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.
Places chip520 Wants to Go
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Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
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.
Senate Corncob Capitals
Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.
Washington, D.C.
Missing Capitol Building Cornerstone
A promising candidate for the lost rock laid by George Washington was unearthed, but the hunt is still on.
Washington, D.C.
Inaugural Parade Center Line
A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Emergency Pumping Station
These abandoned waterworks are crumbling into the Potomac River.
Washington, D.C.
Jean Jules Jusserand Memorial
An obscure federal monument honors the French diplomat who served as Ambassador to the U.S. during WWI.
Washington, D.C.
Hoff's Harmonica Case Collection
More than 500 unique and specially designed cases collected by D.C.'s "Harmonica Case Man."
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower
Every drop of D.C. tap water flows through this old waterworks.
Washington, D.C.
Flag Office Elevator
The elevator that makes it possible to fly American flags in bulk over the U.S. Capitol
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.
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.
American University Experiment Station
The school tested mustard gas for the U.S. Army during World War I.
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.
Letelier-Moffitt Monument
A diminutive memorial marks the site of a successful assassination by a right-wing death squad in America's capital.
Washington, D.C.
The Tabulating Machine Co.
The early data processor factory founded in Washington for the 1890 U.S. Census went on to become IBM.
Washington, D.C.
Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office Museum
Before founding the American Red Cross, Clara Barton had a tremendous humanitarian impact by locating thousands of missing soldiers.
Washington, D.C.
State Department Protocol Gift Office
They sort through millions of dollars worth of diplomatic gifts on behalf of the government.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Castle Gatehouse
A building shaped like the Army Corps of Engineers logo, because why not?
Washington, D.C.
The Blessing of the Fleets Ceremony
The fountains of the U.S. Navy Memorial are annually salted with water from the Seven Seas as part of a nautical ritual.
Washington, D.C.
Senate Bathtubs
Senators used to relax in the nearly forgotten marble tubs now hidden in the U.S. Capitol Building's basement.
Washington, D.C.
'Cartwheel' Tower
Washington's top-secret Cold War-era doomsday communications tower is located in a small neighborhood park.
Washington, D.C.
The Highest Court In the Land
There just so happens to be a court even higher than the U.S Supreme Court: a basketball court in the building itself.
Washington, D.C.
Reading Room at the Folger Shakespeare Library
Home to a vast and influential collection of Shakespeareana.
