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Via Podcast: Daily Summaries Delivered
by AAA
Whether you’re just beginning to explore the Western United States or you’ve been living here since the day you were born, the Via Podcast will introduce you to new and unique adventures that will change your perspective. Hosts Mitti Hicks and Michelle Donati bring their travel expertise to interviews with some of the West’s most fascinating experts, residents, and adventurers. In each episode, you will discover deep conversations in the hopes of igniting a new interest—foraging anyone?—or planting the seeds of a new-to-you road trip. You might even learn something about a place you’ve explored dozens of times before. Whether you’re listening from the comfort of your couch, your morning commute, or on the road, the Via Podcast, presented by AAA, will be good company. And, of course, our AAA Members have a lot to say about traveling the West, so we’ll be sharing their emails and audio messages along the way.
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- Oct 8, 202644 min
Ghost Hunting in Haunted Hollywood: Spot the Black Dahlia, Marilyn Monroe, and the Starlet Who Haunts the Hollywood Sign
Just in time for Halloween, here’s your star map to haunted Hollywood: On this ghost tour of Los Angeles, you’ll spy Marilyn Monroe’s spirit in a hotel mirror, step inside the grand hotel lobby where the Black Dahlia was last seen alive, and breathe in the lingering perfume of the 1930s starlet (and Kirsten Dunst doppelgänger) who haunts the Hollywood sign. Go beyond tourist territory—Tinseltown’s haunted hotels, mysterious mansions, and celebrity-filled cemeteries are jam-packed with unsolved mysteries and creepy chronicles from on and off the silver screen. Historian and journalist Hadley Hall Meares joins our hosts to discuss Hollywood’s spookiest lore, with plenty of celebrity ghost sightings around each shadowy corner. Learn how to respectfully visit sites of real-world tragedy and treat victims’ stories with sensitivity, and discover why ghost stories can sometimes teach us more about a place and its culture than official records. You’ll never see—or sense—L.A. the same way again. Haunted hot spots include: Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Downtown Los Angeles: The hotel where the Black Dahlia was last seen alive—and where guests still spot her riding the elevator. Sowden House, Los Feliz: Lloyd Wright’s Mayan Revival mansion, tied to a dark theory about the Black Dahlia case. Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel: Marilyn Monroe checks her reflection in a full-length mirror here, and Montgomery Clift’s ghost runs lines—and practices the bugle—in Room 928. Hollywood Sign and Beachwood Canyon: Haunted by Peg Entwistle, the 1930s starlet whose signature gardenia perfume drifts over the trail at night. Hollywood Forever Cemetery: Judy Garland, Rudolph Valentino, and David Lynch rest here, a weeping specter keeps vigil by the lake, and the peacocks are the real menace. Guest: Hadley Hall Meares Hadley Hall Meares is a Los Angeles-based journalist, historian, and expert on Hollywood lore. She spent over a decade leading tours to haunted hotels, saloons, and alleys throughout L.A., and now writes about old Hollywood for a variety of publications, including Vanity Fair, The Hollywood Reporter, and Los Angeles Magazine. She’s also the co-writer of the Adam McKay-hosted podcast Death on the Lot, which explores 1950s Hollywood and the untimely deaths of stars like James Dean and Hattie McDaniel. Meares makes frequent media appearances as an expert on Discovery, NPR, CNN, History, and the Travel Channel. Her book about Maria Rasputin (daughter of famed Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin) is forthcoming in 2027. In addition to her work as a Hollywood historian, she was also Amy Poehler’s stand-in on Parks and Recreation, a job she describes as being “a crash test dummy with a working mouth.”
