all this talk about the good old days in DC
TIL there was a canal in the center Washington DC, going right down constitution
but then the AI of it's day (rail) came along and investors and cites lost millions (billions in todays $)

circa 1852
Notice Smithsonian castle is there
also the Arrow in the lower right
is Mary Ann Hall's brothel
and this image is made from a view of the roof of the Capitol...you do the math