melissabaker's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Cathedral City, California

Museum of Ancient Wonders

Nestled in Coachella Valley, this museum transports guests from the Mesozoic Era, to the land of Egyptian kings.
Palm Desert, California

Curves and Zigzags

A black and white painted wall creates an optical illusion in the California desert.
Thousand Palms, California

Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve

Hike amid the palm trees that thrive among Southern California's Indio Hills.
Twentynine Palms, California

The Ruins of Ryan Ranch

The decaying adobe remains of an old homestead are just off the beaten path in Joshua Tree National Park.
Desert Center, California

Desert Lily Sanctuary

A wondrous place to watch a special flower bloom.
Amarillo, Texas

Cadillac Ranch

A sculpture made of 10 Cadillacs as a monument to the "Golden Age" of the American automobile.
Panhandle, Texas

VW Slug Bug Ranch

A small car graveyard sits in the shadow of the famous Cadillac Ranch.
Groom, Texas

The Leaning Tower of Texas

This water tower slanted at an uncomfortable angle off the old Route 66 was an ingenious marketing ploy.
Green Valley, Arizona

I-19, America's Only Metric Interstate

After a short-lived attempt to bring America in line with the rest of the world, this road was left in metric.
Paris, France

Paris Padlocks of Love

The celebrated eyesore created by starry-eyed sweethearts.
Paris, France

Le Défenseur du Temps (The Defender of Time)

A mechanized clock where a man fights off a dragon, crab, and rooster.
Paris, France

Mascarons of Pont Neuf

If you look closely at the oldest bridge in Paris, you might notice hundreds of ugly faces leering from its sides.
Paris, France

Argonaute Submarine

The Argonaute submarine was the French navy's pride and joy in the 1950's.
Paris, France

The Bouquinistes of Paris

The tradition of open-air secondhand and antiquarian bookselling in Paris dates back to the Renaissance.
Paris, France

The Stravinsky Fountain

A series of abstract, silly sculptures represent the works of a great modern classical composer.
Paris, France

Roger La Grenouille

This frog-themed restaurant was frequented by Picasso, Saint-Exupéry, and more.
Paris, France

Au Roi de la Bière

Once a 19th-century brasserie, this McDonald's exterior celebrates Alsatian design and the "King of Beer."
Paris, France

Rue du Chat-qui-Pêche

The narrowest street in Paris.
Chevilly-Larue, France

Rungis International Market

Walk through spectacular aisles of hanging meat and wagon wheel–sized cheese at the world's largest wholesale food market.
Paris, France

The Last Original Standard Metre

An overlooked marble is the only surviving in-place 18th century example of the measurement that changed how we define distance.
Paris, France

Montmartre Funicular

The water-powered carriages are long gone, but for over a century this funicular railway has been the fastest route to the highest point in Paris.
Paris, France

Lion of The Botanical Gardens

A majestic lion statue guards this Parisian botanical garden, and feeds on an unsettling item.
Paris, France

Danse de la Fontaine Emergente

This Parisian fountain is a little bit fantasy and a little bit nightclub.
Paris, France

Musée Curie

The history of radiation is on safe display at the foot of a radiation science laboratory.