With COVID restrictions easing, there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. You may want to travel the country again. As you check destinations off your list, make sure you know a little something about each of them. Here are some interesting facts that you probably never expected about 30 of your favorite destinations...

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1. The Empire State Building - Pay to visit the top of the Empire State Building, and you'll get a chance to go to the 102nd floor. But the building also has a 103rd floor, with a 360-degree view unobstructed by glass (or by basic safety equipment). Also, did you know that the Empire State Building was designed as a docking station for blimps? They completed  two test dockings, but never managed to capture the publics confidence.

2. The Brooklyn Bridge - When the bridge first opened, it was so huge that people mistrusted it. Someone yelled that the structure was collapsing, and 12 died in the resulting stampede.

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3. The Statue Of Liberty - People associate the statue with welcoming immigrants. But that poem about "huddled masses" wasn't added till 20 years after the statue was constructed. Earlier, many people chose to see it as an exclusionary symbol, a guardian protecting the US from foreigners. 

4. Times Square - That big building in the middle of Times Square - it's such a prime location, you'd think it must be one of the hottest properties in the world. Actually, it's vacant. The owner makes millions selling ad space on the facade, but inside, there's nothing.

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5. Central Park - Central Park has 1600 plaques engraved around the park with your coordinates. Somewhat redundant in the 21st century, but a good idea when first implemented in 1907.

6. JFK International Airport- JFK airport in New York has a whole luxurious terminal, stocked with '60s-style furniture, that sits vacant. It was for TWA exclusively, and it's remained unused since that airline folded.

7. Grand Central Station - Grand Central has a secret train platform, with a line that goes directly to the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. FDR took this private train to hide having to use a wheelchair, and the train he used is still parked there. 

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8. Lincoln's Birthplace - Go to Charleston, Illinois, and you can visit Lincoln's cabin, a preserved historical site. Except, Abraham Lincoln never actually lived here. The cabin's fake - and through a wacky mix-up, it might be made of the wood from Jefferson Davis' cabin.

9. The Golden Gate Bridge - The original plan for the Golden Gate Bridge was to paint it using dazzle camouflage, which meant a series of alternating stripes. The Army favored red and white, like a candy cane, while the Navy suggested yellow and black, like a bee.

10. Sacramento - In 1861, Sacramento got flooded so bad that the streets remained underwater for 3 months. They rebuilt the city nine feet higher, leaving Old Sacramento to be found underground if you look hard enough. 

13. Mount Rushmore - Like something out of National Treasure, Mount Rushmore has a secret room containing a titanium vault and a 1,200-pound capstone. The original goal was to store America's most prized documents here.

14. Washington, D.C. - D.C. is one of the flattest major cities in the U.S., with the tallest commercial building measuring only 12 stories. This'll surprise you if you've seen any of the many movies set in D.C. filled with skyscrapers.

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15. The Washington Monument - Beneath a manhole next to the main Washington Monument, is an underground 12' replica. It's a Geodetic Control Point, one of various markers placed across the country for surveyors.

16. The Capitol - There's a demand for flags that have been flown over the Capitol. Such high demand that the Capitol has three mini-flagpoles and flies 900 flags a day, each for just 30 seconds, so people can buy them. 

17. The Old House Office Building - This building south of the capitol, which held the offices of representatives, used to also hold its own bootlegging operation. A vet named George Cassiday was hired to smuggle booze for Congressmen during Prohibition, and he brewed it from within the building itself. 

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18. The Lincoln Memorial - Go through the right door, and you'll pass from the memorial into a secret underground hall. What's there? Graffiti, mostly. 

19. The Supreme Court - There's a court in the Supreme Court building. A basketball court. Rumor says that it was installed solely for the sake of puns. 

20. Lake Erie - A salt mine sits 2,000 feet below Lake Erie. It stretches for three miles and produces 5 million tons of salt every year.

21. The Grand Canyon - Plan on hiking the Grand Canyon? Great. Just don't think you'll be hiking the whole Grand Canyon. That would be a distance of 700 miles through some very tricky terrain. It's possible, but roughly as many people have done it as have walked on the Moon.

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22. The Hollywood Sign - The iconic Hollywood Sign has had it's ups and downs. This was how it looked at the end of the 1960s when the city stopped maintaining it.

23. Los Angeles - L.A. has a network of tunnels closed to the public. They connect various government buildings and are filled with side corridors of ancient files and outdated equipment. 

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24. The Alamo - Pictures of the Alamo make it look like a preserved fort surrounded by wilderness. But we very practically built a bunch of restaurants and businesses all over the Alamo Mission, leaving just a single chapel, one that's dwarfed by surrounding buildings.

25. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 - This cemetery was a famous landmark for its aboveground tombs, including voodoo queen Marie Laveau's. But so many people kept drawing on her tomb in an attempt to resurrect her that they had to close the cemetery to visitors.

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26. Area 51 - This is a real satellite photo. Kentucky Fried Chicken put up a little something for all of us wanted to investigate Area 51 on the map.

27. Las Vegas - Today's Vegas light shows are nothing compared to those from yesteryear. Tourists used to view the flashes from nuclear bombs the military tested in the nearby desert.

28. Yosemite - Yosemite's a great national park. Just don't count on the bliss of solitude if you sign up for the famous Half Dome hike. You'll be packed with other hikers, shuffling in single file. 

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29. Niagara Falls - In 1969, Niagara Falls got turned off. The Army Corps of Engineers diverted incoming water to Canada's Horseshoe Falls, to give them a chance to clear rocks from the base.

30. McCarty Metro HQ - Located underneath the basement steps at 9323 Sussex, you will be amazed by the complete open layout of the main level. You will feel like you are still outdoors as you take your tour of this prestigious landmark in Northwest Detroit. (must show a valid record of a recent tetanus shot prior to arrival)