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.
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Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
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.
USS Missouri Model Ship
The U.S. Navy’s preposterously detailed mini battleship took 77,000 hours to complete.
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.
Washington, D.C.
USS Balao Conning Tower
Part of a WWII submarine is lurking outside the Washington Navy Yard parking lot.
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.
Willard Hotel
Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
Washington, D.C.
Navy Yard Railroad Gun
One of the largest artillery pieces in the world sits in a Washington D.C. parking lot.
Washington, D.C.
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega
The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Building Tunnel System
Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.
Washington, D.C.
U.S. Naval Observatory Library
A hoard of sky catalogs, astrophysical journals, even the works of Galileo and Copernicus.
Washington, D.C.
Starship Enterprise NCC-1701
The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.
Washington, D.C.
Maine Avenue Fish Market
The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.
Washington, D.C.
Fort DeRussy
A Civil War fort in the middle of Washington, D.C. has been swallowed by a forest.
Washington, D.C.
Library of Congress Card Catalog
A nostalgic bibliographic gem.
Washington, D.C.
National Bonsai Museum
One of the dwarven trees dates back to 1625 and survived the Hiroshima bombing.
Washington, D.C.
The Dupont Underground
Long-abandoned trolley tunnels just a mile away from the White House are turning into an art space.
Washington, D.C.
National Capitol Columns
The Corinthian columns that towered over Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration stand proud.
Permanently Closed
San Francisco, California
Yerba Buena Tower
Condemned US Navy seaplane control tower turned officers’ club sits atop Yerba Buena Island.
San Francisco, California
Westin St. Francis Hotel
Only hotel where you can legally launder money.
San Francisco, California
Treasure Island Naval History Mural
An enormous artwork that colorfully celebrates over 150 years of US military achievements.
San Francisco, California
Shakespeare Garden
A garden oasis filled with flowers mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare.
San Francisco, California
Golden Gate Park Diorama
A miniature view of the park, caught in time.
San Francisco, California
Hunter's Point Shipyard
Radioactivity still cause for concern at this urban explorer's paradise.
