Washington, D.C.
Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega
The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.
233
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
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.
National Archives Vault
An atomic bomb-proof strongbox protects the U.S. Constitution from terrorists and thieves.
Washington, D.C.
First FDR Memorial
One of the most influential presidents in U.S. history wanted only this plain, elegant monument as his lasting memorial.
Washington, D.C.
The National Gallery's Art Materials Collection
The institution is sitting on a goldmine of 21,000 paints, varnishes, pigments, and primers preserved for posterity.
Washington, D.C.
Knife Edge
Architecture lovers won’t stop touching the National Gallery's 19.5 degree marble prow.
Washington, D.C.
Historic Elevator at Potbelly
This sandwich shop has a century-old elevator behind a sheet of plexiglass.
District of Columbia
The Winfield Scott Memorial
The sculptor was instructed to add “stallion attributes” to the general's bronze mare.
Washington, D.C.
The Preamble in License Plates
The preamble to the U.S. Constitution written entirely from vanity license plates hangs in the Smithsonian museum.
Washington, D.C.
Legislative Bell System
An ear-piercing buzzer calls lawmakers to a vote with a series of long and short rings to form coded messages.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Tile Room
In the basement of the U.S. Capitol Building is a hidden storage room full of ornate floor tiles leftover from the 1850s.
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.
Inside the Capitol Dome
The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.
Washington, D.C.
Philo Farnsworth Statue
This statue of the "father of television" stands prominently in the United States Capitol.
Washington, D.C.
Flag Office Elevator
The elevator that makes it possible to fly American flags in bulk over the U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
The Portrait Monument
Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman president.
Washington, D.C.
Senate Corncob Capitals
Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.
Washington, D.C.
Senate Bathtubs
Senators used to relax in the nearly forgotten marble tubs now hidden in the U.S. Capitol Building's basement.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Bollards
The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.
Washington, D.C.
Congressional Garbage Tunnel
The tunnel under the Capitol Building where Congress takes out its trash.
Washington, D.C.
Capitol Building Tunnel System
Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.
Washington, D.C.
African-American Civil War Memorial
The first memorial dedicated solely to the Black troops who fought for the Union.
Washington, D.C.
The Adams Memorial
A haunting tribute to pioneering photographer Clover Adams.
Thurmont, Maryland
Catoctin Furnace
A pre-Industrial Age iron furnace and the site of a nearly-forgotten piece of Black history.
