ryanswift's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Paris, France

Centre Pompidou

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.
Paris, France

Foucault's Pendulum

19th century pendulum and a clock restored by a rogue group of guerilla artists.
Paris, France

Shakespeare and Company

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.
London, England

The Lewis Chessmen

These mysterious Viking chess pieces spent centuries hidden on a remote Scottish island.
New York, New York

New York's Adam and Eve Sculptures

Two large-scale sculptures of Adam and Eve greet visitors in the nude at the Time Warner Center in NYC.
Toa Baja, Puerto Rico

El Cañuelo

This small fort played a huge role defending Puerto Rico’s capital city.
Edinburgh, Scotland

World's End Close

This otherwise ordinary close on the Royal Mile constituted the end of the world for Edinburgh’s poorest residents.
London, England

Temple Bar Memorial Dragon

The fierce beast perches atop a pedestal marking where the historic City of London gates once stood.
Pompeii, Italy

Plaster Citizens of Pompeii

The last moments of the ill-fated Pompeiians, frozen forever in plaster.
London, England

The Soho Square Hut

The Tudor-style cottage in the middle of the square is not quite what it seems.
London, England

Cabmen’s Shelter in Russell Square

Originally built for London’s cab drivers, this bright green hut now serves anyone a hot drink or meal.
London, England

Hoa Hakananai'a

The "lost friend” is the most famous of the six moai statues that were removed from Easter Island.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Magdalen Chapel

The 16th-century church has the only stained glass windows that survived the Scottish Reformation intact.
Edinburgh, Scotland

David Hume's Statue

Touching this 18th-century Scottish philosopher’s toe allegedly conjures good fortune.
Brooklyn, New York

West 8th Street - NY Aquarium Subway Station

New York's southernmost subway station is whimsically wavy.
Isle of Skye, Scotland

The Quiraing

Islanders once used this dramatic, otherworldly landscape to hide their cattle from Viking raiders.
Bethel, New York

Woodstock Site

The dairy farm in upstate New York where nearly half a million people gathered for three days of peace and music in 1969.
London, England

Trafalgar Square Imperial Measurements

These official units of measurement—including chains and perches—lie hidden beneath tourists' feet in a popular London hub.
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Garita del Diablo

Legend tells how a Spanish soldier disappeared from this isolated sentry box without a trace.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Gable Stones

In the days before house numbers, these colorful signs held clues about various buildings' purposes.
Brooklyn, New York

The Dime Savings Bank of Brooklyn

While it now takes more than a dime to open an account this historic Brooklyn bank still displays the opulence of the gilded age in which it was built.
Brooklyn, New York

Park Slope Plane Crash

One of the deadliest American air disasters is nearly forgotten in Brooklyn.
Brooklyn, New York

La Salle Hall

Now the site of a high school, this was almost the location of the largest cathedral in the US.
Kyle of Lochalsh, Scotland

Eilean Donan

The most iconic structure in Scotland has been home to bishops, colonels, and Sean Connery characters.