World's first "penitentiary," meant to be humane, drove men insane.

A crumbling hospital from the 1850s on Roosevelt Island.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

An expansive book store, art gallery, and curio shop with wares ranging from tarot cards to novelty socks.

An increasingly eccentric apartment building, topped with winged beasties.

The so-called "Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles" is on a one mutant mission to keep L.A. weird.

The final resting place of a space program monolith.

This serene oasis in an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood holds some of Gandhi's ashes and got Elvis into Eastern Philosophy.

Panorama exhibition hall in old silent theater with a beautiful backyard garden.

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

A look into the Church of Scientology's deeply unfavorable view of psychiatry.

A library of rare occult books in Los Angeles.

America's most famous piece of self-built architecture.

Non-profit time travel mart sells goods you would need for a trip through the fourth dimension.

One of Monterrey's oldest buildings is perched atop a hill boasting impressive views of the city.

The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.

If a glacial river suddenly diving into a sheer chasm via a dramatic, multi-stage waterfall isn't peak Iceland, it's certainly close.

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

The most powerful waterfall in all of Europe.

This elegant arc of a waterfall marks a religious turning point.

Iceland's tribute to its thankless civil servants.

This stunning concert hall has become a symbol of Iceland's national recovery.

This tiny museum's sizable collection is jammed into a former underground public toilet.

An encyclopedic collection of mammal penises.