- Sep 24, 202629 min
Where Day of the Dead Truly Comes Alive: From a Candlelit Island in Mexico to a Skeleton Parade in Austin, Texas
Dia de los Muertos is a celebration of life, and we’re stopping by its liveliest festivals. We’ll board a boat to Janitzio, a sacred island in Mexico’s Lake Patzcuaro, where fishermen light the way with giant butterfly nets and a candlelit cemetery glows like a field of stars. In Mexico City, we’ll squeeze in to watch thousands of costumed participants at the world’s largest Dia de los Muertos parade. Back in the West, we’ll feel the rattle of Aztec dancers at a street party in Oakland, California, peek into northern New Mexico’s chapel-like home altars (or ofrendas), and admire runway-worthy skeleton costumes (think corn-husk gowns and massive marigold crowns) at a parade in Austin, Texas. Our guide, folklorist Rachel González-Martin, grew up celebrating Day of the Dead in Oakland and now teaches courses on Latino cultural arts at the University of Texas at Austin. Along with taking us to some of the best Day of the Dead celebrations in the West, she’ll share how to honor the holiday at home, including what belongs on an ofrenda (and how to make a portable one with an Altoids tin), the meaning behind sugar skulls and other traditional symbols and treats, and why the dead arrive so thirsty. Celebrations you’ll visit in this episode: Isla de Janitzio, Mexico: In the indigenous Purepecha culture, the surrounding lake is considered the gateway to the heavens. Mexico City: The city closes a main downtown thoroughfare for the world’s biggest Day of the Dead parade. Oakland, California: Danza Azteca invocations, artist-built altars, and a sprawling street festival in the city’s Fruitvale neighborhood. Northern New Mexico: Tour ornate home altars and hand-painted retablos rooted in Spanish Catholic tradition. Austin, Texas: At the Viva la Vida Festival and Parade, dress en calavera and join the procession. Guest: Dr. Rachel V. González-Martin Rachel V. González-Martin is an associate professor of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at the University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches courses on cultural arts like quinceañera birthday celebrations, Dia de los Muertos commemorations, and Latine monster story traditions. Her book Quinceañera Style: Social Belonging and Latinx Consumer Identities won the 2020 Emily Toth Award for best book in women’s studies and popular culture. Her current book project chases tales of witches and shape-shifting owl women (or Lechuzas) in south Texas. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Rachel grew up attending Day of the Dead celebrations at the Oakland Museum of California and the Oakland public library where her mother worked as a librarian. She currently lives in Austin, where her ofrenda includes a Seagram’s Seven and Seven and a beer for her grandfathers and a photo of Martha the Magnificent, her beloved late dog.
- Sep 11, 202636 min
Weirdly Wonderful Museums: Ancient Computers, Curious Scents, and a Poozeum
An Arizona museum devoted entirely to fossilized poop. A collection of more than one million items that washed up on one Washington beach. A Montana exhibit starring Old Brass Brains, a 116-year-old computer. These quirky stops are unlikely candidates for a must-see list, and that’s entirely the point. They deliver what marquee attractions can’t: genuine surprise, a glimpse into a universe you never knew existed, and a little bit of magic—all without a throng of tourists. Our guest, Atlas Obscura cofounder Dylan Thuras, returns to share six of his favorite one-of-a-kind museums, each one a “strange love letter” to the curator’s personal obsession. Along the way, we’ll encounter a fungus that turns ants into teeny zombies, mushroom cloud–watching parties on Las Vegas rooftops, and the Poozeum’s prize specimen: a 20-pound Tyrannosaurus rex poop. As Dylan puts it, these places are a testament to people’s weirdness—and their wonderfulness. Oddball museums we’ll wander: Museum of Jurassic Technology, Culver City, California: Where fact and fiction are displayed with equal care. National Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas: Explores the cultural impact of Nevada’s 900-plus nuclear tests, from rooftop viewing parties to the Miss Atomic Bomb pageant. American Computer and Robotics Museum, Bozeman, Montana: “Inch for inch, the best museum in the world,” said biologist E.O. Wilson. Houses a working replica of a 2,000-year-old computer. John’s Beachcombing Museum, Forks, Washington: Features “washed-up” treasures sorted by type, including a mammoth tooth and part of a Boeing 747 jet engine. Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, Berkeley, California: Open the many drawers to inhale rare fragrances like real ambergris. Poozeum, Williams, Arizona: The world’s largest collection of coprolites (fossilized poop), includes insect farts trapped in amber, too. Free to visit, right on Route 66. Guest: Dylan Thuras Dylan Thuras is the cofounder of Atlas Obscura, an online guide to the world’s hidden wonders, and coauthor of three New York Times bestsellers: Atlas Obscura, Gastro Obscura, and The Explorer’s Guide for the World’s Most Adventurous Kid. As the host of the series Small Town, Big Story, he traveled to local festivals across the country, including a lumberjack championship, pepper-eating contest, and a Texas sandcastle competition (he took third). He’s currently the head of storytelling and creative at Miles Partnership. This is Dylan’s third appearance on the Via Podcast: In our first season, he toured the West’s quirkiest roadside attractions; in season two, he took us off-road to the Southwest’s monumental land art. He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley with his wife Michelle, and two kids, Phineas and Jean.
