Michelle Cassidy's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Byaduk, Australia

Tumuli Lava Blisters

These naturally occurring but rare geological formations are each about the size of a small house.
Castellana Grotte, Italy

Castellana Caves

The sunlight passing through the opening of this huge cave system creates a magical effect.
Chichen Itza, Mexico

Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chich'en Itza

Every equinox this Maya pyramid puts on a spooky ancient light show.
Silver Spring, Maryland

'Coastline' Wave Pool

Live data is transmitted from the Atlantic coast to instantly recreate the ocean waves in this fountain at the NOAA headquarters.
Keswick, England

Derwent Pencil Museum

A museum in England’s Lake District dedicated to the trusty pencil wants you to know the story of their World War II spy pencils.
Winslow, Arizona

Meteor Crater

This 4,000-foot-diameter hole is touted as "the most well known, best preserved meteorite crater on Earth."
Vista Hermosa, Colombia

Caño Cristales

An explosion of natural color known as "the river that ran away from paradise."
Brussels, Belgium

The Belgian Centre for Comic Strip Art

From Tintin to the Smurfs, Europe's greatest graphic icons are celebrated in a grand Art Noveau gallery.
Brussels, Belgium

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken

Lavish royal estate punctuated with heated greenhouses.
Ukiah, California

Vichy Springs

Naturally carbonated water fills the mineral baths at this 19th-century California resort.
New York, New York

Streecha

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

Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks

Unusual books about food and drink abound in this 19th-century New York townhouse.
Hida, Japan

Super-Kamiokande

Enormous underground chamber built to detect 'ghost particles' of the universe.
Dover, New Hampshire

Woodman Institute Museum

A museum dedicated to "science, history and the arts" little changed since 1915.
San Francisco, California

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Company

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.
San Francisco, California

Hang Ah Tea Room

The oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States is a nostalgic jewel.
San Francisco, California

Fairmont San Francisco Penthouse Suite

San Francisco's most expensive hotel suite includes a secret passageway rumored to have been used by JFK.
Ngorongoro, Tanzania

Shifting Sand Dunes

These strange piles of magnetized volcanic ash travel across the desert about 50 feet per year.
Ngorongoro, Tanzania

Ol Doinyo Lengai

This rare volcano spews the strangest and (literally) coolest lava in the world.
Rome, Italy

Monte Testaccio

This hill made entirely of ancient Roman jars was simply a garbage dump to the people of the time.
New York, New York

Jacques Derrida's Favorite Banana Bread

The French deconstructionist had a weakness for baked goods.
Ado Awaiye, Nigeria

Iyake Suspended Lake

Ado Awaye Mountain and the unique lake that sits near its peak are shrouded in ancient legends.
Limoux, France

Musée des Automates

A centuries-old quest to create artificial life is alive and well in the French town of Limoux.
Kusini, Tanzania

Kuza Cave

This sacred, circular cave is lined with pools so clear and still that it's hard to tell where the water begins.