Places Ruben Stemple Wants to Go

Mongolian Buddhists believe this monastery in the Gobi desert to be the center of the world's spiritual energy.

There are plenty of wonderful panoramic vistas in Edinburgh, but not many are hidden smack in the middle of the Old Town.

This daunting 1st century fortress was purportedly the site of one of the most dramatic revolts of the Jewish-Roman wars.

The ruins of a 19th century shelter run by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

A jagged silhouette of shamanistic stone heaps rises from the shore of this dazzling mile-high lake.

Everything you always wanted to know about borates is here.

A cavernous three-story, 43,800-square-foot basement that was forgotten about for 60 years.

Life-size bronzes of the Grinch, Cat in the Hat, Yertle the Turtle, Sam-I-Am, and the Lorax—and the author himself.

When it comes to handsignals (and colonialism) rock always beats scissors.

Rochester's signature culinary delicacy.

Maryland's first (and last standing) toll house on America's first federal road established the state as the "Gateway to the West."

What started as a tongue-in-cheek shrine is now a full-blown museum celebrating "The Hoff" and his longtime love affair with Berlin.

A Seussian sculpture made of brass instruments.

A suburban street in Anchorage doubles as a runway, and each home has its own airplane hangar.

A portal into the bricked up canal that runs through the heart of Washington D.C.

A tribute to a 13-year-old boy who was kidnapped in 1793 and escaped over two years later.

The Metropolitan Police refurbished the blue box (perhaps not coincidentally) the same year "Doctor Who" returned to TV screens.

Where the writer penned his famous story about a jumping frog.

Once home to Komodo dragons, this island dreamscape has a rare combination of white, pink, and black sand beaches.

An Industrial Revolution-era public work that purified water using nothing but sand.

The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

Macabre symbols of death and mummies on display set the tone of this Italian purgatory church.

A roadside park in eastern Maine first marked the halfway point between the equator and North Pole with a brass pin in 1896.

The largest guitar store in the world has been visited by some of music's all-time greats passing through upstate New York.