- Aug 20, 202635 min
Coast Through Skate Culture: From Outlaws to the Olympics
Grab your helmet and your grip tape for a ride through the surprising past and thrilling present of skateboarding, a sport that’s indelibly shaped West Coast slang, fashion, and urban landscape design. Our hosts are joined by former pro skater and current Olympic judge Alex White for a journey through the drained swimming pools, Costco curbs, and other surprising locales that nurtured some of the world’s best skaters. Learn about the rebellious origins of skateboarding, as “sidewalk surfing” among the bored teens of suburban Southern California in the 1960s; the sport’s mainstream crossover with the X Games and rise of stars like Tony Hawk in the ‘90s; and the present, when city councils and urban planners are embracing a sport once viewed as criminal and fans gear up to watch world-class athletes catch air at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles—right where it all started. Roll into these historic skate spots: Pacific Beach, San Diego Linda Vista Skate Park, San Diego Venice Skate Park, Los Angeles Dogtown, Los Angeles The Santa Monica Courthouse Skate Plaza, Los Angeles Rip City Skates, Santa Monica Sergeant Derby Park, Santa Cruz NHS Skateboard Museum, Santa Cruz Embarcadero and U.N. Plazas, San Francisco Burnside Skate Park, Portland, Oregon Guest: Alex White Alex White is a lifelong skateboarder and self-described skate nerd who grew up skating in unsanctioned spots in Los Angeles during the late ’90s boom. After spending her youth dodging mall security, she grew up to be a professional skateboarder. She’s now a skateboarding brand manager, co-host of the skateboarding podcast “Good Luck With That,” a certified Olympic judge and Olympic skateboarding commentator, and chairperson of the board at Skate Like a Girl, a nonprofit that creates opportunities and advocates for skateboarders of all ages, abilities, and gender identities. Alex lives in Monterey, California with her two sons and two cats.
- Aug 7, 202631 min
Dive into Mermaid Magic: From Underwater Cancan Shows to Kitschy Tiki Bars
Sporting a sparkling sky-blue tail, Rachel Smith goes to work every day as a professional mermaid. It turns out, you can find mermaids swimming all over the West—if you know where to look! Every May, they congregate at the California Mermaid Convention, the longest-running mermaid event in the West (which Smith co-founded), to parade through the cobblestone streets of Old Sacramento. In this episode, Smith dives into the colorful history of a cultural movement that dates back to the early 1900s. Learn about the craft required for their elaborate costumes and how they gracefully perform underwater without looking like “flappy fish.” For Smith, mermaiding offers more than just her job as head mermaid at the Dive Bar in Sacramento: It’s where she’s found a community of fellow merfolk. Get an inside look at some unlikely, landlocked destinations where mermaids swim in bars, casinos, and motel pools. Splashy mermaid spots include: Dive Bar, Sacramento, California: Nightly mermaid shows in a 40-foot saltwater tank. The California Mermaid Convention, Sacramento: A weekend of mermaid magic, including the Promenade of Mermaids through Old Town. Silverton Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada: Mermaids swim in a massive aquarium you can walk all the way around. Sip ’n Dip Lounge, Great Falls, Montana: A 1960s tiki bar where mermaids glide past porthole windows behind the bar. Guest: Rachel Smith Rachel Smith has been the head mermaid at the Dive Bar in downtown Sacramento since it opened in 2011. There, she trains, schedules, hires, and performs with a team of mermaids and mermen who swim nightly in a 40-foot saltwater aquarium. Born in Hawaii to two professional hula dancers, she’s one half of Mermaid and Mom, a company she runs with her mother, Laurie, bringing mermaid entertainment to events across Northern California and creating a fully swimmable line of fabric mermaid tails. Since becoming a professional aquatic entertainer, Mermaid Rachel has performed across the United States and internationally—at corporate events, mermaid conventions, and festivals, and as a featured performer in documentaries and films. In 2019, she and her business partner Mermaid Ashley produced the first-ever California Mermaid Convention, which now draws hundreds of merfolk to Sacramento each summer. She is also lifeguard certified—so yes, this mermaid could save your life.
