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. 

Listen online now:

Washington, DC is a city with four seasons. Visitors experience very different weather 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 DC 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 the venerable Capital Weather Gang.

Listen online now:

Nobody is perfect. Don’t stress! In this episode, Rob is joined by Ali Zeller, a world traveler and Washington, DC tour guide. They’ve rounded up the top mistakes Washington, DC travelers make. More importantly, they have some tips to help make sure you don’t make these mistakes when you visit. 

Listen online now:

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.

Listen online now:

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 guest Carolyn Muraskin.

Carolyn is the owner of DC Design Tours, a tour company that runs historic walking tours with a focus on architecture, design and urban planning, including a tour along Pennsylvania Avenue.

Listen online now:

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 discuss 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.

Listen online now:

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.

Listen online now:

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 to talk about visiting Washington, DC with kids.

Austin is one of the only dad bloggers in the city. He loves exploring “off the beaten path” Washington, D.C. with his 2-year-old daughter and wife. And you can follow his adventures on Instagram at @austinkgraff and at @dcurbandad and on his DC Urban Dad blog.

Listen online now:

Visitors love riding the DC Metro, but those without a lot of public transit experience have a lot of questions about how it works. In this episode of the Trip Hacks DC Podcast, Rob is joined by Matt Johnson, a transportation professional and DC Metro expert. Matt tweets from @tracktwentynine and posts the popular “whichWMATA” Metro photo contest on Greater Greater Washington. Rob and Matt tackle some of the most frequently asked questions that Washington, DC visitors have about riding Metro.

Listen online now:

Happy holidays from the nation’s capital!

On this special seasonal podcast, Rob is joined by Rebecca Grawl, a local tour guide, historian and museum educator. She also runs Top Things To Do DC on Instagram and YouTube. Rob and Rebecca discuss what visitors can expect when they come to Washington, DC in December.

Listen online now:

Continue reading »