The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere takes over three minutes to ride down.

Once home to seven different roller coasters, Glen Echo has undergone many transformations since its founding in 1891.

This isn't your average roadway—it's actually a National Park and a transportation pioneer.

A former major munitions plant that has been converted into a sprawling art space.

The semi-reclaimed ruins of this canal were once part of an ambitious plan to reroute the mighty potomac.

The bank that helped fund the Mexican-American War and the purchase of Alaska met its downfall after helping Augusto Pinochet launder money.

The iconic D.C. restaurant where the Cuban Missile Crisis was negotiated, now a Walgreens.

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

Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman president.

The only Civil War battle in Washington D.C. took place near this highest natural point in the city.

The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.

Light bulbs, scrap wood, and tinfoil comprise this homemade throne of the gods.

Largest Roman Catholic church in North America.

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.

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

This imposing Masonic temple a mile from the White House was the first public library in Washington, D.C.

This Himalayan airport provides one of the most difficult landings in the world.

Fascinating early attempt at a Jewish autonomous settlement.

An 18th century wonder of the world, lost in WWII, re-created at the Catherine Palace.

A tiny park off the beaten path covered in ingenious scrap metal sculptures.

The mummified remains of Dashi-Dorzho Itigilov, Russia's most important Buddhist.

This massive glowering Lenin head gazes out over eastern Siberia.

A uniquely authentic display of traditional Russian culture.

Some of the world's only freshwater seals live in one very special lake in Russia.