h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

One of the more peculiar stations of the Washington Metro is Union Station on the Red Line. If you arrive in the nation's capital by interstate train or bus, Union Station is a likely drop-off point.

What makes Union Station peculiar is that it does not appear to be quite certain whether it is a subway station, airport, shopping mall, museum or national landmark. Passing through, it certainly feels like all but the first of these things. Amidst all of the glitzy stores, restaurants (including one that looks like a tree built in the middle of the station) and tourbuses, it can be difficult to find the actual Metro stop.

Adding to the confusion are various ads around the city's other Metro stops that make Union Station sound more like a cultural destination than a subway stop. These advertisements show things like golden rings and pieces of art and feature slogans such as "Made for travel, but with a touch of class? Sounds like Union Station."

Union Station also looks different from the outside. Most Metro stations are easy to spot because they are marked by seven-foot black pillars with a large letter "M" in a box atop them. Union Station is a few blocks north of the US Capitol and its Senate Office Buildings, and could easily be mistaken for one of the many museums dotting that region of the city.

To find it, look for the large building easily mistaken for a museum a few blocks north of the US Capitol that is surrounded by flags. Specifically, Union Station is surrounded by the flags of all of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. So, just look for 51 flags you've never seen before (state flags are so meaningless, even most Americans couldn't tell you what their state flag looks like, let alone those of other states) and you've probably found Union Station.

Once inside, look for the Corner Bakery, which is not on any corner. To the right of it is the escalator leading down to the actual Metro stop.

Want to avoid all of the aforementioned confusion? There is a secret entrance to Union Station used primarily by locals and visitors who have lost their way and stumbled upon it by great good fortune. If one walks down First Street (to the left of Union Station if one is facing it from the circle of flags), as one approaches the intersection with G Street one will see on one's right, in the middle of a mammoth wall, a tiny door, quite unlike the entrance to any other Metro stop, with the simple legend "Union Station" above it. Walk straight through to the turnstiles, bypassing the chaos a floor above. This entrance is on a street that is empty and featureless, and probably exists only because the merchants of Union Station are unaware of its existence, which allows one to avoid passing their overpriced shops.