Recent Activity

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Dachau Concentration Camp
  

  Dachau, Germany

  Dachau Concentration Camp

  Prototype for all Nazi concentration camps

  Dachau, located ten miles north of Munich, Germany, was the first concentration camp built by the Nazi's and served as a model for all later camps. By 1937, it held 13,260 prisoners, including... »

  Museums and Collections, Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Intriguing Environs | Edited by spinkk and Nicholas Jackson

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Uncommon Objects
  

  Uncommon Objects

  One part antique store, one part curiosities hodge-podge

  Like an elegant antiques mall gone horribly wrong, 24 different vendors sell their weird and eclectic wares in eyecatching booth displays lined up along aisles at Austin's premier curiosities... »

  Purveyors of Curiosities | Edited by Annetta and A Facebook user

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Congress Bridge Bats
  

  Congress Bridge Bats

  Home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million bats

  The Congress Avenue Bridge, which spans Town Lake in downtown Austin, is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. The colony is estimated at 1.5 million Mexican free-tail bats. Each... »

  Fascinating Fauna, Obscura Day Location | Edited by Dylan, Henry and others

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Junkman's Daughter
  

  Junkman's Daughter

  A purveyor of unusual items located in the center of Atlanta, Georgia

  The Junkman’s Daughter is a purveyor of unusual items located in the Little 5 Points area of Atlanta, GA. The store was initially opened in 1982 by Pam Majors, a true daughter of a junkman,... »

  Purveyors of Curiosities | Edited by ronin and Dylan

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Oakland Cemetery
  

  Oakland Cemetery

  Civil War soldiers, captains of industry, and paupers all interred on historic grounds

  The oldest cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, as well as one of the largest continuous patches of green space anywhere in the city, Oakland Cemetery was founded as "Atlanta Cemetery" in 1850 on only... »

  Memento Mori, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by THORGODOFTHUNDER and Nicholas Jackson

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Hecht Company Warehouse
  

  Hecht Company Warehouse

  Art deco landmark on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.

  Even though Washington, D.C., is home to over 270 Art Deco style buildings, the Hecht Company Warehouse remains a landmark of the streamlined-style popularized by the world fairs of the 1930s.... »

  Architectural Oddities, Incredible Ruins | Edited by LeahC and Nicholas Jackson

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Belcourt Castle
  

  Belcourt Castle

  60-room castle constructed by a horse racing heir

  The former summer cottage of Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont, Belcourt Castle still stands on Bellevue Avenue in Newport, Rhode Island after being constructed more than a century ago. Construction... »

  Architectural Oddities, Eccentric Homes | Edited by Raychael, Nicholas Jackson and others

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Hammond Castle Museum
  

  Massachusetts, US

  Hammond Castle Museum

  An eccentric inventor's castle home with its own indoor weather system

  John Hayes Hammond Jr. was resourceful man. As a little boy he visited Edison's laboratory with his wealthy father, and South African mining magnate, John Hays Hammond Sr. The young Hammond Jr.... »

  Inspired Inventions, Architectural Oddities, Eccentric Homes | Edited by Taoist, Annetta and 2 others

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to Boston's Old Burying Grounds
  

  Boston's Old Burying Grounds

  Macabre headstones carved with winged skulls, dancing skeletons, and pithy reminders of impending death

  "Stay! thou this tomb that passeth by, And think how soon that thou may'st die..." The morbid imagery on the headstones in Boston's oldest cemeteries—such as skulls and crossed bones, winged... »

  Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by Annetta and wythe

• January 16, 2012 wdarling has been to The Paul Revere House
  

  The Paul Revere House

  Oldest house in downtown Boston was once the home of Paul Revere

  Paul Revere was made famous by the eponymous poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: “Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere…” You probably already know that Paul... »

  Architectural Oddities, Eccentric Homes | Edited by M Rebekah Otto, Nicholas Jackson and others

• September 10, 2010 wdarling commented on San Francisco's Peregrine Falcons

  Downtown Atlanta has a healthy population of peregrine falcons as well. I believe it was the Georgia Department of Natural Resources that brought in a male falcon, I think perhaps a rescue. The lucky falcon was joined by a wild female who flew in from elsewhere. They got along and started making their nests in a couple of local skyscrapers with generous balconies -- SunTrust Tower and the Marriott Marquis. Since the falcons (or their descendants) have continued to produce babies, which are gradually repopulating the Atlanta area with falcons. I live in downtown and have seen the peregrines doing their kill-drops, knocking hapless pigeons out of the sky. Meanwhile the DNR has set up webcam at the various nesting sites (I think they rotate among several) so that during baby falcon season you can look online and see mom and dad swooping in to feed the babies, see babies learning to fly, etc. This is quite appropriate given the name of Atlanta's NFL team.

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to The Paris Market
  

  The Paris Market

  This quirky curiosity shop takes its cues from the world's bazaars

  Started by a speech pathologist and emergency physician, the Paris Market reflects the pair's clear love of travel. On finding the famous Parisian flea market known as "Marche aux Puces," the... »

  Commercial Curiosities, Purveyors of Curiosities | Edited by Dylan and michelle

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to The Meadowlands
  

  New Jersey, US

  The Meadowlands

  Infamous marsh filled with toxic waste, WWII-era London, and dead mobsters galore.

