The preamble to the U.S. Constitution written entirely from vanity license plates hangs in the Smithsonian museum.

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

A museum cafe showcases Native American dishes and indigenous ingredients from across the Western Hemisphere.

A much-maligned monument to teetotalism.

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”

An unassuming, powerful monument north of the U.S. Capitol bears witness to the resilience of Japanese Americans during a time of grave injustice.

This sandwich shop has a century-old elevator behind a sheet of plexiglass.

Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.

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

A super-sized promotional trick that is now a D.C. landmark.

The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.

The actual model from the original "Star Trek" series is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum.

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

The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.

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

There's a 12-foot-tall replica of the Washington Monument hidden under a manhole nearby.

A tiny piece of the Moon is embedded in this stained glass masterpiece.

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

The Tudor-style cottage in the middle of the square is not quite what it seems.

Mary Kelly was last seen here before she was murdered by Jack the Ripper.

A charming 17th-century alley is lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops.

An easily overlooked stretch of ornate window fronts and gaslight lamps that could be right from the pages of Dickens.

This iconic high-rise residential block was one of the last to be built in the Brutalist style.

This beautiful deer park was built so King Charles I and his court could go hunting while escaping a deadly plague outbreak.