Catherine John's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Bethel, Maine

World Traveler Signpost

Turns out you can see the world without ever leaving Maine.
Porto, Portugal

Carmo and Carmelitas Churches

A hidden three-foot-wide house separates these two regal churches.
Monterrey, Mexico

Librería CONARTE

A honeycomb-like structure of interlocking shelves creates a beehive of books.
Lima, Peru

Huaca Pucllana

This stone complex marks the urban center of a lost civilization.
Lima, Peru

Convento de San Francisco Ossuary

The mortal remains of an estimated 70,000 people lie in the basement of a monastery in Lima, Peru.
Lima, Peru

Bosque el Olivar (Olive Grove Forest)

A pretty park of over 1,600 olive trees that grew from just three saplings brought over from Spain.
Tokyo, Japan

Transparent Restroom

These unique toilets feature transparent glass covered in PDLC film.
Guadalajara, Mexico

Telmex Building

This structure was moved nearly 40 feet while people continued working inside it.
Guadalajara, Mexico

Panteón de Belen (Santa Paula Cemetery)

This historic cemetery built for victims of the epidemics that swept Guadalajara is shrouded in macabre tales.
Esperança, Portugal

The World’s Shortest International Bridge

You can cross from one country to another in a single hop on this little bridge.
Nienhagen, Germany

Gespensterwald (Ghost Forest)

Twisted trees shaped by coastal winds make this woodland look like something from a spooky story.
Sant Just Desvern, Spain

La Fábrica (The Factory)

An architect transformed this abandoned cement factory into his castle-like workshop.
Naucalpan, Mexico

Nautilus House

This fantastical house shaped like a seashell brings aquatic design to architecture.
Naucalpan, Mexico

El Nido de Quetzalcóatl

An Aztec snake god has taken the material form of an apartment complex.
Tokyo, Japan

Obake Kaidan

A flight of this "ghost staircase" has 40 steps on the way up, but only 39 steps on the way down.
Juneau, Alaska

The Upside-Down Forest of Glacier Gardens

Upside-down trees serve as natural flower pots in this hanging garden of Alaska.
San Bernardino, California

Mitla Cafe

The Route 66 institution that inspired Taco Bell also served as an important headquarters for Mexican-American social movements.
San Francisco, California

Internet Archive Headquarters

The grand, column-fronted, sculpture-adorned home of the ambitious digital library.