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

International Temple of the Order of the Eastern Star

Obscure Freemasons still live in D.C.’s largest private residence.
Washington, D.C.

Theodore Roosevelt Island

The national park was once a plantation estate.
Washington, D.C.

House of the Temple

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

The Old Patent Model Museum

During the Industrial Revolution this “Temple of Invention” was full of intricate miniature machines and gadgets.
Washington, D.C.

The Exorcist Stairs

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

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.
San Francisco, California

Clarion Alley

This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.
San Francisco, California

Spreckels Temple of Music

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.
San Francisco, California

Church of 8 Wheels

This 19th-century church is now a popular roller rink.
San Francisco, California

Lotta's Fountain

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.
San Francisco, California

Leroy King Carousel

A still functioning vaudeville carousel that has operated for over a century boasts a colorful menagerie and past.
San Francisco, California

450 Sutter Street

Nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling Financial District stands a unique homage to the Mayan and Beaux Arts.
San Francisco, California

Exploratorium

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.
San Francisco, California

The Tonga Room

Tiki luxury on Nob Hill.
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.

Organization of American States Building

The grand marble structure next to the White House is Andrew Carnegie's temple to Pan-American diplomacy.
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.
Washington, D.C.

D.C. War Memorial

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

Watergate Gas Station

This seemingly out-of-place gas station by the Watergate hotel was once described as the most expensive gas station in the world.
Washington, D.C.

NASA Full Scale Wind Tunnel Propeller

While most wind tunnels test scale models, the "Cave of Winds" was large enough for actual airplanes.
Washington, D.C.

Albert Einstein Bronze Statue

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

National Building Museum

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

Culture House

A historic neighborhood church is reborn as a psychedelic arts collective.
Mianyang, China

Beichuan Earthquake Museum

A museum and memorial built amid the rubble of a town obliterated by nature.