First known as the "Sample House," this construction mash-up was meant to be a living catalogue of building styles.

This architectural stunner is one of the few surviving Egyptian Revival theaters in the U.S.

This memorial plaque remembers a strangely shallow maritime disaster known as "Chicago's Titanic."

Once called the "Polish Gold Coast" it is an icon of the neighborhood that bears its same name.

This landmark of the Chicago silent film industry may not be in the picture business anymore but it still stands proudly.

A sprawling outdoor museum filled with larger-than-life works of art.

A plaque marks a former safe house on the secret route, now hidden next to a McDonald's.

Quirky water tower advertises the long-gone Brooks Tomato Products Co.

A chance to follow in the footsteps of the word's most legendary animator.

The iconic Chicago sculpture hides a beautiful and easily overlooked plaque on the backside.

A notorious Route 66 eatery once frequented by Al Capone.

In a quiet north Chicago neighborhood rests a stunning relic of the golden age of earthenware design.

First planned industrial community in the United States.

A little-known subterranean street runs under some of the best-known buildings in Chicago's River North.

Years of archaeology, just chillin' by the water cooler.

This historic hotel invented the chocolate brownie.

Chicago's largest cemetery is full of beautiful Victorian monuments and more than a few ghost stories.

An enormous park-like oasis, full of famous Chicagoans' graves.

A lush green oasis in the middle of Chicago.

A giant bronze coil of feces is both a tribute to doggie defecation and a reminder to pick it up.

Home to a monument dedicated to the American Rock duo along with a collection of music memorabilia.

He’s not from around here.

The Midwestern United States' tribute to Michelangelo is a foam statue sprayed with gaudy gold paint.

Kentucky's anomalous peninsula projecting into the Mississippi River, site of legendary earthquakes and local feuds.