Places Edited by Mitch Lang

This 15-foot red anchor sits on a rise overlooking the sea lanes of eastern Aruba.

What may be America's largest classic video game arcade lurks inconspicuously in a Chicago suburb.

Mexico’s first synagogue set up by and for the Ashkenazi Jewish community.

Works from the golden age of Mexican muralism can be found inside a typical city market.

Standing 191 feet tall and measuring more than 55 feet in circumference, this is the world's tallest spruce tree.

The rodent-shaped sidewalk imprint that earned worldwide media attention.

Sample sweets at an Art Nouveau candy shop that's been in business since 1874.

Established in 1937, the oldest candy shop in New York City boasts a rainbow-colored inventory that would make Willy Wonka envious.

Hamissi Mamba and Nadia Nijimbere opened this community-minded restaurant serving dishes from their native Burundi.

The eccentric and colorful pavilions of Tower Grove park are a beloved and overlooked symbol. 

One of the newest mosques in a city filled with thousands.

The hot chocolate here all stems from small, sustainable microproducers in Chiapas and Tabasco.

This patch of old-growth forest is home to Canada's gnarliest tree.

A relic of the Cold War in Chicago.

One of Chicago's last seafood smokehouses perfects a dying breed of fishcraft.

Twice a year, this road is closed off to allow for the migration of thousands of snakes, reptiles and amphibians between cliffs and a swamp.

A remnant of the last Ice Age, this lake is surrounded by fascinating rock formations.

An underground network of massive stone arches and their skylit vaults support ruins of portico structures above.

These constructed wetlands naturally filter millions of gallons of treated wastewater every day.

Would you dare to dangle from a great height in a wooden basket?

The first fresco Diego Rivera painted in the United States can be found in the former San Francisco Stock Exchange.

Chefs from Tibet's Kham region offer steaming meat pies and noodle soups in this nook behind a jewelry store.

This one-window stand has been home to a giant vat of slowly simmering meats and an array of unique tacos for almost 50 years.

The first public library in the Americas has more than 45,000 books dating back to the 15th century.