By Mia Hanuska
I am a HUGE Percy Jackson fan. I’ve read the books a million times; I’ve got the shirts, the beads, and even Annabeth’s Yankees hat. So of course, every time I travel, my traffic-cone-orange Camp Half Blood shirt—and/or my purple Camp Jupiter shirt—is the first thing in my suitcase. I’ve been fortunate enough to visit many of the dam locations mentioned in the books already, but there are still many I can’t wait to travel to see.
#1 St. Louis Gateway Arch
Probably the most iconic landmark of the entire Percy Jackson series, the St. Louis Gateway Arch has been on my bucket list since 5th grade. For those who may be a little rusty in their Percy Jackson lore, the St. Louis Arch is where Percy jumps into the river to escape the chimera in The Lightning Thief. Although, after seeing the TV show, it has come to light that apparently author Rick Riordan “thought the arch was closer” to the river. Still, like Annabeth, I’d love to visit the underground museum and take the curved elevator to the top.
#2 Golden Gate Park
A relatively new addition to the list, the Golden Gate Park is featured in Riordan’s new book, The Court of the Dead, where Nico, Will, Hazel, and Frank unfortunately find themselves in the midst of many reformed monsters. And fun fact, despite living in California, I have never actually visited the Golden Gate Bridge! Hopefully I can visit its park in my Percy Jackson attire—and won’t see any monsters, reformed or not—before college.
#3 Empire State Building
Of course, no Percy Jackson landmark list would be complete without the Empire State Building. Legend has it that as the large concentration of the population shifted from Greece to the United States, the gods moved their thrones from Mount Olympus to the 600th floor of the Empire State Building in New York City. Another The Lightning Thief landmark, and yet arguably the most important of all; it’s also where the Battle of Manhattan took place in The Last Olympian.
#4 Santa Monica Beach
Famous for Percy Jackson’s brave win against Ares in The Lightning Thief, Santa Monica Beach and its busy piers sound like the perfect place to find demigods—or gods themselves. I’d love to also visit its boardwalk as well!
#5 Central Park
More of a niche reference, Central Park is where Percy enters the Underworld in The Last Olympian. He needs the power of music though, and is able to wake Grover Underwood up from a long period of slumber through their Empathy Link. Central Park is also where Percy sees Morpheus for the first time. I really want to take a photo in front of some rocks and just claim they’re the entrance to the Underworld. I mean, who wouldn’t?
#6 The Smithsonian National Air And Space Museum
From one of the best Percy Jackson books (The Titan’s Curse), the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum marks the spot where Percy, Zoë Nightshade, Bianca di Angelo, and Grover fight the Nemean Lion by feeding it freeze-dried astronaut food and using its gags as an opportunity to aim into its mouth (its only weak spot). They also end up destroying half of the exhibits, but they’re trying to save the world, so it’s okay…right?
