Washington, D.C.
Site of the Union Station Train Crash
A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.
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Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Washington, D.C.
Watergate Fountain
The word "Watergate" will forever be associated with the infamous scandal in 1972, but this fountain is famous in its own right.
Washington, D.C.
Waldseemüller’s 1507 World Map
This groundbreaking 16th-century map is known as "America's birth certificate."
Washington, D.C.
Russian Ambassador's Residence
Was there a small "backpack nuke" hidden in the attic? JFK apparently thought so.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Air Conditioning Towers
"Congress may voluntarily remain in session throughout the summer, in order that our Congressmen may be protected from the intolerable discomforts and dangers of the ordinary outdoor weather!”
Washington, D.C.
First FDR Memorial
One of the most influential presidents in U.S. history wanted only this plain, elegant monument as his lasting memorial.
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.
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.
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.
Embassy Gulf Service Center
Behind an abandoned storefront is an example of pioneering 1930s gas station architecture.
Washington, D.C.
Mummified Bison
The 28,000-year-old specimen is remarkably intact.
Washington, D.C.
Man Controlling Trade
A muscular Art Deco monument represents the struggle between regulators and unbridled markets.
Washington, D.C.
NASA Full Scale Wind Tunnel Propeller
While most wind tunnels test scale models, the "Cave of Winds" was large enough for actual airplanes.
Washington, D.C.
Overthrust Fault
A surprising, but overlooked example of geology in the middle of the nation’s capital.
Washington, D.C.
D.C. War Memorial
An overlooked memorial honoring the local Washington residents who died in World War I.
Washington, D.C.
Civil War Nurses Memorial
A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Monument Access Hatch
Daredevil repair workers can worm their way out the access hatch, loop ropes over the apex and rappel down the monument.
Washington, D.C.
Jefferson Pier Marker
A tiny monument to the unsuccessful attempt by Thomas Jefferson to place the prime meridian in Washington.
Washington, D.C.
The L. Ron Hubbard House
Also known as the Founding Church of Scientology.
Washington, D.C.
C&O Boat Elevator Ruins
This forgotten boat elevator was an engineering marvel in its heyday.
Washington, D.C.
Water Gate at the Watergate Complex
Before Nixon, "watergate" meant canals.
Washington, D.C.
National Cathedral Bell Tower
There’s a special club house at the top for the bell ringers.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Monument Marble Stripe
Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.
Washington, D.C.
Knife Edge
Architecture lovers won’t stop touching the National Gallery's 19.5 degree marble prow.
