Trip Hacks DC

Washington, DC visitors spend a lot of time on the National Mall, a National Park Service unit that gets more yearly visitors than Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, combined! Park enthusiasts won't have to spend all of their time on the Mall. There are plenty of other great National Parks near DC.

In this episode Rob is joined by Danielle Jacobs-Erwin. She is the host of Everybody’s National Parks, a podcast dedicated to family adventure in our national parks.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Washington is the capital of the United States and the seat of federal government. But it’s also DC, a city where lots of regular people live and work. In this episode Rob is joined by Alex Baca to breakdown what it's like to live in “DC” and how visitors can experience it when they come to visit “Washington”. 

Alex is the Housing Program Organizer at GGWash. She previously worked in journalism, bike advocacy, architecture, construction, and transportation. After growing up in Maryland she lived in San Francisco and Cleveland before returning home to DC. Check out her article It's Not Cool to Argue About Whether D.C. Is Cool which inspired the topic for this episode.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

If you're an Abe Lincoln history buff, this is the episode for you! Rob is joined by Rebecca Grawl, a local tour guide, and history to talk all about Abe Lincoln Historic Sites in Washington, DC. Rebecca is a veteran tour guide with Free Tours by Foot and A Tour of Her Own. One of her favorite tours to lead is the Abraham Lincoln Assassination Tour in the neighborhood around Ford's Theater.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Visiting local coffee shops is a fantastic way to explore a new city. Washington, DC has a robust coffee scene and everyone can find a few shops that they enjoy. Rob is joined by Austen Brower to talk about drinking great coffee in Washington, DC.

Austen is founder and host of Drip: A DC Coffee Podcast. His podcast is designed to brew community by being deliberately curious about coffee and coffee culture. 

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Professional sports are a big part of every city's identity and culture. Washington DC has professional teams in almost every major sports league. Rob is joined by Dave Murphy to give our best tips for checking out one of these games. We cover the Nationals (MLB), Wizards (NBA), Capitals (NHL), United (MLS), Redskins (NFL), Mystics (WNBA) plus a handful of others.

Dave is Dave is an Army veteran, retired DoD geographic analyst, coach of a championship youth football team, contributor at Greater Greater Washington and (for better or worse) a lifelong DC sports fan.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.

Every visitor wants to know: what are the very best Washington, DC restaurants? It's a tough question, not because there aren't good places to eat, but because there are so many! Even if you ate at a new restaurant every single day, it would take years to sample all of the DC dining options. Rob is joined by Jessica Sidman to talk all about food and restaurants in Washington, DC.

Jessica is the food editor for Washingtonian Magazine. She covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. 

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Washington, DC is a city with four seasons. Visitors will get a different experience depending on the time of year they come. Don't let Washington, DC weather catch you off guard! Rob is joined by Jason Samenow for an in-depth weather discussion and advice for visitors.

Jason is the Washington Post’s Weather Editor. In 2004 he founded CapitalWeather.com which has grown over the years from a one-man blog to a major operation with a team of writers at the Washington Post. That project is now called Capital Weather Gang.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Nobody is perfect. Even the most seasoned travelers occasionally make mistakes. Don't stress! In this episode, Rob is joined by Ali Zeller, a world traveler and Washington, DC tour guide to talk about the mistakes that they see Washington, DC travelers make. More importantly, they have some tips to help make sure you don't make these mistakes when you visit. 

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Washington, DC is a major concert destination and stop for many artists as they tour the east coast. You can find concerts large and small and the perfect venue for every act. Rob is joined by Brad Garrigues to talk tips for attending concerts in Washington, DC. Brad is an engineer in the Navy who has lived in several different U.S. and international cities and loves live music. Brad shares some of the concerts he's attended in DC and tips for going to various live music venues.

Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website. 

Pennsylvania Avenue is an iconic street in Washington, DC. In a few short blocks visitors can see the Capitol, White House, National Archives, U.S. Navy Memorial, and Old Post Office. However, this area wasn't always such a grand avenue. For much of the country's history it was actually a crime-ridden slum. To discuss the evolution of the street, Rob is joined by Carolyn Muraskin from DC Design Tours. 

Check out DC Design Tours for information about their architecturally themed walking tours. Full show notes for this episode are available on the Trip Hacks DC website.