Trip Hacks DC

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. 

Taking a bike ride is a great way to see the sites in Washington, DC. The city is well suited for biking because most of the major things to see are located downtown near the National Mall. In this episode of the Trip Hacks DC Podcast, Rob is joined by Brian McEntee to talk Washington DC biking tips and some worthwhile rides outside of downtown. Brian is a bicyclist and social media bike influencer who is locally known for tweeting about the latest local bike happenings from his handle @sharrowsDC. He is also a humor columnist who has written the weekly Gear Prudence bike advice column in the Washington City Paper since 2014.

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

The National Cherry Blossom Festival is the kickoff to spring in Washington, DC. The festival begins on the first official day of spring (March 20th) and runs through mid-April. In this episode of the Trip Hacks DC Podcast, Rob is joined by Nora Strumpf to talk about visiting Washington, DC during cherry blossom season. Nora is the Communications Coordinator for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the not-for-profit organization that organizes the festival in DC each year. She has been with the NCBF since 2015 and is a DC-area native. 

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

Families with kids make up many of the millions of Washington, DC annual visitors. DC is a family-friendly destination but it’s not Disney World or a place specifically designed around fun for kids. In this episode of the Trip Hacks DC Podcast, Rob is joined by Austin Graff, one of the only dad bloggers in the city. He loves exploring "off the beaten path" Washington, D.C. with is 2-year-old daughter and wife. And you can follow his adventures on Instagram at @austinkgraff and at @dcurbandad.

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