Istanbul, Turkey
Hagia Sophia Wishing Column
Legend says if you stick your thumb in the hole and it gets wet, your wish will be granted.
187
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Istanbul, Turkey
Tombs of the Sultans
Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.
Istanbul, Turkey
Piri Reis Map at Topkapi Palace
1513 Turkish world map, full of European state secrets and snarky commentary.
Istanbul, Turkey
Obelisk of Theodosius
This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.
Istanbul, Turkey
Ottoman Bird Palaces
The ornate miniature mansions were built for Istanbul's feathered residents.
Istanbul, Turkey
Basilica Cisterns of Istanbul
A marvel of Byzantine engineering under the streets of Istanbul.
New York, New York
New York's Adam and Eve Sculptures
Two large-scale sculptures of Adam and Eve greet visitors in the nude at the Time Warner Center in NYC.
New York, New York
Slocum Memorial Fountain
Monument to a forgotten NYC disaster that claimed the lives of 1,000.
New York, New York
Harry Jenning's Rat Pit of the Five Points
This humble historic facade hides a history of boozing and the gentlemanly sport of rat-fighting.
New York, New York
Greenwich Locksmith
Phil Mortillaro uses keys to bring art back to the Village.
New York, New York
Union Square Metronome
The most confusing clock in New York.
New York, New York
Tammany Hall
The notorious headquarters of a corrupt political machine.
New York, New York
The Brown Building
The site of the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.
New York, New York
One Times Square
This historic address is home to the beloved ball and is an almost totally empty building among the most expensive real estate in the world.
New York, New York
Grand Central Oyster Bar
This subterranean oyster house has been the pearl of Grand Central Station since 1913.
New York, New York
Wall Street Bombing Scars
Unrepaired walls from a 1920 anarchist bomb attack.
New York, New York
Toynbee Tiles
Cryptic messages embedded in the New York City sidewalk.
New York, New York
New Yorker Hotel
The New York hotel where tragic visionary Nikola Tesla spent his final hours, destitute and alone but for the pigeons.
New York, New York
'The Sphere'
This sculpture by artist Fritz Keonig survived the 9/11 attacks and now stands as a monument to the victims.
New York, New York
Pneumatic System of the New York Public Library
One of the last few places in Manhattan that employed a pneumatic systemic keeps it on display.
New York, New York
Long Lines Building
An uber-secure, windowless tower of doom in the center of Manhattan is an NSA spyscraper.
New York, New York
Blockhouse No. 1
This ruined fort hidden at the top of Central Park can't seem to keep from losing its historical plaques.
New York, New York
Times Square Hum
A pedestrian island in the middle of world-famous Times Square emits a strange (and purposeful) humming noise.
New York, New York
Bellevue Hospital
The name of this famed hospital was once a byword for the horrors of medical and psychiatric care.
