"Looks so real, it's scary!"

This stockpile of junked electronic and mechanical gadgets is a favorite among Hollywood prop masters.

The neighborhood shop is a sort of tiny cactus museum full of exotic specimens you can take home.

The oldest operating apothecary in the US has treated everyone from Thomas Edison to Mark Twain.

The world's oldest hologram gallery and the labyrinthine laser laboratory of a holography pioneer.

The world’s oldest and biggest bookstore stocking only mystery, crime fiction, espionage, and thrillers.

Though its celestial ceiling is impressive, the true star is the vast collection of French books.

Phil Mortillaro uses keys to bring art back to the Village.

Order scoops of pandan, lychee, and black sesame at this family-run institution.

The iconic Manhattan corner that was once the site of the Beastie Boys' fake clothing store.

A bit of retro transportation flair preserved in the world's largest department store.

This narrow shop in the East Village hosts a matchmaking service for the new millennium.

The oldest family-run luncheonette in New York, last renovated in 1948, still serves food and drinks the old-fashioned way.

This iconic tattoo shop has its own onsite museum with artifacts from the early history of modern body art.

New York's oldest magic store.

Unique antiquarian shop specializing in globes, maps, and prints.

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.

The statue of the famous elephant who was the original source of the word "jumbo".

This valley of hot springs and boiling mud pots is home to the record-holding "Geysir," which originated the English word.

Paris' linguistic guide to the international language of, yes, love.

14th century Norse artifacts in Northwestern Minnesota could have proved a Viking landing before Columbus.

There might not be much left of these Irish ruins, but their linguistic legacy is still going strong.

On La Gomera, "Silbadors" communicate in a 4,000-word language of whistles.

The language and heritage of a nearly forgotten culture can still be explored in this Southern enclave.