From New York's Liberty Island to Alaska's Denali national park, the US government closed its doors as a bitter budget fight left hundreds of thousands of federal workers idle and halted all but the most critical government services for the first time in nearly two decades.
A midnight deadline to avert a shutdown passed amid congressional bickering, casting doubt on Americans' ability to get government services ranging from federally-backed home loans to supplemental food assistance for children and pregnant women.
For many employees of the federal government, Tuesday's shutdown meant no more pay as they were forced onto unpaid furloughs. For those still working, it meant delays in getting paid.
Park ranger and father-to-be Darquez Smith said he already lived paycheck-to-paycheck while putting himself through college.
"I've got a lot on my plate right now — tuition, my daughter, bills," said Smith, 23, a ranger at Dayton aviation heritage national historical park in Ohio. "I'm just confused and waiting just like everyone else."
The impact of the shutdown was mixed — immediate and far-reaching for some, annoying but minimal for others.
In Colorado, where flooding killed eight people this month, emergency funds to help rebuild homes and businesses continued to flow — but federal worker furloughs were expected to slow it down.
National Guard soldiers rebuilding washed-out roads would apparently be paid on time — along with the rest of the country's active-duty personnel — under a bill passed hours before the shutdown. Existing social security and Medicare benefits, veterans' services and mail delivery were also unaffected.
Other agencies were harder hit — nearly 3,000 Federal Aviation Administration safety inspectors were laid off, along with most of the National Transportation Safety Board's employees, including accident investigators who respond to air crashes, train collisions, pipeline explosions and other accidents.
Almost all of NASA shut down, except for mission control in Houston, and national parks closed along with the Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo. Even the zoo's popular pandacam went dark.
As the shutdown loomed on Monday, visitors to popular parks made their frustration with elected officials clear.
Cyprus will no be the model for future EU bailouts
Cyprus will n be the model for future EU bailouts
Cyprus will be the model for future EU bailouts.
EU word games.
Just like all Humpty Dumpty outfits - when they use a word it means whatever they want it to mean.