An expansive book store, art gallery, and curio shop with wares ranging from tarot cards to novelty socks.

A stonemason's hilarious revenge came in the form of this peculiarly positioned gargoyle.

These paved rills bring freshwater into Altstadt and could spell wedding bells for whoever stumbles into the waters.

The bank that helped fund the Mexican-American War and the purchase of Alaska met its downfall after helping Augusto Pinochet launder money.

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.

This statue of the "father of television" stands prominently in the United States Capitol.

One critic described it as "middle Mussolini, early Ramses, and late Neiman-Marcus." Another called it an architectural "natural disaster."

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

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

Members of Congress have traveled between the buildings on Capitol Hill for a century hidden from tourists, press, and storm clouds.

Perhaps the most scandalous statue of America's first president.

The oldest building in the District of Columbia was preserved because of a mistaken connection to George Washington.

Rumor has it the uncarved lump behind the three famous suffragists is reserved for the first woman president.

The national park was once a plantation estate.

A three-story tower of books about Abraham Lincoln is one of the more unusual monuments to the president.

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

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

This grand gothic brewery has been pumping out suds for over a hundred years.

Go take a picture with the inventor of the daguerreotype photographic process.

The unique traffic pattern named for an influential urban planner is also known as the Pedestrian Scramble.

A historic ruin just 20 feet away from a busy highway onramp.

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

Before Metro, Washington had a robust streetcar network—and you see the remains of this infrastructure if you know where to look.

Sit where JFK proposed to Jackie or where Nixon dined on meatloaf at this storied pub.