Washington, D.C.
Steam Tunnels Under Capitol Hill
100 years later, they're still down there.
Places mcdonaldmatthewr Wants to Go
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Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
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.
Washington Monument Lightning Rod
The monument's pointy aluminum tip has been melted down by repeated lightning strikes.
Washington, D.C.
Library of Congress Book Conveyor Tunnel
A fantastic array of trays and cables once whisked books over to the Capitol at 600 feet per minute.
Washington, D.C.
Watergate Steps
Decades before the scandal, this staircase on the river was a literal "water gate."
Washington, D.C.
USNO Master Clock
The most accurate timepiece in the world.
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.
Smithsonian Sushi Collection
Seemingly unremarkable items like empty sushi trays, chef hats, and freshness stickers are being preserved so future generations can look back on this beloved cultural import.
Washington, D.C.
Peirce Mill Spy Station
Cold War intelligence agents monitored communist embassies from an attic in a former pigeon coop.
Washington, D.C.
St. Elizabeths Hospital
Government testing at the asylum briefly explored using marijuana as a "truth serum" on Nazi prisoners of war.
Washington, D.C.
Theodore Roosevelt Island
The national park was once a plantation estate.
Permanently Closed
Washington, D.C.
The Unabomber's Cabin
It was once the base for a series of domestic terror attacks.
Washington, D.C.
Foundry Branch Trolley Trestle Ruins
A derelict bit of transportation infrastructure hidden in the woods.
Washington, D.C.
Summerhouse
A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Mini Monument
There's a 12-foot-tall replica of the Washington Monument hidden under a manhole nearby.
Washington, D.C.
The Capitol Stones
Enormous piles of historically significant stones, dumped by Congress in a forest, and abandoned for 60 years.
Washington, D.C.
Space Window at the Washington National Cathedral
A tiny piece of the Moon is embedded in this stained glass masterpiece.
Washington, D.C.
The Exorcist Stairs
The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.
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.
Queens, New York
La Guardia's Art Deco Marine Air Terminal
A remnant from the golden age of aviation still in use today, Pan Am's Clipper service took off from this Art Deco gem.
Brooklyn, New York
Staten Island's Lost Subway Tunnel
An abandoned subway tunnel that could have reinvigorated Staten Island still lies somewhere beneath this Brooklyn park.
Bronx, New York
Bartow Station
A former connection to City Island, it has been abandoned since the 1930s.
Permanently Closed
New York, New York
New York's Oldest Phone Number
Need to book a room at the Hotel Pennsylvania? Just dial up 6-5000.
