Permanently Closed
Washington, D.C.
Government Printing Office
Need a hardcopy of the 50-title Code of Federal Regulations? This is the place.
Places recompiler Wants to Go
153
Places I want to go
Places on this traveler's wishlist.
Washington, D.C.
FDR's Bomb Shelter
The first presidential bomb shelter was located in an old vault under the Treasury, connected to the White House via tunnel.
Washington, D.C.
Water Gate at the Watergate Complex
Before Nixon, "watergate" meant canals.
Washington, D.C.
Capital Transit Co. Streetcar Barn
Before Metro, Washington had a robust streetcar network—and you see the remains of this infrastructure if you know where to look.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Coliseum
A historic arena where the Beatles played their first concert in the U.S.
Washington, D.C.
Serenity Statue
This poor little statue is the most vandalized memorial in Washington.
Washington, D.C.
Cuban-American Friendship Urn
The only National Monument ever to go missing for nearly 50 years then resurface in a dump.
Washington, D.C.
The Mutilated Currency Division
An obscure public service from the U.S. government that redeems burnt, moldy, and soiled old greenbacks.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Chemical Tower
Every drop of D.C. tap water flows through this old waterworks.
Washington, D.C.
American University Experiment Station
The school tested mustard gas for the U.S. Army during World War I.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Stock Exchange Building
D.C. once had its own tiny rival to the New York Stock Exchange.
Washington, D.C.
Congressional Garbage Tunnel
The tunnel under the Capitol Building where Congress takes out its trash.
Washington, D.C.
Fireworks Safety Zone on the National Mall
On the Fourth of July this area will transform into a Pompeii-like storm of falling embers and ash.
Washington, D.C.
Federal Reserve Tennis Court
The only tennis court that falls under the jurisdiction of the central bank.
Washington, D.C.
Bootlegging Room in the Cannon House Office Building
During Prohibition, the U.S. Congress had an "official" bootlegger, with his own Capitol Hill office.
Washington, D.C.
The Sun Building
This nine-story building is the oldest standing skyscraper in D.C.
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.
Holodomor Memorial
An easily overlooked memorial to a Ukrainian famine-genocide that killed over 4 million people.
Permanently Closed
Washington, D.C.
Treasury Department Laundry
Literal "money laundering."
Washington, D.C.
Washington City Canal Outfall
A portal into the bricked up canal that runs through the heart of Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Mary's Garden
An overlooked oasis of quiet on the grounds of Washington's monumental basilica.
Washington, D.C.
Inaugural Parade Center Line
A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.
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.
National Building Museum
Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.
