In 2020, to honor outgoing Atlas Obscura CEO David Plotz and his five years of service to the company, his colleagues purchased 1.18 acres of land in the middle of the Arizona desert on eBay. Located a mile from Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park, and 2,500 feet from historic Route 66, the Plotz Plot is the first place in the Atlas Obscura database created by Atlas Obscura itself.

Visitors to the Plotz Plot will discover an orange metal shed with a sign that reads: “For those experiencing a life transition: This is a place to leave behind a piece of your former self.”

Inside, shelves holds objects donated by members of the Atlas Obscura community who find themselves in the midst of personal transformation, and who wish to cast off a bit of their old lives. The first contribution to the Plotz Plot came from David Plotz himself. Its tag reads:

This Deuter Giga Bike Backpack represents the time I spent as CEO of Atlas Obscura. For more than five years, I commuted from my home in Washington to our headquarters in Brooklyn. I would say goodbye to family early Monday morning, board an Amtrak train, and return home late each Wednesday night. This backpack was my constant companion during those years. Now, I am leaving Atlas Obscura—and this backpack—behind to take my next adventure.

—David Plotz, February 2020

The Plotz Plot is a pilgrimage site for people navigating major life transitions of all kinds. We invite those who find themselves in the midst of a personal transformation to cast off a symbol of their old lives, and leave it behind as a memento inside this growing museum. All are welcome to contribute.

We ask that any contributions be appropriately tagged. The code for the combination lock is “4444.” Please re-lock the door upon leaving.

UPDATE: The original Plotz Plot shed was knocked down in a windstorm in 2020. In August 2021 several members of the Atlas Obscura community met up in Holbrook, AZ to rebuild the Plotz Plot inside of a refurbished shipping container.