nicolewarder's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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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.

The Old Patent Model Museum

During the Industrial Revolution this “Temple of Invention” was full of intricate miniature machines and gadgets.
Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria Tide Lock Park

Long buried under the 20th-century landscape, this lift lock of the Alexandria Canal is the lone remnant of an ambitious early American transportation project.
Alexandria, Virginia

Torpedo Factory Art Center

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

Wilkes Street Tunnel

This brick-lined pedestrian walkway was once a railway tunnel used during the Civil War.
Washington, D.C.

Serenity Statue

This poor little statue is the most vandalized memorial in Washington.
San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Island

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

The Parrots of Telegraph Hill

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.
San Francisco, California

Duboce Bikeway Mural

This painted marvel is San Francisco's 400-foot ode to urban biking.
San Francisco, California

Seward Street Slides

Bring your own cardboard to the slippery slopes of concrete hidden in a neighborhood park.
San Francisco, California

The Wave Organ

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.
San Francisco, California

Palace of Fine Arts

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.
San Francisco, California

Chamber of Secrets Door

This residential door allows San Francisco muggles a glimpse at the wizarding world.
Portland, Oregon

Voodoo Doughnut and Wedding Chapel

The magic's in the hole!
Portland, Oregon

Mill Ends Park

The world's smallest park was dedicated in 1948 as the only colony for leprechauns west of Ireland.
Portland, Oregon

Portlandia

Portlandia is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the United States.
Corbett, Oregon

Multnomah Falls

A roaring, awe-inspiring double cascade of icy water flows through woodland Oregon like something out of a Tolkien novel.
Tillamook, Oregon

Tillamook Creamery

This unassuming cheese empire in rural Oregon churns out more than 150,000 pounds of cheese each day.
Gold Beach, Oregon

The Wreck of the Mary D. Hume

This historic steamboat is scuttled just a few hundred feet from where it was built over a hundred years ago.
Bandon, Oregon

Face Rock

According to legend, this rock represents a young girl trapped by an evil ocean spirit.
Port Orford, Oregon

Prehistoric Gardens

A collection of colorful dinosaurs hidden in an actual rainforest.
Neskowin, Oregon

Neskowin Ghost Forest

The eerie remnants of an ancient forest were hidden under the sand for centuries.
Cannon Beach, Oregon

Haystack Rock

A massive sea stack famous for its appearance in The Goonies.
Florence, Oregon

Sea Lion Caves

Only known mainland rookery of the threatened Stellar sea lion.