sweeden925's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Washington, D.C.

Dumbarton Oaks Birthing Figure

This fertility idol of questionable authenticity inspired an iconic Indiana Jones artifact.
Washington, D.C.

Fireworks Safety Zone on the National Mall

On the Fourth of July this area will transform into a Pompeii-like storm of falling embers and ash.
Washington, D.C.

Spirit of Justice Park

A secret greenspace hides atop a Capitol parking garage.
Washington, D.C.

Boy Scout Memorial

The innocent intentions of this monument are somewhat lost in the sculpture's muscled imagery.
Washington, D.C.

Congressional Garbage Tunnel

The tunnel under the Capitol Building where Congress takes out its trash.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Coliseum

A historic arena where the Beatles played their first concert in the U.S.
Washington, D.C.

Mary's Garden

An overlooked oasis of quiet on the grounds of Washington's monumental basilica.
Washington, D.C.

Abandoned Drawbridge Control Room

The hidden offices underneath Memorial Bridge have been locked up since 1976.
Washington, D.C.

U.S. Naval Observatory Library

A hoard of sky catalogs, astrophysical journals, even the works of Galileo and Copernicus.
Washington, D.C.

Reading Room at the Folger Shakespeare Library

Home to a vast and influential collection of Shakespeareana.
Washington, D.C.

Peacock Room

This stunning blue and gold room changed cities twice before becoming part of the Smithsonian.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Marble Stripe

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

George Washington’s Whiskey

Taste the white whiskey that the United States' first president once distilled and enjoyed.
Key West, Florida

Ernest Hemingway Home & Museum

The former home of the Nobel Prize-winning American writer is now home to dozens of six-toed cats.
Arlington, Virginia

Headstone-Eating Trees

The rogue roots are gradually consuming some of the historic marble grave markers.
Fort Washington, Maryland

Woodrow Wilson Bridge

This rare triple-jurisdiction drawbridge passes through Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Capitol Bollards

The 5.5-mile ring of steel posts around the Capitol Building is one of the largest (and most uniform) of its kind in the world.
Washington, D.C.

Site of the Union Station Train Crash

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.
Washington, D.C.

George Washington's Townhouse Lots

After his presidency, George Washington planned to live only a few blocks from the Capitol building.
Washington, D.C.

Senate Corncob Capitals

Corn-inthian columns with a uniquely American take on neoclassical architecture.
Washington, D.C.

The Lockkeeper's House

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

Inaugural Parade Center Line

A line of blue paint marks the route of the inaugural parade.
Washington, D.C.

Man Controlling Trade

A muscular Art Deco monument represents the struggle between regulators and unbridled markets.
Washington, D.C.

D.C. War Memorial

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