lew5056's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Washington, D.C.

National Cathedral Bell Tower

There’s a special club house at the top for the bell ringers.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Godey Lime Kilns

A historic ruin just 20 feet away from a busy highway onramp.
WhiskeyBristles Added by WhiskeyBristles
Washington, D.C.

Church of Two Worlds

A Spiritualist house of worship where believers communicate with the dead in the spirit world.
Added by evyatarguttman
Washington, D.C.

Washington Mini Monument

There's a 12-foot-tall replica of the Washington Monument hidden under a manhole nearby.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Lightning Rod

The monument's pointy aluminum tip has been melted down by repeated lightning strikes.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Grace Hopper's Bug

A computer bug so primitive it was an actual insect.
Molly McBride Jacobson Added by Molly McBride Jacobson
Washington, D.C.

Sergeant Stubby

The most decorated dog of World War I is preserved in the Smithsonian.
Allison Added by Allison
Washington, D.C.

Zero Milestone

A monument in Washington D.C. marks the spot from which all other roads were supposed to stem.
EricGrundhauser Added by EricGrundhauser
Washington, D.C.

Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon

The remains of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, serve as a tool to educate about conservation.
Rachel Added by Rachel
Washington, D.C.

Renwick Gallery

The first purpose-built art gallery in the United States is once again open as a center of craft arts.
Added by lionsinwanderland
Washington, D.C.

FDR's Swimming Pool

There's an old indoor swimming pool hidden directly underneath the White House Press Briefing Room.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

D.C.'s Underground Bald Cypress Fossils

Four bald cypress trees in Lafayette Square, across from the White House, mark the southern edge of a 100,000 year old cypress swamp.
erikmoe Added by erikmoe
Washington, D.C.

Treasury Department Laundry

Literal "money laundering."
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Letelier-Moffitt Monument

A diminutive memorial marks the site of a successful assassination by a right-wing death squad in America's capital.
WhiskeyBristles Added by WhiskeyBristles
Washington, D.C.

Treasury Department Cash Vault

Where the U.S. government kept its actual treasure, before Fort Knox.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Willard Hotel

Legend has it that President Grant’s frequent drinking in the lobby gave rise to the term “lobbyist.”
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Yenching Palace

The iconic D.C. restaurant where the Cuban Missile Crisis was negotiated, now a Walgreens.
Meg Added by Meg
Washington, D.C.

Riggs Bank

The bank that helped fund the Mexican-American War and the purchase of Alaska met its downfall after helping Augusto Pinochet launder money.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Rayburn House Office Building

One critic described it as "middle Mussolini, early Ramses, and late Neiman-Marcus." Another called it an architectural "natural disaster."
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Civil War Nurses Memorial

A bas relief commemorates the "Nuns of the Battlefield" who cared for soldiers on both sides of the conflict.
Added by bibliobecca
Washington, D.C.

National Archives Vault

An atomic bomb-proof strongbox protects the U.S. Constitution from terrorists and thieves.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

The Capitol Stones

Enormous piles of historically significant stones, dumped by Congress in a forest, and abandoned for 60 years.
Washington, D.C.

Capitol Air Conditioning Towers

"Congress may voluntarily remain in session throughout the summer, in order that our Congressmen may be protected from the intolerable discomforts and dangers of the ordinary outdoor weather!”
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Library of Congress Card Catalog

A nostalgic bibliographic gem.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter