Kate Donovan's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Silver Spring, Maryland

Silver Spring B&O Railroad Station

Built in 1945, this historic train station has a new lease on life with its baggage area serving as an event space.
Washington, D.C.

Ben's Chili Bowl Mural

A gorgeous mural outside a beloved D.C. restaurant pays homage to famous Black Americans.
Washington, D.C.

Darth Vader Grotesque

The sci-fi villain is a little-known inhabitant of the U.S. capital's largest cathedral.
Washington, D.C.

Space Window at the Washington National Cathedral

A tiny piece of the Moon is embedded in this stained glass masterpiece.
Washington, D.C.

The Mansion on O Street

With over 100 jam-packed rooms to explore plus elaborate tea services and events, the Mansion on O Street is a hidden treasure.
Washington, D.C.

Annie's Paramount Steakhouse

This restaurant has been a haven for D.C.'s LGBTQ community since the 1950s.
Baltimore, Maryland

Phoenix Shot Tower

Once America's tallest structure, now a Baltimore landmark.
Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore Basilica

The design of this historic domed church was influenced by Thomas Jefferson and intended as a statement of religious freedom.
Baltimore, Maryland

Mr. Trash Wheel

This bug-eyed water wheel uses the power of the Sun to clean up Baltimore Harbor.
Washington, D.C.

Memorial to Japanese-American Patriotism in World War II

An unassuming, powerful monument north of the U.S. Capitol bears witness to the resilience of Japanese Americans during a time of grave injustice.
Washington, D.C.

Holodomor Memorial

An easily overlooked memorial to a Ukrainian famine-genocide that killed over 4 million people.
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!”
Washington, D.C.

Summerhouse

A hidden gem on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted.
Bethesda, Maryland

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

FDR's Art Deco hospital tower was hopelessly inefficient.
Reykjavik, Iceland

Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur

One of the oldest family businesses in Reykjavík serves lamb-based hot dogs.
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Blaschka Glass Flowers

Impossibly life-like natural history models created out of glass by a father and son.
Somerville, Massachusetts

Site of the Destroyed Ursuline Convent

A monument marks where a convent was burned by an anti-Catholic mob in 1834.
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Thomas Magliozzi Plaque

This plaque is dedicated to one-half of the Magliozzi brothers and their hit radio show, 'Car Talk.'
Union, Connecticut

Traveler Restaurant

This small-town Connecticut restaurant gives each diner a free book from its vast library.
San Diego, California

Harper's Topiary Garden

A couple turned their front yard into an artistic masterpiece.
San Diego, California

Unconditional Surrender

A sculpture of the famous photograph stands on San Diego's "Greatest Generation Walk."
San Diego, California

Lucha Libre Taco Shop

Lucha Libre (Mexican Wrestling) themed taco shop.
Boston, Massachusetts

Memorial to Gallops Island Radio Training Station Graduates

This memorial honors those who served on Gallops Island Radio Training Station during the second World War.
Boston, Massachusetts

Great Boston Molasses Flood Plaque

The site of one of the strangest disasters in history—a wave of deadly molasses traveling at 35 mph.