dtjd594's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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San Francisco, California

Japanese Tea Garden

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.
San Francisco, California

The Parrots of Telegraph Hill

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.
Arlington, Virginia

The Graves of Robert E. Lee's Garden

Soldiers were buried next to Lee's house in the center of Arlington Cemetery to dissuade the general from reclaiming his property after the war.
Silver Spring, Maryland

Wheaton Station Escalator

The longest escalator in the Western Hemisphere takes over three minutes to ride down.
Washington, D.C.

Yenching Palace

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

Darth Vader Grotesque

The sci-fi villain is a little-known inhabitant of the U.S. capital's largest cathedral.
Washington, D.C.

Space Window at the Washington National Cathedral

A tiny piece of the Moon is embedded in this stained glass masterpiece.
Washington, D.C.

Watergate Steps

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

Macy's Wooden Escalators

A bit of retro transportation flair preserved in the world's largest department store.
New York, New York

Castle Williams

In its day this historic fort held 100 cannons pointed in almost every direction to protect New York.
New York, New York

One Times Square

This historic address is home to the beloved ball and is an almost totally empty building among the most expensive real estate in the world.
Washington, D.C.

Temperance Fountain

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.
Gaffney, South Carolina

Gaffney Peachoid

The record holder for the world’s largest peach.
Biloxi, Mississippi

The Jefferson Davis Home and Presidential Library

A historic Civil War estate-turned-museum looks back on the Confederate States of America.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia City Hall

This elaborate towering structure was once famed for its revolutionary height.
Barcelona, Spain

Sagrada Família

Construction of Barcelona's iconic (but controversial) church is expected to be completed in 2026—a century after the death of its architect.
Campillo de Dueñas, Spain

Castillo de Zafra

This awesome Spanish castle is so fantastical it was actually used on Game of Thrones.
San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain

Valley of the Fallen

This underground church is topped with a 500-foot cross that is seen by many as a beacon of fascist hubris.
Segovia, Spain

Segovia Aqueduct

One of the few remaining ancient aqueducts described by Frontinus as 'the most solemn testimony of the Empire.'
Madrid, Spain

Templo de Debod

An ancient Egyptian temple in the middle of Madrid, Spain.
Madrid, Spain

Palacio de Cristal

Madrid's romantically ornate crystal palace has been offering shelter to plants and art for over a century.
Sequoia National Park, California

General Sherman

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).
Pasadena, California

Mount Wilson Observatory

This former stomping grounds of the most eminent astronomers of the early 20th century.
Lancaster, California

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

Each year these high desert hills are absolutely covered with poppy flowers in a surreal show of nature.