Hester's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Nara, Japan

Tōdai-ji Daibutsuden (The Great Buddha Hall)

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.
Kyoto, Japan

Ryōan-ji

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.
San Francisco, California

San Francisco Botanical Garden

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.
San Francisco, California

Japanese Tea Garden

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.
Vancouver, British Columbia

Gastown Steam Clock

A working steam clock, one of only a few in the world, located in Vancouver's Victorian Gastown.
Vancouver, British Columbia

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Traditional 15th century Chinese garden in the middle of Vancouver.
Vancouver, British Columbia

Stanley Park

"Girl in a Wetsuit" is what happens when a sculptor has to find a way around a 100 year old copyright.
Bangor, Maine

Stephen King's Former House

The eccentric mansion of one the most popular horror authors of modern times.
Baltimore, Maryland

The American Visionary Art Museum

A museum dedicated to exhibiting remarkable outsider art.
Chicago, Illinois

Hot Doug's

Hot Doug's "Hot Dog" Stand.
Chicago, Illinois

Tiffany Dome

This massive stained-glass masterpiece is thought to be the largest Tiffany dome in existence.
Frankenmuth, Michigan

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland

World's largest Christmas store.
Detroit, Michigan

Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry

These enduring murals depicting a distinctly Marxist tribute to capitalism could not even be defeated by McCarthyism.
Detroit, Michigan

Giant Boxing Arm of Joe Louis

Controversial tribute to the heavyweight champion boxer who grew up in Detroit.
Paris, France

Parc Monceau

The ruins of a Duke's bucolic dream, where camels once roamed alongside "Dutch" windmills and faux-Italian vineyards.
Paris, France

Julien Aurouze and Co.

A Parisian exterminator's shop whose storefront displays stuffed rats hanging from traps.
Paris, France

The Stravinsky Fountain

A series of abstract, silly sculptures represent the works of a great modern classical composer.
Paris, France

Musée des Arts et Métiers

France's national museum of scientific and industrial instruments.
Paris, France

Musée Carnavalet

A museum on the history of Paris, including a set of Napoleon's toiletries, Proust's room, and relics of the Revolution.
Paris, France

La Promenade Plantée

The first green space constructed on an elevated viaduct.
Maincy, France

Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte

This stunning French estate was so lavish that it landed its original owner in jail for the rest of his life.
Paris, France

Paris Padlocks of Love

The celebrated eyesore created by starry-eyed sweethearts.
Paris, France

Musée de Cluny

Medieval museum built over Roman baths that features famous tapestries of a lady and a unicorn.
Paris, France

Statue of Liberty, Pont de Grenelle

This statue was given to France by the United States to commemorate the centennial of the French Revolution.