Recent Activity

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Portlandia
  

  Portlandia

  Portlandia is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the United States

  Portlandia is a sculpture by Raymond Kaskey located above the entrance of Michael Graves' Portland Building in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is the second-largest copper repoussé statue in the... »

  Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by canuck and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to The Cross Bones Graveyard
  

  London, United Kingdom

  The Cross Bones Graveyard

  Medieval prostitute cemetery on the outskirts of London

  Post-medieval London was a place of decency, civility and god-fearing. But post-medieval suburbs of London were another story, filled with prostitution, disease and mass burial in Cross Bones... »

  Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by serflac, atimian and others

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Strawberry Fields Memorial
  

  Strawberry Fields Memorial

  Central Park mosaic dedicated to John Lennon, groomed by a Beatles super-fan

  Constructed just five years after John Lennon's tragic death, Strawberry Fields quickly became a well-known pop-culture pilgrimage site, and is now presided over and decorated by one dedicated... »

  Outsider Art | Edited by aboychuk and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Children are the Victims of Adult Vices
  

  Children are the Victims of Adult Vices

  Thirteen sculptures in central Moscow graphically depicting vices of the modern world

  In 2001, Russian artist Mihail Chemiakin constructed an unusual sculpture "Children are the Victims of Adult Vices," depicting two unaware children playing as thirteen evil statues surround them.... »

  Strange Statues | Edited by Dampo, atimian and others

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Peeing Colors in Kiev
  

  Kiev, Ukraine

  Peeing Colors in Kiev

  When you've got to go, you've got to go

  If you're out for a stroll in Kiev, keep in mind that four boys might start peeing a colorful stream just inches above your head. Without any rationale or explanation, a statue of four young... »

  Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Mother Motherland
  

  Kiev, Ukraine

  Mother Motherland

  340-foot statue built to honour the Heroes of the Soviet Union

  Standing proudly over the Kiev skyline is the 340-foot tall Mother Motherland statue. Originally intended to be even taller, the sword of the statue was cut because it was higher than the cross of... »

  Strange Statues | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Padlock Tree Park
  

  Padlock Tree Park

  Dozens of padlock-trees along the Moscow River

  Rows of dozens of trees, each one housing hundreds if not thousands of padlocks, adorn the banks of the Moscow River and symbolize a couple's eternal love in marriage. When a couple get... »

  | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Museum of Soviet Arcade Games
  

  Museum of Soviet Arcade Games

  Immortal combat in a Moscow museum

  A lot of arcades have their own special tokens for their games. But few have Soviet-era Kopek coins complete with a hammer and sickle signifying their connection to communism. Preserved by a... »

  Retro-Tech | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to The Zaisan Memorial
  

  Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

  The Zaisan Memorial

  A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital

  In many ways, the Zaisan Memorial is a massive show of appreciation for the Soviet Union, from the Mongolian people. Seeming to promote good relations between the two states, the monument was... »

  Strange Statues | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Nikita's Guesthouse on Olkhon Island
  

  Irkutsk, Russia

  Nikita's Guesthouse on Olkhon Island

  Intricate wood carvings on an island in Siberia

  It is hard to imagine a more remote location for such a charming guesthouse. Getting to Nikita's, one must first travel to Irkutsk in Siberia, then travel on a dirt road for several hours, catch a... »

  Outsider Architecture | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Riga Central Market
  

  Riga, Latvia

  Riga Central Market

  3,000 market stands in five former Zeppelin hangars

  At the turn of the 20th century, Zeppelins were seen as the transportation of the future. During that time, five giant hangars were created to house the German-made airships in the center of Riga,... »

  Architectural Oddities | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Monument to the Conquerors of Space
  

  Moscow, Russia

  Monument to the Conquerors of Space

  Moscow's imposing monument to the space age

  Looking at the towering monument, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the space race is still very much alive. Rising on a 350-foot high plume of smoke and condensation, the Monument to the... »

  Architectural Oddities | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Erlian Kissing Dinosaurs
  

  Erenhot, China

  Erlian Kissing Dinosaurs

  The largest dinosaurs in the world, kissing above the highway

  A trip into Mongolia is like entering another world, or another time. On China's border with the desolate country, is a site that seems almost comforting in the wasteland. At least as comforting... »

  | Edited by Dampo and atimian

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to The Twelve Apostles
  

  Port Campbell, Australia

  The Twelve Apostles

  Nine limestone rock stacks on Australia's "Shipwreck Coast"

  Recently a young couple visiting the Twelve Apostles -- confusingly, there are only nine rock formations -- walked out onto a section of rock known as the London Bridge. In a moment of life... »

  Natural Wonders, Geological Oddities | Edited by canuck and Dylan

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney
  

  Sydney, Australia

  Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

  Come for the flowers, stay for the bats!

