An ancient capital city that dates back 3,000 years old and harbors many surprises.

Famously misunderstood wonder of the ancient world

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.

A walk through the historic city center, under the streets of Seattle.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

On the Oregon coast there is a natural hole that seems to be draining the sea.

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.

Museum devoted to the artificial language of Esperanto.

Handsomely crafted representations of our round planet.

A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.

An overlooked memorial honoring the local Washington residents who died in World War I.

Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.

A muscular Art Deco monument represents the struggle between regulators and unbridled markets.

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

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

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.

Decades before the scandal, this staircase on the river was a literal "water gate."

The oldest building in the District of Columbia was preserved because of a mistaken connection to George Washington.

D.C.'s first central library was born out of a chance encounter with the philanthropist whose name it bears.

The national park was once a plantation estate.

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.

The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.

Four glass boxes hover over 1,000 feet in the air to give visitors an unparalleled view of Chicago.