  Blame the Meadowlands for New Jersey’s reputation as a toxic wasteland of humanity rather than its billing of "The Garden State." On the other hand, the vast wetlands area is an intrepid urban... »

  Watery Wonders, Fiery Wonders, Disaster Areas | Edited by littlebrumble

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Howe Caverns
  

  Howe Caverns

  Why have you never heard of the second most popular tourist site in New York?

  A couple of myths compete for how Lester Howe discovered the caves under his farm: Some say that his cows always pastured in the same part of the field. Howe, an astute farmer, noticed that... »

  Curious Caves, Subterranean Sites | Edited by M Rebekah Otto, Annetta and 2 others

• September 10, 2010 wdarling liked The Great Stalacpipe Organ
  

  The Great Stalacpipe Organ

  An organ located deep within a cave and whose "pipes" are the geological features of the cave itself

  Deep in the Luray Caverns of Virginia sits the largest musical instrument in the world. The Great Stalacpipe Organ appears at first to be a normal looking organ, but instead of pipes, the organ is... »

  Curious Caves, Musical Wonders, Subterranean Sites | Edited by Dylan and Henry

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Fermilab
  

  Fermilab

  World's second largest particle accelerator, where nature reveals its secrets

  Before Switzerland's Large Hadron Collider, the Tevatron at Fermilab in Illinois was the largest and highest-energy particle accelerator in the world. Despite being bumped into second place by... »

  Instruments of Science | Edited by Trevor and Dylan

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to The Witch House of Salem
  

  The Witch House of Salem

  The only structure left with direct ties to the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692

  The Salem witchcraft trials took place between February 1692 and May 1693. During the trials 19 people were convicted and hanged, and one man was crushed to death while being tortured. Among... »

  Unique Collections, Memento Mori | Edited by Dylan and dylanotto

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Glass Flowers at Harvard Museum of Natural History
  

  Massachusetts, US

  Glass Flowers at Harvard Museum of Natural History

  Impossibly life-like natural history models created out of glass by a German father and son

  Natural history museums opening in the mid 1800s had a problem. While dioramas could depict the mammals of the world, the marine and botanical were difficult to preserve and the papier-maché or... »

  Natural Wonders, Extraordinary Flora, Wonder Cabinets, Natural History, Unique Collections | Edited by Dylan, ack sed and others

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Hood Milk Bottle
  

  Hood Milk Bottle

  Ice cream stand, snack bar, and time capsule of milk conveyance

  Standing 40 feet tall, this giant milk bottle sits next to the Boston Children’s Museum, just across the Fort Point Channel. In 1930, Arthur Gagner built the milk bottle next to his store to sell... »

  Bizarre Restaurants and Bars | Edited by Sofy

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Rainbow Swash
  

  Rainbow Swash

  World's Largest Piece of Copyrighted Artwork

  For the most part, commuting to work is no fun. But for a few thousand lucky Boston commuters, their drive is slightly brightened -- or for those interested in copyright reform, darkened -- with... »

  Outsider Art | Edited by Sofy

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Higgins Armory Museum
  

  Higgins Armory Museum

  Once a private collection, now the only museum of arms and armor in the Western Hemisphere

  The Higgins Armoury Museum is set within an Art Deco pseudo-castle. Decked out with tall flags, it can be seen from the nearby highway. Inside, the Higgins is larger than it appears from the... »

  Unique Collections | Edited by talkstosocks and wythe

• September 10, 2010 wdarling liked Santa Maria della Concezione
  

  Santa Maria della Concezione

  The crypts of Capuchin friars decorated with the bones of over 4000 friars, including an entire "crypt of pelvises"

  In 1775, the Marquis de Sade wrote of it, “I have never seen anything more striking.” Granted, the crypt was to his tastes. Mark Twain wrote about it in his 1869 book Innocents Abroad. When... »

  Memento Mori, Relics and Reliquaries, Ossuaries, Mummies, Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Curious Places of Worship | Edited by michelle, Dylan and 2 others

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Torre Argentina - Roman Cat Sanctuary
  

  Torre Argentina - Roman Cat Sanctuary

  Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered

  In Rome the cats have an ancient temple-complex all to themselves. Known as Largo di Torre Argentina, this archaeological wonder was excavated as part of Mussolini's rebuilding efforts in 1929,... »

  Fascinating Fauna, Long Now Locations | Edited by Annetta, wythe and 2 others

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Pyramid of Cestius
  

  Pyramid of Cestius

  The only "Egyptian" pyramid in Europe and the legendary tomb of Remus

  Egyptomania gripped Rome in the wake of the conquest of Egypt in 30 BC. Both massive original artifacts and inspired copies cropped up all over the city, but only two actual pyramids were known to... »

  Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries | Edited by Annetta, adam and 2 others

• September 10, 2010 wdarling has been to Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospice of the Innocent)
  

  Ospedale degli Innocenti (Hospice of the Innocent)

  Renaissance hospital featuring a rotating door into which unwanted babies were dropped

  Florence in the 1400s had a problem. Babies. Babies everywhere. Babies in the fields, babies in the alleyways, babies left on the pews of the Church. Florence was crawling with abandoned babies.... »

  Medical Museums, Unusual Monuments, Inspired Inventions | Edited by michelle and Annetta