🚗 Traveling today? Prepare for traffic.

🥞 Downtown IHOP Location To Be Auctioned Off

The land that an IHOP restaurant sits on near Rainey Street will be auctioned off on Dec. 2. The site, which is at 707 E. Cesar Chavez St., has been foreclosed on. [Austin Business Journal]

🛍️ The Best Online Shopping This Holiday Season

If holiday markets and shopping malls stress you out this time of year, don’t fret! We’ve got a list of the best shopping you can do from home this year. [City Cast Austin 🎧]

🚓 Former UTPD Chief Alleges Discrimination in Lawsuit

Former UT Austin police chief Eve Stephens, who was the first Asian-American woman to lead any UT police department, alleges in a lawsuit that she was fired because of her sex and national origin. [The Daily Texan]

🚦 Traveling for Thanksgiving? Prepare for Traffic

More people are expected to travel for Thanksgiving this year compared to 2024, AAA Texas says. Thursday is expected to have the smallest number of road travelers. [CBS Austin]

The holiday shopping season is upon us, and finding gifts for everyone on your list can be overwhelming. To make things easier and more exciting, we asked our City Cast podcast hosts and producers to share a shining example of a small business in their city with an online shop.

Here’s how you can support small businesses and find a gift for just about everyone:

🥩 Austin: Meat and Merch from Franklin Barbecue

Give the gift of Texas beef from James Beard award-winning Franklin Barbecue — the best in the country, according to Bon Appétit. Or take it from Anthony Bourdain and Barack Obama, who have both made the pilgrimage. Here’s what City Cast Austin host Nikki DaVaughn has to say:

“People line up before dawn just to get the opportunity to eat at Franklin, but why do that when you can have it shipped anywhere in the U.S. through GoldBelly? You can order everything from rubs, barbecue sauces, merch, and most importantly MEAT. All you have to do is reheat it and you can have something better than dry ass turkey for the holidays.”

✂️ Chicago: A Collage Magazine from the Chicago Collage Community

For those who love art, the Chicago Collage Community — which just celebrated its third anniversary — has two editions of its collage magazine featuring artists from across Chicagoland. Here’s City Cast Chicago host Jacoby Cochran’s take:

“One of [Chicago Collage Magazine’s] curators, Lo Marie, is one of my friends and favorite visual artists in the city. Her current series ‘Windy City Tells’ is a magnificent and evocative series that captures daily life in the city in a unique way. It’s curated and edited by co-founders Charlea Taylor and Christine Vilutis, along with fellow collage artists and curators Miranda Livingston and Lo Marie.”

🍸 DC: Politically-Themed Spirits from Republic Restoratives Distillery

As the nation’s capital, D.C. is the epicenter of politics and “that’s enough to drive anyone to drink,” says City Cast DC host Bridget Todd. So, why not make it a good drink?

Republic Restoratives is a queer woman-owned distillery with a very D.C. story: Co-founder Pia Carusone used to work in politics and left to start Republic Restoratives after the attack on her boss, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Plus, a portion of the sales go directly to Vote.org.

Bridget recommends the Fascist Tears Vodka for a martini “as dirty as Christina Aguilera in the 90s.”