Places MMorlino Wants to Go

Behind an abandoned storefront is an example of pioneering 1930s gas station architecture.

This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.

This mysterious structure by the Washington Monument is a flood barrier designed to protect the White House against rising waters.

A diminutive memorial marks the site of a successful assassination by a right-wing death squad in America's capital.

One of the most influential presidents in U.S. history wanted only this plain, elegant monument as his lasting memorial.

The school tested mustard gas for the U.S. Army during World War I.

This nine-story building is the oldest standing skyscraper in D.C.

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

The early data processor factory founded in Washington for the 1890 U.S. Census went on to become IBM.

While most wind tunnels test scale models, the "Cave of Winds" was large enough for actual airplanes.

Before Metro, Washington had a robust streetcar network—and you see the remains of this infrastructure if you know where to look.

The little-known, 300-year history of the area includes former lives as a bustling tobacco port, parking lot, and industrial dump.

Daredevil repair workers can worm their way out the access hatch, loop ropes over the apex and rappel down the monument.

Before founding the American Red Cross, Clara Barton had a tremendous humanitarian impact by locating thousands of missing soldiers.

The fountains of the U.S. Navy Memorial are annually salted with water from the Seven Seas as part of a nautical ritual.

"Congress may voluntarily remain in session throughout the summer, in order that our Congressmen may be protected from the intolerable discomforts and dangers of the ordinary outdoor weather!”

When it comes to handsignals (and colonialism) rock always beats scissors.

They sort through millions of dollars worth of diplomatic gifts on behalf of the government.

A building shaped like the Army Corps of Engineers logo, because why not?

Washington's top-secret Cold War-era doomsday communications tower is located in a small neighborhood park.

There just so happens to be a court even higher than the U.S Supreme Court: a basketball court in the building itself.

A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.

Daily lunch spot for many of Washington, D.C.'s cab drivers.

Helen Keller once broke ground on this historic center for the study of technologies to benefit the hearing impaired.