  Tens of thousands of flying foxes (a cat-size version of the fruit bat) have set up camp in the central Sydney Royal Botanic Gardens. By day, they roost in the trees, waking at dusk to seek out... »

  Extraordinary Flora, Fascinating Fauna | Edited by A Facebook user, Annetta and others

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Big Banana
  

  Coffs Harbour, Australia

  Big Banana

  One of the first big sculptures anywhere in Australia

  Australia is home to more than just a couple of big things. The big country, it has been said, has a love of similarly-oversized objects. The Big Banana is only one of a loosely related set of... »

  Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by Nicholas Jackson and Henri

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Big Merino
  

  Goulburn, Australia

  Big Merino

  Three-story concrete ram with a permanent gift shop

  Australia is home to more than just a couple of big things. The big country, it has been said, has a love of similarly-oversized objects. The Big Merino is only one of a loosely related set of... »

  Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by Nicholas Jackson

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Big Oyster
  

  Taree, Australia

  Big Oyster

  Homage to the local produce now serves as a car dealer

  Australia is home to more than just a couple of big things. The big country, it has been said, has a love of similarly-oversized objects. The Big Oyster is only one of a loosely related set of... »

  Unusual Monuments, Strange Statues | Edited by Nicholas Jackson

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Catacombes de Paris
  

  Paris, France

  Catacombes de Paris

  The Catacombs hold secrets much stranger than the bones stacked within them

  In 2004, Parisian police were assigned to do a training exercise in a previously uncharted part of the Catacombs of Paris beneath the Palais de Chaillot. Entering the catacombs through a drain,... »

  Memento Mori, Ossuaries, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Subterranean Sites | Edited by CPilgrim, Dylan and 6 others

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Machines of the Isle of Nantes
  

  Nantes, France

  Machines of the Isle of Nantes

  Massive puppet-automaton machines created by French artist collective Machines de l’Ile

  The Machines de l’Ile is an extraordinary artistic project like you've never seen before. Born from the imaginations of François Delarozière and Pierre Orefice, it is a blend of the invented... »

  Amazing Automata | Edited by Dylan, Annetta and 2 others

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Art Nouveau in Riga
  

  Riga, Latvia

  Art Nouveau in Riga

  Flamboyant architecture from the turn of 20th century

  Art Nouveau or Jugendstil (as it was known in German influenced countries) was a style in decorative arts which marked the turn of 20th century. It originated in France but quickly spread... »

  Eccentric Homes | Edited by stanestane

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Bärengraben
  

  Bern, Switzerland

  Bärengraben

  The bear pit or Bern, empty for the first time in nearly 500 years

  On the edge of the old town of Bern, Switzerland, lay one of Bern’s most famous tourist attractions: the Bärengraben, or Bear Pits. The city, is smothered in bears, bear cookies, bear sculptures,... »

  Fascinating Fauna | Edited by TatianaLouise

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Tivoli Gardens
  

  Copenhagen, Denmark

  Tivoli Gardens

  Copenhagen's celebrated theme park and gardens

  Tivoli, which opened in 1843, is the second-oldest amusement park in the world (after nearby Dyrehavsbakken, which opened in 1583). Consolation prize: Tivoli, with its merry-go-round and boat... »

  Architectural Oddities, Horticultural Marvels | Edited by nitikp, Nicholas Jackson and others

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Freetown Christiania
  

  Copenhagen, Denmark

  Freetown Christiania

  Danish tourist destination well known for open stalls where vendors sell marijuana on the street

  Freetown Christiania, or simply Christiania, is a neighborhood of only 850 residents in the Danish capital of Copenhagen that is largely known both inside and outside of the country as a big... »

  Cultures and Civilizations , Architectural Oddities | Edited by PaperTiger, Nicholas Jackson and others

• January 13, 2012 mikezero has been to Bled Island and Castle
  

  Bled Island and Castle

  One-time health resort used by aristocrats around the world, now a major tourist attraction

  Bled is a small municipality in northwestern Slovenia that was once part of Yugoslavia and became independent in 1991. In the late 1800s Bled Island and village, located in the middle of glacial... »

  Natural Wonders, Anomalous Islands, Architectural Oddities, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by AllisonEng, Nicholas Jackson and others