jennmelia's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Austin, Texas

Cathedral of Junk

This unique structure in suburban Austin is made up entirely of other people's castaways, and constantly changing.
Austin, Texas

Museum of the Weird

Continuing the tradition of the dime museum in style.
Austin, Texas

Toy Joy

A store full of vintage and indie toys designed to bring out the kid in even the crustiest of adults.
Austin, Texas

Congress Bridge Bats

Home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million bats.
Chicago, Illinois

Flat Iron Building

Not to be confused with the iconic New York City skyscraper, this Chicago building is a vibrant hub for artists.
Chicago, Illinois

'Nuclear Energy'

This bronze sculpture on a former squash court marks the secret origins of the Atomic Age.
Chicago, Illinois

Bubbly Creek

This cheerfully-named branch of the Chicago River is the fetid result of years of blood, entrails, and meatpacking waste.
Chicago, Illinois

Wicker Park

Once called the "Polish Gold Coast" it is an icon of the neighborhood that bears its same name.
Chicago, Illinois

Haymarket Square

Home to a protest movement, a bombing, and a dramatic change in labor history.
Chicago, Illinois

Stained Glass at Navy Pier

A display of magnificent stained glass windows is the first exhibit of its kind.
Chicago, Illinois

Green Mill Jazz Club

A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.
Collinsville, Illinois

Cahokia Mounds

Once one of the world's great cities, Cahokia was a place of religious worship, trade and mass human sacrifice before being mysteriously abandoned.
Chicago, Illinois

Carroll Avenue

A little-known subterranean street runs under some of the best-known buildings in Chicago's River North.
Chicago, Illinois

Palmer House Hilton

This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.
Chicago, Illinois

Wooden Block Alley

All of Chicago's wood-paved streets are long gone but two alleys remain.
Chicago, Illinois

The World's Columbian Exhibition of 1893

What's left of the ruins of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition, or World's Fair, also known as the White City.
Chicago, Illinois

The Fountain of Time

A hollow cement depiction of time's inexorable effect on the human body.
Chicago, Illinois

Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art

Nonprofit art center that promotes outsider, intuitive, and self-taught art.
Chicago, Illinois

Garfield Park Conservatory

A lush green oasis in the middle of Chicago.
Chicago, Illinois

Chicago Temple

A gothic church spire sits atop this skyscraper, the tallest church in the world.
Chicago, Illinois

Tiffany Dome

This massive stained-glass masterpiece is thought to be the largest Tiffany dome in existence.
Hartford, Connecticut

Cathedral of St. Joseph

This Connecticut chapel is a starkly modern, and surprisingly colorful, architectural rebel.
East Lyme, Connecticut

Book Barn

With some 500,000 books across five buildings, this bookstore is a reader's paradise.
New Canaan, Connecticut

Glass House

Home of Philip Johnson, one of the 20th century's most influential architects.