Washington, D.C.
American Geophysical Union Sidewalk Planet Display
A brass and marble scale model of the solar system embedded in the concrete.
92
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Washington, D.C.
Spanish Steps
A terrace reminiscent of Rome's Spanish Steps is tucked away in a little park in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Embassy Gulf Service Center
Behind an abandoned storefront is an example of pioneering 1930s gas station architecture.
Washington, D.C.
The Presidential Booths at Martin's Tavern
Sit where JFK proposed to Jackie or where Nixon dined on meatloaf at this storied pub.
Washington, D.C.
Georgetown Waterfront
The little-known, 300-year history of the area includes former lives as a bustling tobacco port, parking lot, and industrial dump.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Castle Gatehouse
A building shaped like the Army Corps of Engineers logo, because why not?
Washington, D.C.
Capital Transit Co. Streetcar Barn
Before Metro, Washington had a robust streetcar network—and you see the remains of this infrastructure if you know where to look.
Arlington, Virginia
Dark Star Park
This unique historical monument features large concrete spheres designed to resemble fallen stars.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Canoe Club
This historic boathouse was constructed using salvaged lumber from burned barns.
Arlington, Virginia
Rosslyn Metro Escalator
At 207 feet, one of the world's longest continuous escalators.
Arlington, Virginia
Arlington Temple United Methodist Church
This church built atop a gas station promises to "equip you for the next stage in your life’s journey."
Washington, D.C.
Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Ruins
A derelict bit of transportation infrastructure hidden in the woods.
Falls Church, Virginia
Eden Center
Northern Virginia’s iconic Vietnamese shopping center.
Arlington, Virginia
Hall's Hill Wall
Remnants of a wall built to separate Black residents of Hall's Hill from a newly built subdivision are a grim reminder of segregation in 20th-century Virginia.
Arlington, Virginia
Clarendon War Memorial
Situated in a bustling intersection, this "mobile" monument that honors local veterans from five different wars has moved several times but appears to have found its final resting place.
Alexandria, Virginia
Fort Ward Park
Built to defend Washington D.C. during the Civil War, this fort became a post-war nucleus for a thriving Black community.
Washington, D.C.
Library Of Congress Gutenberg Bible
One of the three perfect vellum copies of this historic book known to exist is on display in a specially-designed case.
Washington, D.C.
Roman Legionnaire Modesty Shields
Railroad officials in the early 1900s sought to spare travelers the sight of Roman soldiers’ private parts.
Washington, D.C.
Holodomor Memorial
An easily overlooked memorial to a Ukrainian famine-genocide that killed over 4 million people.
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.
Memorial to Japanese-American Patriotism in World War II
An unassuming, powerful monument north of the U.S. Capitol bears witness to the resilience of Japanese Americans during a time of grave injustice.
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.
District of Columbia Center Point
A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.
Washington, D.C.
The Portrait Monument
Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman president.
