Author Sarah Luria believes that Washington came to be what it is today through speculation, not just real estate speculation, but political and intellectual speculation. It was a gamble, to build a grand national capital for a nation that was itself an experiment. By thinking big, the creators of Washington forced the city to grow into its own lofty pretensions. The city is also filled with failed spaces. But Washington, as we know it today, is no accident. It is a place where the great history of American ideas has been worked out in stone, brick and cement. For more information about this podcast, go to www.travisfox.com.