jjdowd's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Newcomb, New York

Great Camp Santanoni

Hike deep into the woods to explore this Gilded Age masterpiece.
Chatsworth, New Jersey

Apple Pie Hill Fire Tower

How this Pine Barrens hill got its name is uncertain, but on a good day the view from the fire tower is crystal clear.
Foxworth, Mississippi

Red Bluff

A dramatically eroding canyon thousands of miles from the desert.
Williamsburg, Kentucky

Cumberland Falls State Park

Moonbows over Kentucky.
Key West, Florida

Dry Tortugas

These remote Florida islands have a history of sea turtles and sunken treasures, and one of the world's largest coastal brick fortresses.
Chichen Itza, Mexico

El Caracol

No telescopes, no power, no gift shop: The Observatory of Chichen Itza, one of the world's oldest observatories, takes astronomy back to basics.
Athens, Greece

Antikythera Mechanism

A 2,000-year-old computer demonstrates remarkable engineering and astronomical precision.
Beijing, China

Beijing Ancient Observatory

This ancient Chinese observatory still contains early astronomy technology.
Milan, Italy

'Saint Bartholomew Flayed'

This grisly effigy displays an early Christian martyr who was skinned alive and beheaded.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Mary King's Close

17th century streets hidden under Edinburgh were once a breeding ground for the black death.
Auvers-sur-Oise, France

Grave of Vincent and Theo van Gogh

The artist and his brother are buried in a landscape straight out of a van Gogh painting.
San Luis Obispo, California

Madonna Inn

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.
Los Angeles, California

Bradbury Building

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.
Los Angeles, California

Biddy Mason Memorial Park

A beautiful memorial tells the story of a formerly enslaved woman whose kindness shaped a burgeoning city.
Moab, Utah

Potash Evaporation Ponds

Few things look more out of place than the electric blue ponds in the reddish-brown desert of Utah.
San Bernardino County, California

Mojave Lava Tube

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.
Los Angeles, California

Venice of America Canals

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.
Los Angeles, California

Clifton's Cafeteria

Giant Redwood-themed cafeteria operates under the golden rule, "Dine Free Unless Delighted."
Los Angeles, California

'Four Great Eras of California History'

Inside this library, the history of Los Angeles is retold through a mural.
Los Angeles, California

Richfield Tower's Art Deco Doors

Though the original building has been demolished, these massive bronze doors were saved.
Los Angeles, California

Muscle Beach

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.
Los Angeles, California

River Under the First Bridge

An iconic location along the Los Angeles River where countless movie scenes are filmed.
Los Angeles, California

Brown Derby

Outposts of this restaurant chain were shaped like jaunty chapeaus.
Los Angeles, California

The Bonaventure Hotel

The space-age building is home to one of the few remaining rotating restaurants in America, and the only one that inspired a 1980s sitcom.