Places Edited by Rachel James

Its buzzing collection honors vibrator history.

At one South African whaling station, this industrial extermination led to a feeding frenzy that may have even been a key inspiration for Jaws.

The West's first incursion into the Afghan world lies buried beneath a military base.

The home of one of California's most important horticulturalists wilts amidst a lovely park.

A bomb shelter and some fireplaces are all that remain of the house Fred Roberts tried so hard to keep standing.

A minotaur, a labyrinth, and a dubious restoration pull in visitors from around the world.

A crumbling Beaux Arts monument to the Bay Area's age of rail.

This elaborate Hindu temple is located in a Chicago suburb, but looks like it was transported directly from India.

An abandoned stretch of highway, deteriorating next to the operational one.

Home to over 200,000 artifacts, this museum attempts to guide visitors through the ancient history of Beijing and Imperial China.

Genitals, claws, and faces are served at this Beijing eatery.

On a barren hillside in the Yucca Valley, the recently restored Desert Christ Park has attracted pilgrims and kitsch hunters for over 50 years.

A unique collection of Soviet military artifacts lies hidden away in a disused train, in the unrecognized Eastern European republic of Transnistria.

A rotting air force base is now home to rare birds and scarce plants.

The same security that protects our nukes accidentally protected a gentle herd of antelope.

The last orange grove of the San Fernando Valley is owned and protected by CSU Northridge.

One of the most popular megalithic sites in Ireland stands as a humbler version of Stonehenge.

A brewery warehouse which doubles as a circus bigtop.

A repository of Pasadena history.

The spur that wouldn’t die.

A British pub embodies the spirit of a California legend.

A newspaper building that made radio history.

The burial grounds of a Chinese eunuch who served his way into the highest levels of Imperial government.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.