- Jul 23, 202639 min
The Native Food Revival: Chef Crystal Wahpepah Shares Her Favorite Native Dishes and Where to Try Them
Taste the stories, history, and energy behind modern Native American cuisine with Chef Crystal Wahpepah. A member of the Kickapoo Tribe and key player in the recent resurgence of Indigenous food, Wahpepah became the first Native woman to own a restaurant in Northern California when she opened Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland in 2021. Her debut cookbook, A Feather and a Fork, came out in 2026. In this episode, Wahpepah details her journey from growing up foraging with her grandfather in Oklahoma to becoming the first Native chef on the Food Network show Chopped. Her own journey reveals the complex and emotional connections between Native cultures and foods, which heal communities, preserve ancestral ways, and express a deep love for the land. In one segment, she recalls the powerful moment when a man at her restaurant openly wept after eating blue corn, which he hadn’t tasted since leaving his reservation decades prior. Wahpepah also shares some of her favorite Native dishes and where to try them. Indigenous restaurants mentioned include: Wahpepah’s Kitchen, Oakland, California Café Gozhóó, Whiteriver, Arizona Javelina, Portland, Oregon Tocabe, Denver, Colorado 39 Restaurant, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Guest: Crystal Wahpepah Chef Crystal Wahpepah, a Kickapoo Tribe member, is a leading advocate for Indigenous food sovereignty. She gained acclaim as the creative force behind Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, California, the first Native woman–owned restaurant in Northern California. Her culinary work connects diners to vital Native issues and ancestral foodways, and educates the public about the health benefits of traditional Indigenous ingredients. Her debut cookbook, A Feather and a Fork: 125 Intertribal Dishes from an Indigenous Food Warrior, was released in March 2026. Beyond her restaurant, Crystal has been recognized for her advocacy, including induction into the Native American Almanac and appearances on Food Network programs such as Chopped. She has cooked for the White House Hunger Conference with the James Beard Foundation and for the Academy of Motion Picture of Arts and Sciences and has served as chef-in-residence for the Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab at Cal Poly Humboldt. She is the new consulting chef at 39 Restaurant at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City.
- Jul 9, 202639 min
Searching for Sasquatch: History, Hoaxes, and the Hunt for a Camera-Shy Hominid
According to a 2025 survey, nearly one in three people believes in Bigfoot: that fantastical, forest-dwelling hominid, famously captivating yet camera-shy. And interest is growing. But why? What does science have to say about our contemporary concept of Sasquatch? And how would anyone know what a “Bigfoot call” actually sounds like? Grab your night-vision goggles and join us as journalist Laura Krantz, host of the podcast Wild Thing and author of The Search for Sasquatch, tracks footprints on a journey that will tantalize true believers and skeptics alike. You’ll hear early Indigenous stories about Bigfoot-like creatures; learn about the Northern California hoax that first sparked widespread interest in the 1950s; and get a firsthand account of the modern-day Bigfoot-hunting expedition Krantz joined in the wilds of Oregon, where she learned to use apples as bait and distinguish between Bigfoot howls, snorts, and roars. Proof may be elusive, but in its place you’ll find mythology, anthropology, pop culture—and the knowledge that sometimes unsolved mysteries are the best kind. Bigfoot hideouts we'll trek to: Six Rivers National Forest, California China Flats Bigfoot Museum, Willow Creek, California Mount Hood National Forest, Oregon Olympic National Park, Washington State Lake Quinault, Washington State Sasquatch Outpost, Bailey, Colorado Guest: Laura Krantz Journalist Laura Krantz believes that exploring the unknown can help us better understand ourselves. In the first season of her acclaimed podcast, Wild Thing, she chased after Sasquatch. Season 2 found her looking skyward for extraterrestrial life. The deeply reported series garnered praise from Scientific American, Rolling Stone, and Esquire. The Atlantic called it “a mind-altering experience” and twice named it one of the year’s best podcasts. The show is also the inspiration for a series of kids books, including Do You Believe In Magic?, Is There Anybody Out There?, and The Search for Sasquatch. In addition to Wild Thing, Laura has worked on multiple award-winning podcasts, including Master Plan, Blood Vines, and The Syndicate. Laura’s prior experience includes close to a decade of editing and producing at NPR in Washington, D.C., and at KPCC in Los Angeles. An Idaho native who grew up camping in the woods, Laura now lives in Colorado—conveniently close to prime Sasquatch territory. This is her second appearance on the Via podcast; last season, she took us on a road trip to the West’s most notorious UFO hot spots.
