As most all of you know by this point, our new National Mall tour center is located in L’Enfant Plaza (which is undergoing a serious revitalization these days!) Read up on our very favorite things about the new neighborhood we call home.

1. The Waterfront
With prime real estate on the Potomac River, the Southwest Waterfront is definitely worth a visit (or two, or ten…). There you’ll see the oldest continuously operating fish market in the whole United States in the Maine Avenue Fish Market. Nearby you’ll also find the Gangplank Marina, which houses hundreds of boats and outdoor dining to boot.

2. Nationals Park
Arguably the most popular destination in Southeast DC, Nationals Park is located along the Anacostia River in the Navy Yard area of Washington. It is home to our fabulous Nationals baseball team, but also boasts a wide array of culinary treats for game-goers. Flying Dog beer and a Ben’s chili dog, anyone? Yeah, we thought so.

3. Food trucks
Granted, food trucks are the rage all over the DC area, but we’re especially fond of the variety and volume of trucks that set up shop daily in L’Enfant Plaza. Check out Food Truck Fiesta before grabbing a bite and then head over to a nearby park (or the Mall!) to enjoy your sure-to-be-amazing dish.

4. L’Enfant Plaza’s Face Lift
Major progress is being made in the Southwest neighborhood as a whole these days, but especially in our neck of the woods at L’Enfant Plaza. The new outdoor atrium is officially open, which leads to an underground shopping and dining center. With new stores and restaurants popping up all the time, this is sure to be a major SW destination!

5. Hains Point
What better way to spend your lunch break than with a quick bike ride? This is how many Washingtonian professionals spend their midday respites at Hains Point. Ride around the East Potomac Park and head back to your office happy and recharged- Bike and Roll DC approved!

A few Bike and Roll-ers ventured out on our super spiffy DC Cool bikes for the first annual DC Bike Party Pride Ride (in association with Capital Pride). Take a gander at all the pride-filled fun that was had!

One of the things we love most about being a young give-back company is that we get to work with a lot of other companies who are doing amazing things. That’s why it’s been so fun to be working with Bike and Roll DC​, and such an honor ​for our bars to be ​included ​with each of their​ “DC ​Cool” bike rentals!

We think it’s pretty cool that we get to give life-saving food to children in need around the world, and to have Bike and Roll DC promote that cause through the cool people around Washington riding their cool bikes is just… well… cool!

We’ve had similar partnerships with other great companies like People Water, Out of Print, and now with Bike and Roll DC. We’re learning that not only is there a place for companies that do good and give back, but it’s becoming the cool way to do business.

​- Todd Grinnell, Co-Founder, This Bar Saves Live​s

Capital Wheel Grand Opening
They planned this pretty well, huh? Opening just in time for Memorial Day Weekend, the Capital Observation Wheel will run daily through summer from 10am-11pm. Ticket prices start at $11.25.

Rolling Thunder Rally
Departing from the Pentagon at noon on Sunday the 25th, this annual ride raises awareness for better veteran benefits and POW/MIA issues. Thousands of motorcyclists will ride (and rumble!) over the river into Washington, DC. for a musical tribute.

DC Cool Bikes
What better way to celebrate Memorial Day than with a ride around the memorials on a retro-inspired bike that happens to be red, white and blue? Our DC Cool bikes will take you around our nation’s capital in true cycle-chic style— they even include a water bottle and This Bar Saves Lives snack! Ride on.

Memorial Day Concert
Celebrate the holiday with some live tunes. The National Memorial Day Concert will be held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol at 8pm. And the cherry on top: it’s FREE!

Memorial Day Parade
The main event! This annual occasion is the highlight of the holiday weekend. Beginning at 2pm on Monday the 26th, this patriotic parade includes marching bands and veterans from all 50 states. Start practicing your “USA!” chants now!

It’s that time of year again!

Bike to Work Day is this Friday, and boy, do we have reason to celebrate! This annual nation-wide event (created by the League of American Bicyclists) is all about bringing awareness to the many healthy benefits of bike commuting.

Want to ride on Friday? Excellent! First, you should register here and select a pit stop location (there are 79 to choose from!). Pit stops will be offering complimentary refreshments, entertainment, and raffle prizes for registered riders. And, if you want to say hello to some bonafide Bike and Roll-ers, stop by the Freedom Plaza pit stop between 7am-9am for a free safety check from our oh-so-skilled fleet manager!

