Hillah, Iraq
Babylon
Celebrated as a center of civilization, the remains of the ancient city have been nearly destroyed by greed, egoism, and war.
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Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Samarra, Iraq
Great Mosque of Samarra
9th century Abbasid mosque, damaged in modern warfare.
Baghdad, Iraq
Al-Shaheed Monument
A giant bisected onion dome remembers the Iraqis who died in the Iran-Iraq War.
Baghdad, Iraq
Saddam Hussein's Blood Quran
A 605-page Quran penned in the blood of a dictator is locked away in a mosque.
Baghdad, Iraq
Victory Over America Palace
This former monument to an invented Iraqi victory was turned into a military camp during the subsequent invasion.
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
The Elevated Acre
Amid the bustle and noise of the Financial District hides a secluded garden oasis above the city streets.
New York, New York
Fraunces Tavern
This Wall Street bar was once a hub of revolutionary activity where Washington famously bid farewell to his troops.
New York, New York
Model Ship Collection at the South Street Seaport Museum
Set sail on a small scale.
New York, New York
New York City Police Museum
Hear the tales of New York's most notorious criminals.
New York, New York
Old City Hall Station
The very first subway station in New York City is beautiful, decked out in chandeliers, and ... abandoned?
New York, New York
The Oldest Fence in New York
Built hundreds of years ago this downtown iron barrier once protected a much despised king.
New York, New York
77 Water Street
A WWI fighter plane and turn-of-the-century penny candy shop are among the unexpected features of this Financial District building.
New York, New York
Site of New York Slave Market
Where now stands a 42-story condominium tower of marble, glass and steel was once the central market of New York’s slave trade.
New York, New York
Delmonico's Pompeii Columns
Possible relics of the ancient Roman city are hidden in this restaurant's façade.
New York, New York
The Standard Oil Building
This curved Manhattan building was built to house the opulence of John D. Rockefeller's oil empire.
Boston, Massachusetts
Museum of American Finance
Ever wanted the laymen's version of your credit card fine print?
New York, New York
Wall Street Bombing Scars
Unrepaired walls from a 1920 anarchist bomb attack.
New York, New York
Trinity Churchyard
This cemetery has graves dating back to the 17th century, including the city's oldest carved tombstone and an ominous cryptogram.
New York, New York
New York Federal Gold Vault
More gold than anywhere else, ever.
New York, New York
The John Street Methodist Church
The oldest Methodist church in the United States has been spreading the good news for over two centuries.
New York, New York
Barthman's Sidewalk Clock
A clock set into the concrete outside a Manhattan jeweler has been telling time underfoot for over a century.
Brooklyn, New York
Wyckoff Street Mosaic
Detailed facade of a brownstone in Boerum Hill.
Brooklyn, New York
Vinegar Hill
Walk into the 19th century without leaving Brooklyn.