- Jun 25, 202634 min
The Great Wolf Comeback: The Real Story of Their Remarkable Return
By the early 1900s, gray wolves had been hunted, trapped, and poisoned out of the West. Now, more than 3,000 wolves roam here. Our guest, wildlife biologist Diane Boyd, has spent nearly 50 years tracking their remarkable comeback—from the arrival of a lone gray wolf from Canada in 1979 to today’s thriving packs. In pursuit of her resilient quarry, Diane has faced down grizzly bears, forded icy rivers, and skimmed above the treetops in a tiny bush plane. In this unforgettable episode, she brings us up close and personal with these fascinating canids, including when she first felt a wolf’s heartbeat—its breath inches from her face—and the time she discovered the sedated wolf on her lap was actually fully awake. She also slows down to marvel at the wild wonders of life near Glacier National Park, including singing frozen lakes and swirling northern lights. Tune in for Diane’s expert wolf-watching tips, too. By the end, you’ll be howling to spot one yourself. Wolf-watching highlights: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: The best place in North America to see wolves in the wild, with a devoted community of researchers, guides, and binocular-toting wolf-watchers. Denali National Park, Alaska: Hop on the park bus for remarkable wildlife viewing. Glacier National Park, Montana: Dense forest makes sightings rare but spectacular. Guest: Diane Boyd Diane Boyd is a wildlife biologist and one of the world’s foremost experts on gray wolf recovery and ecology. She has spent nearly five decades studying and advocating for wolves in the wilds of Montana near Glacier National Park. When she started in the 1970s, she was the only female biologist in the U.S. researching and radio-collaring wild wolves. With her two dogs for company, she faced the rigors of the Montana winter in an isolated cabin without running water or electricity. In her memoir, A Woman Among Wolves, Diane takes readers on a wild ride from the early days of wolf research to the present-day challenges of wolf management across the globe, highlighting her interactions with an apex predator that captured her heart and her undying admiration. Her writing resonates with her indomitable spirit as she explores the intricate balance of human and wolf coexistence. Via Podcast is a production of AAA Mountain West Group.
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About Via Podcast
Whether you’re just beginning to explore the Western United States or you’ve been living here since the day you were born, the Via Podcast will introduce you to new and unique adventures that will change your perspective. Hosts Mitti Hicks and Michelle Donati bring their travel expertise to interviews with some of the West’s most fascinating experts, residents, and adventurers. In each episode, you will discover deep conversations in the hopes of igniting a new interest—foraging anyone?—or planting the seeds of a new-to-you road trip. You might even learn something about a place you’ve explored dozens of times before. Whether you’re listening from the comfort of your couch, your morning commute, or on the road, the Via Podcast, presented by AAA, will be good company. And, of course, our AAA Members have a lot to say about traveling the West, so we’ll be sharing their emails and audio messages along the way.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Podzilla's Via Podcast daily summary?
It's a free AI-powered email that summarizes new episodes of Via Podcast as soon as they're published. You get the key takeaways, notable quotes, and links & mentions — all in a quick read.
How does the Via Podcast podcast summary work?
When a new episode drops, our AI transcribes and analyzes it, then generates a personalized summary tailored to your interests and profession. It's delivered to your inbox every morning.
Is this an official Via Podcast product?
No. Podzilla is an independent service that summarizes publicly available podcast content. We're not affiliated with or endorsed by AAA.
Can I get summaries of other podcasts too?
Absolutely! The free plan covers up to 3 podcasts, any in the catalog. Basic raises that to 15, Pro to 40 and Max to 100. Browse our full catalog at /podcasts.
How often does Via Podcast release new episodes?
Via Podcast publishes biweekly. Our AI generates a summary within hours of each new episode.
What topics does Via Podcast cover?
Via Podcast covers topics including Culture, Society & Culture, Travel, Places & Travel. Our AI identifies the specific themes in each episode and highlights what matters most to you.
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