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

Library Of Congress Gutenberg Bible

One of the three perfect vellum copies of this historic book known to exist is on display in a specially-designed case.
Washington, D.C.

International Spy Museum

Home to items never before seen by the public.
Washington, D.C.

Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Vega

The "lovely red Vega" of the legendary record-settling pilot.
Washington, D.C.

Mitsitam Native Foods Cafe

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

First FDR Memorial

One of the most influential presidents in U.S. history wanted only this plain, elegant monument as his lasting memorial.
Washington, D.C.

'Ginevra de’ Benci' Portrait

The only Leonardo Da Vinci painting in the Western Hemisphere.
Washington, D.C.

Old Post Office Tower

The National Park Service’s best-kept secret with views that rival any in D.C.
Washington, D.C.

Cher Ami

A heroic pigeon that, through a barrage of gunfire, delivered a message that saved over 100 lives in World War I.
Washington, D.C.

Japanese Stone Lantern

A gift from Japan, 17th-century lantern stands among the cherry trees at D.C.'s Tidal Basin.
Washington, D.C.

Art Museum of the Americas

The most magical part of this Latin American and Caribbean art museum is a room covered in beautiful blue tiles from floor to ceiling.
Washington, D.C.

Watergate Steps

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

Netherlands Carillon

An oft-overlooked, magically musical monolith that stands majestically between Arlington Cemetery and the Iwo Jima Memorial.
Arlington, Virginia

Alexander's Island Border Dispute

The Pentagon sits on a former island that was in Virginia at low tide and D.C. at high tide.
Alexandria, Virginia

Braddock Road Cannon

This cannon dating to 1755 has stood guard at this suburban intersection since 1915.
Arlington, Virginia

Pentagon Taxi Tunnels Stubs

The Pentagon is so large that it was planned like a city, complete with internal highway infrastructure.
Arlington, Virginia

Weenie Beenie

The last remaining location of a drive-up hot dog stand named after a local pool shark.
Zanesville, Ohio

Zanesville Y-Bridge

A favorite of Amelia Earhart, ranking among those rare bridges that can be crossed without changing sides of the river.
Boston, Massachusetts

'The Embrace'

This bronze sculpture was inspired by a photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife embracing after he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Boston, Massachusetts

Make Way for Ducklings Statue

Mrs. Mallard and her brood are a beloved fixture in Boston Public Garden.
Boston, Massachusetts

Mapparium Globe

An enormous, inside-out glass globe built in 1935.
Boston, Massachusetts

The First Church of Christ, Scientist

This impressive Boston holy house is the American mecca for Christian scientists.
Washington, D.C.

Albert Einstein Bronze Statue

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.
Alexandria, Virginia

Fort Ward Park

Built to defend Washington D.C. during the Civil War, this fort became a post-war nucleus for a thriving Black community.
Arlington, Virginia

Hall's Hill Wall

Remnants of a wall built to separate Black residents of Hall's Hill from a newly built subdivision are a grim reminder of segregation in 20th-century Virginia.