jocelynsears's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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San Francisco, California

Exploratorium

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.
Lee Vining, California

Mono Lake

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.
San Francisco, California

Japanese Tea Garden

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.
San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Island

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.
Los Angeles, California

The Last Bookstore

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.
San Francisco, California

Secret Tiled Staircase

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.
San Jose, California

The Winchester Mystery House

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.
Paris, France

Shakespeare and Company

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.
Victoria, British Columbia

The Empress Hotel

This historic Victorian hotel has a scandalous history of affairs and murder.
Victoria, British Columbia

Fan Tan Alley

The narrowest street in Canada was once a spot for dastardly doings, now a historic piece of Chinatown.
Vancouver, British Columbia

'Girl in a Wetsuit'

What happens when a sculptor has to find a way around a 100-year-old copyright.
Valladolid, Mexico

Cenote Zací

If you can look past the nearby sewer pipes, this urban sinkhole grotto is a mini-paradise.
Chichen Itza, Mexico

Pyramid of Kukulcan at Chich'en Itza

Every equinox this Maya pyramid puts on a spooky ancient light show.
Toronto, Ontario

Toronto PATH

One of the largest underground systems runs under Canada's largest urban center.
Vienna, Austria

Wiener Pestsäule (Vienna Plague Column)

Baroque celebration of the end of the Great Plague of Vienna.
Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Sphinx Observatory

A historic observatory precariously perched at the "Top of Europe."
Lucerne, Switzerland

Dance of Death Bridge

This historic covered bridge contains a series of macabre paintings that communicate one thing: everyone dies.
Lucerne, Switzerland

Lion of Lucerne

This memorial commemorating fallen Swiss Guards of the French Revolution has been called the saddest stone in the world.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Lost Third Column

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.
Venice, Italy

St. Mark's Clock Tower (Torre dell'Orologio)

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.
Florence, Italy

Gipsoteca Bartolini

A slightly creepy gallery of plaster cast models in the same museum as Michelangelo's David.
Florence, Italy

Galileo's Middle Finger

The middle finger of modernity.
Rome, Italy

Lacus Curtius

A mysterious chasm in the heart of the ancient Roman Forum, the Lacus Curtius was once believed to be a gateway to hell.
Salisbury, England

Medieval Clock

The oldest working mechanical clock in the world.