Sam OBrien's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Smithfield, Virginia

World’s Oldest Edible Ham

The nearly 120-year-old piece of pork wears a brass collar and was once a man's "pet ham."
Indio, California

Shields Date Garden

A giant knight, sex education, date shakes, and Jesus coexist happily in this Coachella Valley desert oasis.
Sintra, Portugal

Quinta da Regaleira

This eccentrically decorated palace is replete with grottoes, fountains, tunnels, and caves.
Lisbon, Portugal

Conserveira de Lisboa

The best place in the world to buy tinned fish.
Lisbon, Portugal

Livraria Bertrand

The world's oldest bookshop still in operation.
Lisbon, Portugal

Carmo Convent Ruins

Legacy of the earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the face of the Earth.
Lisbon, Portugal

Santa Justa Lift

This Industrial Age architectural and engineering gem helps visitors and residents alike traverse Lisbon, “The City of Seven Hills.”
Lisbon, Portugal

Jerónimos Monastery

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.
Lisbon, Portugal

Rhinoceros of Belem Tower

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.
Austin, Texas

Uncommon Objects

One part antique store, one part curiosities hodge-podge.
Austin, Texas

Cathedral of Junk

This unique structure in suburban Austin is made up entirely of other people's castaways, and constantly changing.
Austin, Texas

'Hi, How Are You' Mural

This simple frog painting created by musician Daniel Johnston embodies the spirit of Austin.
Austin, Texas

The Texas State Cemetery

A high-octane shrine to the greatest Texans who ever lived.
Austin, Texas

The Harry Ransom Center

The upstairs reading room is packed with millions of rare books, literary manuscripts, and historical treasures.
Austin, Texas

Frost Bank Tower

Locals dubbed it the "Owl Building" because of its bird-like appearance.
Austin, Texas

Museum of the Weird

Continuing the tradition of the dime museum in style.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Swann Memorial Fountain

A tour de force of a fountain, memorializing a man who loved fountains more than anything else.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Grip the Raven

The taxidermied remains of Charles Dickens' pet raven, which helped inspire one of Edgar Allan Poe's most famous poems.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Foucault Pendulum at the Franklin Institute

A daily replay of the experiment that proved the rotation of the Earth.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Maillardet's Automaton

The origin of this mechanical boy was a mystery until he revealed his maker by writing it in perfect cursive.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Golden Gal of Old Madison Square Garden

Golden and naked, the figure that was once the highest point in New York is all that remains of the second Madison Square Garden.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Eastern State Penitentiary

World's first "penitentiary," meant to be humane, drove men insane.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Neon Museum

Old neon signs from the City of Brotherly Love provide a snapshot of the city’s evolution.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia

This little-known collection holds everything from "Dracula" notes, to the manuscript of "Ulysses," to the forged works of Shakespeare.