helenmendes's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Heidelberg, Germany

The Mauer 1 Jawbone

The jaw of one of humankind's earliest ancestors on display at an overlooked geology museum.
Brussels, Belgium

Temple of Human Passions

This Greek temple, open only an hour a day, was the site of a war of tastes between an architect and an artist.
Paris, France

Deyrolle Taxidermy

Paris' fabled purveyor of exotic taxidermy and natural history curios.
Paris, France

Petite Ceinture

Abandoned railway line circling the city of Paris.
Paris, France

Gustave Eiffel's Secret Apartment

High atop the Eiffel Tower is a small apartment built exclusively to entertain the science elite and make the rest of Paris jealous.
Paris, France

The Wax and Bone Relics of Saint Vincent de Paul

Saintly bones pressed into a wax effigy of a Catholic superstar.
Paris, France

Jules Lavirotte's 29 Avenue Rapp

A scandalous Art Nouveau collaboration that set Paris all atwitter at the turn of the century.
San Francisco, California

Magowan's Infinite Mirror Maze

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.
New York, New York

Times Square Hum

A pedestrian island in the middle of world-famous Times Square emits a strange (and purposeful) humming noise.
New York, New York

The Evolution Store

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.
San Francisco, California

Dangling Legs at the Piedmont Boutique

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

California Academy of Sciences Herpetology Department

Over 315,000 preserved amphibians and reptiles in jars.
San Francisco, California

Janis Joplin Tree

A famous alternative culture epicenter and where Joplin serenaded young hippies.
San Francisco, California

Golden Gate Park Bison

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.
San Francisco, California

The Shipwrecks at Land's End

A 300-ship graveyard, with a few still visible at low tide.
San Francisco, California

Hotel Vertigo

A historic hotel that made a cameo in Hitchcock's classic film has no intention of letting guests forget its fame.
San Francisco, California

The Pirate Supply Store at 826 Valencia

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.
San Francisco, California

Paxton Gate

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.
San Francisco, California

Yoda Fountain

There is no trying to fall in love with this Star Wars fountain, you just do or do not.
San Francisco, California

Musée Mécanique

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.
San Francisco, California

Exploratorium

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.
San Francisco, California

Camera Obscura & Holograph Collection

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast.
San Francisco, California

Albion Castle

A 140-year-old castle with underground caves hidden in San Francisco.
San Francisco, California

Loved to Death

This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.