This unmarked and unloved Manhattan subway grate created one of the most iconic images in American cinema.

Elevated freight railway turned wildly successful urban park.

The oldest family-run luncheonette in New York, last renovated in 1948, still serves food and drinks the old-fashioned way.

This shop for all your super spy needs hides an educational secret.

Four glass boxes hover over 1,000 feet in the air to give visitors an unparalleled view of Chicago.

For just a few bucks, this Iowa funicular will let you feel like an 1800s fat cat.

"World's largest scrap metal sculpture" stands in an outdoor sculpture garden in the middle of Wisconsin.

A bizarre house filled with an astounding array of collections.

This cave holds a surprisingly colorful variety of geological oddities.

Software company Epic Systems has created one of the strangest and largest workplaces of all time.

This stunning gothic ruin was a casualty of the Indiana steel industry crash.

A small abandoned and abused cemetery that has become a magnet for ghost hunters.

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

This bronze sculpture on a former squash court marks the secret origins of the Atomic Age.

Former meatpacking facility turned vertical farm and sustainable business complex.

World's second largest particle accelerator, where nature reveals its secrets.

This cheerfully-named branch of the Chicago River is the fetid result of years of blood, entrails, and meatpacking waste.

The twin towers in this Chicago fountain use 50 foot tall video screens to spit on people.

Illegal drag racing two stories beneath Chicago’s streets.

The palatial McDonald's that inspired Wesley Willis.

A lush green oasis in the middle of Chicago.

A giant bronze coil of feces is both a tribute to doggie defecation and a reminder to pick it up.

A beloved Chicago music venue offering cold beer and lots of “Friendly."