Grab a latte at the birthplace of modern American skateboarding.

In one Santa Monica parking lot a mushroom cloud made of chains heralds a message of peace.

An offbeat angle on the ocean viewed through an antiquated lens.

One of the first skyscrapers in Santa Monica, and a famous getaway for the Hollywood elite of then and now.

A second generation sun-powered marvel lights up the night.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

A treasure hunter's tiny bar, harboring celebrities since 1959.

This hidden jockey “walk of fame” celebrates the winning riders of the Kentucky Derby.

This quirky UFO-shaped curiosity is often mistaken for the airport’s control tower.

A simple plaque remembers an act of WWI terrorism that obliterated an island and forever scarred the Statue of Liberty.

Avoid gangster interaction while window-shopping.

Built just after the American Revolution, the oldest row house in New York City still stands in Chinatown.

Less a museum than a bizarre fantasy world created by artists and engineers.

The world's largest kaleidoscope, designed by a 1960s psychedelic artist.

This magnificent Cincinnati graveyard is also a popular public park.

Where beautiful signs live on forever.

Hidden on two floors of downtown building, the library has an incredible deal on rent.

A crumbling hospital from the 1850s on Roosevelt Island.

The feral felines of Roosevelt Island have a small army of allies and an abandoned hospital all to themselves.

Site of the first pathological and bacteriological research facility in the United States.

On this island, you suck away your garbage via an elaborate pneumatic tube system.

A sculptural commentary on capitalism pokes up from the East River.

A former insane asylum despised by Nelly Bly and Charles Dickens is now fashionable apartments.

A little lighthouse in New York City, surrounded by mysterious stories of insanity-driven construction.