A Japanese temple, old German townhouses, and public chess tables offer a peaceful escape from the bustle of the North Side.

The lowest point in the state of Illinois, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.

To find the "unicorns of the deep" you've got to go downstairs.

This landmark of the Chicago silent film industry may not be in the picture business anymore but it still stands proudly.

Arguably the best example of an authentic Dutch windmill in the United States, rivaling its counterparts in the Netherlands.

Quirky water tower advertises the long-gone Brooks Tomato Products Co.

The 606 is a decade in the making.

Former hotel turned into haunted playground.

This morbid, delightful curiosity shop offers everything from animal bones to human teeth.

The maximum security facility was once thought to have "the bloodiest 47 acres in America."

A late sculptor's last project was to turn this abandoned cement factory into a castle-themed amusement park.

The mouldering manses of wealthy colonials still pock the streets of a Curaçao neighborhood.