Places genangela Wants to Go

Orthodox church partially financed by Tsar Nicolas II.

While he no longer has an eatery to give him context, this off-brand Paul Bunyan still holds his giant hot dog with pride.

A Japanese temple, old German townhouses, and public chess tables offer a peaceful escape from the bustle of the North Side.

One of the last functioning antique elevators in Chicago.

The final resting place of up to 6,000 Confederate soldiers, the largest mass grave in the Western Hemisphere.

You have to love a museum with a truly dedicated focus. A focus on Superman, for example.

The mysterious white squirrels of this Illinois city are treated like sacred cows.

Where old school Polish Chicago and young hipster Chicago live side by side.

When you visit his grave, be sure to rub the Great Emancipator's nose for good luck.

Buy a token from the liquor store and you can make this beast spew flames on command.

The unluckiest U-boat in the entire German fleet is now on display in a Chicago museum.

Oversized statues are just the tip of this nostalgic Americana roadside attraction.

The world's largest collection of the world's largest objects is in one small Illinois town.

Recognized the world over as the home of the McCallisters in the 1990 movie "Home Alone."

A hot dog stand where the heads are just as hot as the dogs.

Cemetery featuring rare glass-fronted columbarium.

River pirates, murderous bandits, and serial killers used this Illinois cave as their debauched hideout.

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

The world's only known button museum.

Beloved bar home to musicians of all eras and reputations.

A hollow cement depiction of time's inexorable effect on the human body.

A once-booming Mississippi River town with a history of racial violence is now eerie and mostly abandoned.

This morbid, delightful curiosity shop offers everything from animal bones to human teeth.

This whimsical Oz-themed park had a wonderful impact on the surrounding neighborhood.