While the White House, USA president’s monuments and other major landmarks in Washington DC usually full of tourist from all over the world, but there is some fewer known spots in Washington DC for you to explore. Some of it held similar significant in history while some basked in the stunning art beauty you should not miss out whenever you visit this capital city of United Stated of America.
President Lincoln’s Cottage
President Lincoln’s Cottage is the most significant historic site directly associated with Lincoln’s presidency aside from the White House. Located on an uplifting hilltop in Northwest Washington DC, the Cottage is where Lincoln lived for over a quarter of his presidency and made some of his most critical decisions. President Lincoln and his family resided in this cottage from June – November 1862, 1863 and 1864 in order to find relief from the stress of the presidency. It is the only place the public can experience the history of Abraham Lincoln’s public and private life where he lived and worked for over a quarter of his presidency.
Lincoln first visited the Soldiers’ Home shortly after his inauguration and rode out here the day before his assassination, therefore his connection to the Soldiers’ Home bookends his presidency. While in residence at the Cottage, Lincoln visited with wounded soldiers, spent time with self-emancipated men, women and children, and developed the Emancipation Proclamation. His experience of being surrounded by the human cost of war here undoubtedly impacted his thinking and strengthened his resolve to challenge the status quo.
The Titanic Memorial
The Titanic Memorial is a carved single red granite statue in southwest Washington DC, that honors the men who gave their lives so that women and children might be saved during the RMS Titanic disaster. The thirteen-foot-tall figure is of a partly clad male figure with arms outstretched standing on a square base.
This memorial was authorized by Congress in 1917 and funded by donations from 25,000 American women honoring the men who died during the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. It was completed in 1918 before it was moved from its original location along the Potomac River to accommodate the Kennedy Center in 1966. This touching tribute represents one of the most historical things to do in Washington DC.
The resemblance of the statue to the much-imitated pose Kate Winslet struck at the helm of the ship in the 1997 film Titanic is purely coincidental, as the memorial was dedicated decades earlier in 1931.
Albert Einstein Memorial
Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist and philosopher of science, best known for developing the theory of relativity. He was born in 1879 and has published more than 300 scientific papers along with 150 non-scientific works. In 1921, he received the Nobel Prize award for his works in Physics.
Albert Einstein was elected as a foreign associate of the National Academy of Sciences in 1922. He moves to the USA in 1940 before he became a member of the Academy in 1942, two year after he became a naturalized citizen. In honor of the birth of the great scientist, a memorial statue was built on the campus of the National Academy of Sciences.
The memorial was unveiled at the Academy’s annual meeting on 22 April 1979. The 12-foot bronze figure is depicted seated on a granite bench holding a paper with mathematical equations summarizing three of his most important scientific contributions: the photoelectric effect, the theory of general relativity, and the equivalence of energy and matter (E=mc²). The statue also has a fun “Easter Egg”, if you stand exactly in the middle of the star chart, face Albert, and speak (or sing or yodel) there is a neat echo effect.
STREET ART
Street art is an expression of a city’s past, the issues it grapples with present day and its aspirations for the future. Washington DC has a veritable cornucopia of street art. Below are few places where you can do a street art hunting for your Instagram posts.
Dupont Underground
Dupont Underground is a former streetcar station converted into an art space has been repurposed into 15,000 square feet multidisciplinary platform for creative expression. Learning about the history of the space and experiencing the way various type and mediums of art incorporating into the tunnel was awe-inspiring as intricate, vibrantly colored tags and illustrations from the entrance to its terminus filled up every inch of its subway-tiled walls. Local and well-known street artists have commissioning their works to create murals on this place.
Culture House
In between some aged row houses and the highway sits a psychedelic-looking structure called Culture House . Built in 1886, the Victorian and Romanesque architectural gem was re-imagined in October 2012 by artist HENSE, later repurposed as Blind Whino in 2013 and today known as Culture House. Culture House is an arts facility located in a repurposed historic church in Southwest DC and home to an art collective, a gallery, a community garden, and a few eclectic events spaces. One of the District’s oldest African-American congregations, the building and its mix of eclectic architectural styles serve as a visual reminder of the neighborhood’s roots.
The U Street Corridor
In the early 1900s it was the most populous African American community in America, and it held a seminal role in shaping black culture and continues to be the heart of DC’s music scene. The U Street Corridor has a number of memorable murals, the most famous of which can be found on the walls of eatery and local landmark Ben’s Chili Bowl. It is recently celebrated its 62nd anniversary, most significantly remembered as the only spot that was allowed to stay open during the riots of 1968 following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. Ben’s Chili Bowl’s mural was originally painted by Aniekan Udofia in 2012 and similarly featured prominent black figures. While you are here, fold in the Greater U Street Heritage Trail, which highlights important African American history that took place in the neighborhood.
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