Places reubencohen Wants to Go

A modern mechanical planetary system, part of a 10,000 year clock.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.

Tiki luxury on Nob Hill.

One of the last remnants of the city's Chinese nightclub scene is now a dive bar selling killer mai tais.

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

Once home to seven different roller coasters, Glen Echo has undergone many transformations since its founding in 1891.

An almost life-sized elephant named Ms. Ellie greets visitors at this jumbo-themed museum.

A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

A 19th century library favored by Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, known by locals as "the Ath."

This free, take-a-book shop seems like a trick but isn't.

An ancient passage filled with stalls selling used books, once frequented by Vincent Van Gogh.

This basement museum explores the art and artistry of fascism.

A real plaque marks the spot where a Faulknerian character committed fictional suicide.

The 40-year-old machine serves soda quicker than you can catch it for a mere 75 cents a pop.

The world's oldest grape-producing vine has survived four centuries of turmoil and even has its own anthem.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

Turkish adventurer antiques in the heart of the Grand Bazaar.

An eerie, existential museum dedicated to the author of "The Metamorphosis."

This doorless 20th-century elevator doesn't stop or slow down.

Established in the '60s, a family-owned tropical drink bar founded by Ray Buhen, bartender to the stars.

The abandoned zoo enclosures offer a perfect place to experience the other side of the bars.

This Paris art space celebrates the creativity and ingenuity that springs from abject poverty, especially in Africa.