An alchemist's “magic door” stands in the middle of a Roman park.

This opulent hotel has been visited by Spider-Man, Charlie's Angels, and the Ghostbusters.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

The oldest family-run restaurant in the United States is a living museum of New Orleans dining history.

An eerie diorama that captures the majestic nature of a few prehistoric-looking beasts.

A small graveyard is hidden in the midst of a bustling university campus.

This taxidermy scene brings the struggle for survival in the Indian jungle to a quiet corner of a Manhattan museum.

This poignant display is now a memorial to these regionally extinct species.

One of the most dazzling dioramas at the American Museum of Natural History is also one of the oldest.

This morbid scene depicts the Darwinian drama of death on the African savannah.

Creating this diorama spurred naturalist Carl Akeley to begin advocating to protect the apes.

This impressive scene portrays the elusive forest giraffe of Central Africa.

Two large-scale sculptures of Adam and Eve greet visitors in the nude at the Time Warner Center in NYC.

This magnificent herd of stampeding elephants has been frozen in time for over a century.

Here be dragons.

The seat of Buffalo government is a gorgeous Art Deco palace.

This hidden oasis features a stunning view of the Hudson River and the Palisades from a castle-like museum.

You must take the A train... to the last active cemetery in Manhattan.

Pulled from the rubble of one of the worst modern tragedies, a steel crossbeam became a symbol of hope for New Yorkers.

A former department store turned into a quirky restaurant.

A half-size replica of the World Trade Center towers above Tulsa.

One of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the United States.

An acoustic anomaly with a mysterious cause sits in the heart of Tulsa.

A dark patch of the ceiling at Grand Central Terminal which was not restored is still stained brown by tobacco.