In 1958, an MIT fraternity pledge laid down on this bridge and instituted a new, unique unit of measurement.

The house is an iconic pilgrimage site for fans of the Illinois-based emo band.

A 400-foot-tall tall map of Chicago makes this once-ignored building stand out.

Partially submerged Buddha heads freckle Chicago’s neighborhoods.

The oldest house in Galena, Illinois, now is a reminder of when this city was the world's lead mining capital.

The sign to a demolished amusement park now stands in front of a local library.

These two monoliths have stood at the entrance to the neighborhood since the days it was called "Hollywoodland."

The beloved home to all publications indie, erotic, and punky.

A historic and oft-filmed prison stands in a Chicago suburb.

The enormous 250-room Vanderbilt mansion conceals hidden doors and secret passageways.

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

This awkward aquarium sculpture is one of the strangest statues in Chicago.

An unexpected but incredible collection of wildlife dioramas spanning rainforests, swamps, forests, and plains.

There are lots of hands and feet stamped in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, but Mel left behind something extra.

The world’s largest truck stop includes a barber shop, chiropractor, and a huge museum with antique trucks.

Chicago's Navy Pier on Lake Michigan was a training hub for aircraft carrier pilots during WWII.

It was originally part of a "terrible lizards" collection at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

143 feet of leaping muskie whose mouth can be used as a wedding venue.

A flamboyantly decorated bridge signals diversity and fellowship at the entry to Indianapolis' Broad Ripple Village.

Once adorning a New York skyscraper, these reclaimed ruins now haunt an Indiana park.

Fragments of architectural wonders from around the globe are embedded in the newspaper building's walls.

The final resting place of the world's first nuclear reactor.

What was once the second largest steel mill in the US is now a sprawling complex of modern ruins.

Known as the "Cross At The Crossroads," this massive metal cross is just short enough to avoid the FAA.