Stories
Washington, D.C. stories for walks, landmarks, and local context
Short, source-backed reads that explain what you are seeing while you move through the city.
Essential story
Welcome to Washington, D.C.
Welcome to Washington, D.C., a city where global power meets neighborhood charm. You're standing in a place designed for grand stateme…
Essential story
A City Built on Water
It's easy to forget that much of the land you're walking on didn't always exist. Take West Potomac Park, for example. This iconic stre…
Essential story
The Architecture of Power
Washington is a city of stone and symbol, where architecture is used to project stability and legacy. Much of this is seen in the Gree…
Essential story
The People's Monuments
While the giant marble monuments get the most attention, some of the city's most powerful stories were funded by the people themselves…
City story
A Blueprint for Disaster
Engineering isn't always about success; sometimes, it's a lesson in what happens when the math fails. In 1917, the Knickerbocker Theat…
City story
A Bronze Legacy
In Lincoln Park on Capitol Hill, you'll find the Emancipation Memorial, a bronze work dedicated in 1876. What makes this statue truly…
City story
A Cinematic Climb
These seventy-five stone steps are more than just a shortcut between Prospect Street and Canal Road. Built in 1895 during the city's c…
City story
A Cinematic Climb
In the heart of Georgetown, there's a set of seventy-five stone steps that have become a magnet for movie buffs. Built in 1895 during…
City story
A Cinematic Disaster
Long before the digital age, the Knickerbocker Theatre was one of the most fashionable spots in the city. Opened in 1917 in the Adams…
City story
A Cinematic Ghost
In the Adams Morgan neighborhood, there's a spot where the nightlife used to be the center of attention. This is the site of the Knick…
City story
A Cinematic Shortcut
These seventy-five stone steps in Georgetown might look like a simple pedestrian shortcut between Prospect Street and Canal Road, but…
City story
A Cinematic Shortcut
Some landmarks are built for glory, and others are built for cable cars. In 1895, George Killeen built a staircase in Georgetown to se…
City story
A Cinematic Shortcut
In Georgetown, there's a set of 75 steps that are far more famous than they have any right to be. Built in 1895 during the city's cabl…
City story
A Cinematic Silhouette
The Lincoln Memorial is perhaps the most filmed landmark in the entire city. Designed as a classical temple in the neoclassical style,…
City story
A Cinematic Staircase
In the heart of Georgetown, there's a set of seventy-five stone steps that feel like they belong in a horror movie. That's because the…
City story
A Cinematic Staircase
Tucked away in Georgetown is a set of 75 stone steps that are far more famous than they look. Built in 1895 during the city's cable-ca…
City story
A Cinematic Tragedy
In 1917, the Knickerbocker Theatre opened as one of the most fashionable spots in the city, seating seventeen hundred people. But on a…
City story
A Classical Vision
On the western end of the National Mall sits a structure designed not as a building, but as a classical temple. The Lincoln Memorial i…
City story
A Conservationist's Island
Theodore Roosevelt Island is more than just a quiet escape in the Potomac River; it's a living tribute to the man who championed the A…
City story
A Different Kind of Art
When you visit the National Museum of Women in the Arts, you're stepping into a world first established in 1981 to champion women crea…
City story
A Different Kind of Investment
Most people think of shopping as spending money, but in 1865, a group of formerly enslaved people used their own hard-earned wages to…
City story
A Dream in Stone
In West Potomac Park, among the cherry trees and the tidal flats, stands a monument to a man whose voice defined a movement. The Marti…
City story
A Galactic Grotesque
High up on the Northwest Tower of the Washington National Cathedral, you'll find a sculpture that doesn't quite fit the traditional re…