OnwardTraveler's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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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 Unabomber's Cabin

permanently closed
It was once the base for a series of domestic terror attacks.
WhiskeyBristles Added by WhiskeyBristles
Washington, D.C.

Knife Edge

Architecture lovers won’t stop touching the National Gallery's 19.5 degree marble prow.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Summerhouse

A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
VC Nickels Added by VC Nickels
Washington, D.C.

District of Columbia Center Point

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
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.

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.

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.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Capitol Building Tunnel System

Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Roman Legionnaire Modesty Shields

Railroad officials in the early 1900s sought to spare travelers the sight of Roman soldiers’ private parts.
Sydney Rose Added by Sydney Rose
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.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Government Printing Office

permanently closed
Need a hardcopy of the 50-title Code of Federal Regulations? This is the place.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Washington Coliseum

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

Atlas Performing Arts Center

The revival of a classic Art Deco theater.
Added by heshsf
Washington, D.C.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

A lovely aquatic park built by a one-armed Civil War veteran who made a fortune from lotuses.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
Washington, D.C.

Ruins of the McMillan Sand Filtration Site at Reservoir Park

An Industrial Revolution-era public work that purified water using nothing but sand.
Elliot Carter Added by Elliot Carter
San Francisco, California

1908 Cistern Circles

These subterranean storage areas hold emergency water reserves.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black
San Francisco, California

Exploratorium

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

Vaillancourt Fountain

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.
eleskog Added by eleskog
San Francisco, California

Palace of Fine Arts

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

Fort Point

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.
Scott Mansfield Added by Scott Mansfield
Sausalito, California

The Bay Model

A working model of the entire San Francisco Bay and much of the Sacramento River Delta, complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.
Added by sarahbenson
San Rafael, California

Marin County Civic Center

Frank Lloyd Wright died a year before construction on his largest public project even began.
Added by jeanneagnes
Benicia, California

Suisun Bay Ghost Fleet

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.
Annetta Black Added by Annetta Black