Can I check if a variable can be cast to a specified type?

Use the "as" operator to attempt a cast:

var myObject = something as String;

if (myObject != null)
{
  // successfully cast
}
else
{
  // cast failed
}

If the cast fails, no exception is thrown, but the destination object will be Null.

EDIT:

if you know what type of result you want, you can use a helper method like this:

public static Object TryConvertTo<T>(string input)
{
    Object result = null;
    try
    {
        result = Convert.ChangeType(input, typeof(T));
    }
    catch
    {
    }

    return result;
}

Checkout this link: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/scekt9xw(v=vs.71).aspx

The is operator is used to check whether the run-time type of an object is compatible with a given type. The is operator is used in an expression of the form:

if (expression is type){
    // do magic trick
}

Something you can use?