking about. Equal parts comedy and confessional, with a throwback cover band dishing up your old school favorites all night long.
As always, a percentage of ticket sales will go toward an awesome local nonprofit featured at the show.
Psst! Did you know City Cast is a network? We’re already in five other major cities, AND we’re getting ready for takeoff in Boise, DC, Philadelphia, Portland, and Madison! Love what you get here? Tell your friends that they can get awesome, can’t-miss content about their cities, too! Plus, check out all the new positions we’re hiring for.