This magical grotto is adorned with a complex pattern of native seashells, minerals, and fragments of colored glass.

A 19th-century mansion houses the largest collection of gin in the European Union.

In Little Caribbean, an ice-cream shop serves up regional flavors, including soursop, Irish moss, and "greatnut."

The hot chocolate here all stems from small, sustainable microproducers in Chiapas and Tabasco.

Once a 19th-century brasserie, this McDonald's exterior celebrates Alsatian design and the "King of Beer."

The impeccably spiced roast pork buns at this bakery are worth the wait.

The French deconstructionist had a weakness for baked goods.

This restaurant features Native American foods from across the country.

Serving Central Asian breads that range from cracker-crisp to warm and fluffy, this bakery brings Bukhara to Queens.

The largest lake in the Faroe Islands seems to be held hundreds of feet above sea level thanks to an optical illusion.

This ornate Victorian marketplace was the setting for Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron in the Harry Potter films.

The original toys that inspired the beloved children's stories are on display at the New York Public Library.

Mysterious 500-year-old tapestries depict a unicorn hunt.

More gold than anywhere else, ever.

New York City's smallest piece of private property.

A restaurant on Staten Island showcases a different grandmother’s cooking every night.

One of New York's best collections of pinball is hidden in a secret bar in the back of this laundromat.

The "Seinfeld" diner.

Dodge prohibitionists and slide through the telephone booth in Crif Dogs.

The world’s oldest and biggest bookstore stocking only mystery, crime fiction, espionage, and thrillers.

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

A treasure trove of artifacts, books, and artwork from the "golden age" of exploration.

This post-war motel embodies a little-known, Miami-born architectural style.

With nickel-steel armor and three-inch thick bullet resistant windows, FDR's train was a rolling fortress.