Manhattan’s Battery Park has a whimsical carousel full of spinning, glowing fish.

One of the most enjoyable bits of history at Coney Island and “the most romantic ride in the world.”

The "Seinfeld" diner.

The best place in New York to pick up the controversial, notoriously foul-smelling Asian "king of fruits."

This small and serene place for quiet reflection on Staten Island was built in China based on the gardens of the Ming Dynasty.

Thriving meadows span a rooftop in one of Brooklyn's most heavily industrialized neighborhoods.

New York's southernmost subway station is whimsically wavy.

This interactive gallery makes you feel like you've stepped into a fantasy world filled with whimsical monsters.

This small, hidden cove is home to abandoned boats.

An arcade packed with a rotating collection of unique independent video games.

An exhibition space dedicated to American outsider art created between the 18th and 21st centuries.

Sip coffee and talk politics at this landmark cafe in Astoria's Little Egypt, a contender for the title of America's first hookah bar.

A Ukrainian church canteen doles out hearty fare in an East Village basement.

A Wisconsin kitsch palace from the 1930s lives its second life in 21st-century Brooklyn.

This secluded ruin was once a home for exotic plants.

This Russian bar-restaurant lies within a three-story underground bathhouse.

Finally, you don't have to be a pious Swedish seaman to relax like one.

Come for the waffles, stay for more waffles.

This eclectic sculpture garden in Brooklyn, home to a bizarre collection of art, was once a run-down junkyard.

An old soap company building now houses one of Minneapolis’s oldest independent non-profit art galleries.

A whimsical sensor instrument for Minneapolitans to play on their walks to work.

The dishes at this restaurant by The Sioux Chef celebrate indigenous heritage.

20,000 pieces in a Frank Gehry-designed building.

A toweringly silly piece of modern art has been delighting locals since the 1980s.