The oldest family-run luncheonette in New York, last renovated in 1948, still serves food and drinks the old-fashioned way.

New York's oldest and possibly grandest keeper of books.

Curious crustaceans support an obelisk from ancient Egypt that now stands in modern-day Central Park.

This huge work of functional public art replaced a landfill in New Jersey's Meadowlands.

Try not to get slimed in Tribeca.

An uber-secure, windowless tower of doom in the center of Manhattan is an NSA spyscraper.

A historic 1890s architectural masterpiece with an iconic clock tower that, once open to the public, now faces an uncertain future.

During the 19th century, you could pay for violence off a prix fixe menu on this Manhattan street.

Order scoops of pandan, lychee, and black sesame at this family-run institution.

Avoid gangster interaction while window-shopping.

Built just after the American Revolution, the oldest row house in New York City still stands in Chinatown.

These 20-foot sculptures will help guide you from the local train station to the local sculpture garden.

This Delaware River bridge is emblazoned with a catty slogan from a more prosperous time.

A 1,100-ton train fell through the floor in 1953. Workers got it patched up in just 72 hours.

Railroad officials in the early 1900s sought to spare travelers the sight of Roman soldiers’ private parts.

An echo chamber with a waterfall wrapped around its base at the Embassy of Canada in Washington, D.C.

Even for Egyptian royalty, the afterlife was bring-your-own-beef.

Once thought to be the fabled Holy Grail, it is now known to be an oil lamp.

This nine-story building is the oldest standing skyscraper in D.C.

A replica of the famous memorial statue at the Normandy American Cemetery hides in an office building in downtown D.C.

This unassuming passageway played a key role in one of the most important events in U.S. history.

A three-story tower of books about Abraham Lincoln is one of the more unusual monuments to the president.

The oldest continuously operating fish market in the United States.

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