An unassuming, powerful monument north of the U.S. Capitol bears witness to the resilience of Japanese Americans during a time of grave injustice.

The most accurate timepiece in the world.

A historic estate packed with George Washington's heirlooms, and its own nuclear bunker.

The beloved statue at the National Academy of Sciences is oh so inviting to sit on.

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.

Enormous piles of historically significant stones, dumped by Congress in a forest, and abandoned for 60 years.

Home to items never before seen by the public.

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.

The site of the climactic scene from the classic horror film is now a historic landmark.

The ruined doorway is a portal to the building's turbulent and torturous past.

This ancient Greek place of assembly and marketplace is being revealed layer by layer below the modern Athens cityscape.

An ancient octagonal weather station named for the eight Greek gods of wind.

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

Chevron maintains one “Standard” brand station per state so it doesn’t lose the trademark.

An invitation-only museum of items natural and bizarre, arcane and exotic.

The oldest lawn bowling club in the United States.

This turn of the century masterpiece has a mysterious goaty interloper.

A famous alternative culture epicenter and where Joplin serenaded young hippies.

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

The giant pair of sexy legs sticking out the window of this costume store have become its main draw.

This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.

San Francisco’s century-old Christmas Tree.

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.

The century-old bell and clock tower at UC Berkeley is the third-tallest in the world, and has fossils.