dc

Have you ever wanted to steal the Declaration of Independence? We’ve all watched Ben Gates and his friend Riley Poole use a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence to find ancient hidden treasure while racing against time and gun-toting treasure hunters. We may not be able to steal the Declaration of Independence or speak with the FBI, but we can visit where it all happened: Washington, DC.

Horns honk and sirens wail. Men and women swiftly shuffle down the sidewalk. Without warning, the smells of pollution or police-horse droppings waft away, and the city now smells of sautéed vegetables, melted Gouda cheese, or grilled barbeque beef.

Created in 1912, the Czarevich Egg was created for Empress Alexandra Feodorovna as a tribute to her son, Alexei. Photography courtesy of Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. On Easter morning, you are probably used to seeing a wicker basket filled with eggs—perhaps dyed chicken eggs, chocolate eggs, or colorful plastic eggs filled with a variety of candy treats. But what would you think if the eggs hadn’t been laid by a chicken or weren’t made of plastic or sugar?

Every spring, Washington, DC, wakes from its wintertime slumber in dazzling shades of pink and white bursting from the blossoms of thousands of cherry trees. Millions of visitors flock to the nation’s capital to admire the blossoms and celebrate spring with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. But the attraction is more than just beautiful flowers. Over the 100 years since their planting, these cherry trees have come to symbolize friendship, hope, and—in true spring fashion—renewal.