Washington, D.C.
National Academy of Sciences
For 60 years, the academy had no permanent location until members voted Washington D.C. as its forever home.
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Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Water Gate at the Watergate Complex
Before Nixon, "watergate" meant canals.
Washington, D.C.
Carousel on the National Mall
Washington's iconic carousel has a nice piece of Civil Rights history.
Washington, D.C.
Renwick Gallery
The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.
Washington, D.C.
Historic Elevator at Potbelly
This sandwich shop has a century-old elevator behind a sheet of plexiglass.
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.
Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe
A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.
Washington, D.C.
Maine Avenue Fish Market
The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.
Washington, D.C.
Theodore Roosevelt Island
The national park was once a plantation estate.
Washington, D.C.
Dumbarton Oaks
The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.
Washington, D.C.
National Building Museum
Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.
Alexandria, Virginia
Hollensbury Spite House
The narrowest house in America is seven feet of pure spite.
Alexandria, Virginia
Gadsby's Tavern
This colonial tavern played host to George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other famous early Americans.
Barcelona, Spain
Street Performers of Las Ramblas
The iconic boulevard is the perfect place to catch sight of a bicycling skeleton, a levitating Satan, or a chef with his head stuck in a pizza.
Barcelona, Spain
Park Güell
Gaudí's famously flamboyant architectural style is on full display in this sprawling park and garden.
Barcelona, Spain
Casa Batlló
One of Antoni Gaudí's most classic buildings is well-known for its "dragon-back" design.
Barcelona, Spain
Sagrada Família
Construction of Barcelona’s iconic (but controversial) church was finally completed in 2026—a century after the death of its architect.
Porto, Portugal
Livraria Lello
One of the most beautiful bookstores in the world hides a neo-Gothic interior behind an art nouveau facade.
Lisbon, Portugal
Conserveira de Lisboa
The best place in the world to buy tinned fish.
Lisbon, Portugal
Church of Santa Engrácia
Portugal's National Pantheon has a history of curses, collapses and financial problems.
