Sheila Baker's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Sonoma, California

Location of the Microsoft Windows XP Default Wallpaper

The unedited photograph called "Bliss" has graced the screens of over a billion computers.
Queens, New York

Panorama of the City of New York

The crown jewel of the Queens Museum is a nearly 10,000-square-foot architectural model of the city originally built for the 1964 World's Fair.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam Oersoep

A Dutch passageway's artistic, aquatic-themed makeover pays tribute to the capital city's famed waterways.
Amsterdam, Netherlands

Begijnhof Chapel

A hidden church in a hidden courtyard tells the story of the Miracle of Amsterdam.
Shiraz, Iran

Nasir al-Mulk Mosque

A spectacular rainbow of stained glass makes the "Pink Mosque" one of the most beautiful in Iran.
Namibia

Tropic of Capricorn Crossing

Road signs in Namibia mark the location of one of the five major circles of latitude.
New York, New York

5 Beekman Street

This beautiful building in the heart of Manhattan's Financial District was empty for decades.
Iran

Tomb of Cyrus

This ancient burial site is believed to be one of the first earthquake-protected structures in the world.
Sirjan, Iran

Stone Garden

Hundreds of stones dangle from barren trees in the middle of the desert.
Juraguá, Cuba

Cuba's Abandoned Nuclear Plant Construction

A nuclear power plant abandoned along with an international allegience.
Tampere, Finland

Lenin Museum

The last permanent exhibit dedicated to the Soviet leader.
Berlin, Germany

Marx and Engels Forum

One of downtown Berlin's last reminders of its Communist past.
Berlin, Germany

Friedrichsfelde Socialist Cemetery

The final resting place of many of Germany's most famous communists.
Karlovy Vary, Czechia

Karl Marx Monument

A larger-than-life statue of the German revolutionist stands proud in a small town where he never lived.
Barcelona, Spain

Sewers of Barcelona

Barcelona's historic 19th-century sewers, whose foundations were laid in medieval times, are open to the public for exploring.
Barcelona, Spain

Festa Major de Gràcia

Week-long block party becomes a competition for the best decorated street.
Barcelona, Spain

Tió de Nadal

Catalonia Tradition: Beating the hollow Christmas log until it defecates in your fireplace.
Barcelona, Spain

Barcelona's Baby Drop-off

Turntable anonymously received orphans, alms, and groceries.
Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania

Gobbler's Knob

A tradition unlike any other, this marks the site of the annual Groundhog's Day tradition.
Meybod, Iran

Yakhchāls

Ancient structures used to make and preserve ice in the deserts of Persia.
Naples, Italy

Fontanelle Cemetery Caves

Skulls from the plague of 1656 and World War II bombings are united by a cult dedicated to caring for the ancient dead.
New York, New York

Nicholas Roerich Museum

This small New York museum celebrates the mountainous artwork of a Russian mystic.
Leverett, Massachusetts

New England Peace Pagoda

This rare symbol of Eastern philosophy in the West has been created over years of painstaking construction by the local community.
Concord, New Hampshire

Redstone Rocket Replica

The 92-foot-tall structure is based on the aircraft that carried the first Americans into space.