Washington, D.C.
The Lockkeeper's House
A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.
895
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Washington, D.C.
Man Controlling Trade
A muscular Art Deco monument represents the struggle between regulators and unbridled markets.
Washington, D.C.
D.C. War Memorial
An overlooked memorial honoring the local Washington residents who died in World War I.
Washington, D.C.
Hinckley Hilton President's Walk
A hidden passageway now marks the site of an assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan that some say broke a 140-year-old curse.
Washington, D.C.
Russian Ambassador's Residence
Was there a small "backpack nuke" hidden in the attic? JFK apparently thought so.
Washington, D.C.
Washington City Canal Outfall
A portal into the bricked up canal that runs through the heart of Washington D.C.
Permanently Closed
Washington, D.C.
Government Printing Office
Need a hardcopy of the 50-title Code of Federal Regulations? This is the place.
Washington, D.C.
Bootlegging Room in the Cannon House Office Building
During Prohibition, the U.S. Congress had an "official" bootlegger, with his own Capitol Hill office.
Washington, D.C.
Watergate Gas Station
This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.
Washington, D.C.
Potomac Park Flood Levee
This mysterious structure by the Washington Monument is a flood barrier designed to protect the White House against rising waters.
Washington, D.C.
American University Experiment Station
The school tested mustard gas for the U.S. Army during World War I.
Washington, D.C.
Legislative Bell System
An ear-piercing buzzer calls lawmakers to a vote with a series of long and short rings to form coded messages.
Washington, D.C.
Rayburn House Office Building
One critic described it as "middle Mussolini, early Ramses, and late Neiman-Marcus." Another called it an architectural "natural disaster."
Washington, D.C.
Senate Corncob Capitals
Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.
Washington, D.C.
Inaugural Parade Center Line
A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower
Every drop of D.C. tap water flows through this old waterworks.
Washington, D.C.
The Preamble in License Plates
The preamble to the U.S. Constitution written entirely from vanity license plates hangs in the Smithsonian museum.
Washington, D.C.
Fireworks Safety Zone on the National Mall
On the Fourth of July this area will transform into a Pompeii-like storm of falling embers and ash.
Washington, D.C.
General Sheridan's Horse Rienzi Winchester
This taxidermy horse was a Civil War hero.
Washington, D.C.
Philo Farnsworth Statue
This statue of the "father of television" stands prominently in the United States Capitol.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Bollards
The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.
Washington, D.C.
Organization of American States Building
The grand marble structure next to the White House is Andrew Carnegie's temple to Pan-American diplomacy.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Stock Exchange Building
D.C. once had its own tiny rival to the New York Stock Exchange.
Permanently Closed
Washington, D.C.
Riggs Bank
The bank that helped fund the Mexican-American War and the purchase of Alaska met its downfall after helping Augusto Pinochet launder money.