Don’t have your own bike? No worries, we can help you out! Rent an overnight Trek Comfort Hybrid from our Downtown DC or Union Station locations and get a $5 off discount with code “BTWD“!

We sure look forward to seeing a lot more two-wheeled friends out and about this Friday… ride on!

What’s cooler than cool? DC Cool.

Washington’s new creative ad campaign, run by Destination DC, aims to capture the essence of our capital’s innate energy by highlighting local hot spots and off-the-beaten path must-see’s to potential visitors.

Running for all of 2014, this campaign was inspired in large part by the new “American Cool“exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. This exhibit examines the very nature of what it means to be “cool,” using several legendary celebrity figures’ portraits to illustrate the point— think Miles Davis, Elvis Presley, Billie Holiday, Jay-Z, Kurt Cobain, etc. Pretty, well, cool… right?

Keeping in line with this concept, we’ll be offering our interpretation of DC (and American) “Cool” in the form of awesomely retro chic bikes available for rent at our new Downtown DC location.

Our DC Cool bike is the epitome of cycling in style; these babies come equipped with supple leather seats, hammered aluminum fenders, and front baskets as an homage to the golden age of cycling. They’ll even be named after 12 of the celebrities from the “American Cool” exhibit, so don’t be surprised when you spot Jimi Hendrix riding around the Lincoln Memorial!

And to make things even cooler yet, we’ll also be including a This Bar Saves Lives snack bar (the company we raved about here) and a bottle of water with every full day rental. These beautiful bikes will go for $11/hr and are available on a walk-up first come, first served basis.

::Snaps fingers and scats for extra cool-ness::

Happy May, everyone! Looks like Spring is finally here to stay (fingers crossed and knock on wood…)

Here’s a roundup of the top 5 events we’re looking forward to this May!

Bike Month
May is one of our very favorite months—and not only because of the glorious weather. May marks National Bike Month, a cycle-centric celebration sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists. All month long there will be many bike-friendly ways to take part, including Bike to Work Day and Bike to School Day. We’ll be representing yet again at Freedom Plaza in DC for this year’s Bike to Work Day, so make sure you stop by to say hello!

DC Cool Bikes
New to our Downtown DC location this month are our much buzzed about DC Cool bikes. Named after celebrities from the National Portrait Gallery’s American Cool exhibit, these retro-chic beauties are truly oh-so-cool! So cool, in fact, that full day rentals include a This Bar Saves Lives snack and bottled water. Ya dig?

Reopening of the Washington Monument
A moment three years in the making! Our beautiful Washington Monument will officially reopen to the public with a ceremony on May 12th to include a special appearance by Al Roker. Public tours of the Monument will recommence shortly after the ceremony ends.

Tour de Fat
The fantastical fete that is Tour de Fat is returning once again to Yards Park in DC on May 31. Family-friendly and celebrating all things biking, Tour de Fat includes a bike parade followed by all day silly celebrations.

Capital Wheel Opening
Take in the vista that is Washington, DC from the gondola of an enormous observation wheel! Set to open this month, the Capital Wheel is located in National Harbor and stands at 180 feet tall. Once open, the wheel will operate year-round from 10am-10pm.

Always wanted to try one of those new-fangled personal transporter contraptions (otherwise known as the Segway)? Now’s your chance!

Bike and Roll DC will be offering a new ride—the Segway Experience—that gives visitors and locals the opportunity to take a Segway out for a spin. Less of a tour, and more of a ride, the Segway Experience allows riders to try out our machines while gliding around beautiful Washington, DC. This ride is 1.5 hours and departs daily at 4:00pm. (Some restrictions do apply.)

And, for a limited time only (4/25-4/27), get $5 off this new ride with code: “Try a Seg”!

Hooray- it’s here!

We are so (so, so, so!) excited to announce that our rental location in downtown DC is officially opening tomorrow for the season! This fantastically positioned location is outside the MLK Library at 901 G Street NW. Easily accessed by all metro lines, this location is open from 9:00am-6:00pm daily, now through early December.

Reservations are now available from Saturday moving forward. We have a wide variety of equipment for you to choose from and will soon be offering our specialty (read: totally awesome) “DC Cool” retro chic bikes starting in May. This location is credit card only.

Basically, we have a lot of cool things happening here at Bike and Roll and we’re looking forward to welcoming you and your guests at our new locations!

SPOTTED: the Nationals’ Racing Presidents make an appearance on guide Rob Pitingolo’s tour on Saturday!

Those tour-goers look starstruck, huh? (We would be too!)