Washington, D.C.
Washington Monument Lightning Rod
The monument's pointy aluminum tip has been melted down by repeated lightning strikes.
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Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Monument Access Hatch
Daredevil repair workers can worm their way out the access hatch, loop ropes over the apex and rappel down the monument.
Washington, D.C.
Jefferson Pier Marker
A tiny monument to the unsuccessful attempt by Thomas Jefferson to place the prime meridian in Washington.
Washington, D.C.
The Sun Building
This nine-story building is the oldest standing skyscraper in D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Potomac Park Flood Levee
This mysterious structure by the Washington Monument is a flood barrier designed to protect the White House against rising waters.
Washington, D.C.
D.C.'s Underground Bald Cypress Fossils
Four bald cypress trees in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, mark the southern edge of a 100,000 year old cypress swamp.
Washington, D.C.
The Lockkeeper's House
A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Stock Exchange Building
D.C. once had its own tiny rival to the New York Stock Exchange.
Washington, D.C.
Zero Milestone
A monument in Washington D.C. marks the spot from which all other roads were supposed to stem.
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.
Willard Hotel
Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
Washington, D.C.
Boy Scout Memorial
The innocent intentions of this monument are somewhat lost in the sculpture's muscled imagery.
Washington, D.C.
Organization of American States Building
The grand marble structure next to the White House is Andrew Carnegie's temple to Pan-American diplomacy.
Washington, D.C.
Inaugural Parade Center Line
A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.
Permanently Closed
Washington, D.C.
Riggs Bank
The bank that helped fund the Mexican-American War and the purchase of Alaska met its downfall after helping Augusto Pinochet launder money.
Washington, D.C.
White House Helipad
Disks are rolled out onto the south lawn to absorb the impact of Marine One's wheels like giant coffee coasters.
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.
Barbie Pond on Q Street
A rotating cast of guys and dolls in front of a Washington, D.C. building.
Washington, D.C.
Roman Legionnaire Modesty Shields
Railroad officials in the early 1900s sought to spare travelers the sight of Roman soldiers’ private parts.
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.
Riggs Library
A wondrous old library overlooking the nation's capital.
Permanently Closed
Washington, D.C.
Yenching Palace
The iconic D.C. restaurant where the Cuban Missile Crisis was negotiated, now a Walgreens.
Washington, D.C.
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
Largest Roman Catholic church in North America.
Key Largo, Florida
The African Queen
The famous boat that once ferried Bogart and Hepburn still floats in Key Largo after being abandoned for years.
