This stunning Brazilian library contains the largest collection of Portuguese texts outside of Portugal itself.

The mysterious, fantastical woodland inspiration for "The Lord of the Rings."

Statue of death tucked in the University of Medicine courtyard.

An Escher-inspired library dedicated to the wonders of the human mind, yet closed to the public.

The former home of Samuel Clemens and family remembers the happiest period of the author's life.

The loneliest island in New York.

A discreet little stairway on St. Nicholas Avenue leads to a quaint and unexpected cobblestone street of 19th century wooden rowhouses.

Small monoliths of several varieties of stone sit alongside a wooded path in the Bronx.

The famous author's cottage hideaway.

Mirrors and glass shards cover every inch of this arrestingly beautiful mosque.

This otherwise innocuous bodega was once the headquarters of the most feared assassin's guild in American history.

While it is not equipped to peer into outer space this observatory looks like it was built on the moon.

New York City's smallest piece of private property.

A famous songsmith's custom piano, dubbed "High Society," is hidden just out of sight in one of New York's finest hotels.

Spinning silently in the lobby of an Art Deco masterwork is a massive vintage model of the Earth.

A miniature rainforest is growing inside of a Midtown Manhattan office building.