the Exterior view on Sunset Boulevard of Emerson College in Los Angeles
The Aqua Tower, designed by Jeanne Gang, in Chicago
a Baha'i place of worship near Chicago, USA
the Long House ruins at Mesa Verde National Park
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland Ohio
the Fisher Fine Arts Library in Pennsylvania
the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas, Nevada
the Parthenon in Nashville
the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee
the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall
the View from Manhattan Bridge in NYC
Homes along Rainbow Row, in Charleston's Historic District
the Aspen Art Museum
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Emerson Los AngelesCombine one silver aircraft hangar, two gargantuan 1980s Pin Art toys, a spark of silver screen, and you’re halfway to imagining this college campus on Los Angeles’s Sunset Boulevard, designed by Morphosis architects in 2008. Platforms and bridges connect dorms to classrooms, offices, cafés, and film labs. Certified LEED Gold, the building features automated sun-shade fins that open and close as needed for heat regulation.
Photograph by Raimund Koch-View, Alamy Stock Photo

Amazing architecture you can see from your car window

From Pueblo cliff dwellings to a Milwaukee art museum, these American roadside sights offer an eyeful from afar.

ByCait Etherton
August 14, 2020

A window seat is a traveler’s dream. During a pandemic, it’s also a traveler’s best choice. Although restrictions are lifting in many places, social distancing remains the best practice. So if you have to view the world from afar, where better than in a car?

There’s a lot to see. From temples to skyscrapers to ancient cliff dwellings, the United States has a front-seat spectacle for every type of traveler. Here are 13 architectural wonders that you can see from the safety of a car.

(Related: It’s the summer of road trips. Here’s how to do them right.)

Just watch out for traffic: While normally crowded cities are catching a break from congestion and research by AAA projects that Americans will take fewer road trips this summer compared to 2019, that number is still expected to be nearly 700 million. So take the wheel—and take your time.

Cait Etherton is a Virginia-based farmer and writer. Follow her journey on Twitter.

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