Places Edited by Sam O'Brien

The world’s highest ski resort was deserted after an 18,000-year-old glacier melted away.

Fans line up at the crack of dawn for a slurpy bowl of deliciousness at this noodle counter inside a factory.

The first privately-owned space capsule to orbit and land carried a secret payload: a wheel of Le Brouère.

An unusual, super-sized grocery adventure awaits in an Ohio suburb.

The oldest tofu shop in the United States is a firm favorite with locals.

A wedding chapel, vintage clothing shop, and bar all under one roof.

From sax to spuds, get 'em all at this landmark music establishment.

A decaying building marks the site associated with Emmett Till's brutal 1955 murder, which helped sparking the civil rights movement.

The souvenir got the company’s founder out of a pretty pickle at the World’s Fair.

In one of the world's smallest countries, a royal's personal winery is open to the public.

At 1,732 feet above sea level, this spectacularly isolated yet surprisingly bustling bar is the highest pub in Britain.

The dining hall that nourishes workers in Chornobyl's Exclusion Zone is also open to visitors.

A beautiful but deteriorating monument of Soviet architecture.

Madrid's last horchata kiosk is a blue-and-white beacon of refreshment.

This shrine to bovine consumption and all things fast food is a slice of culinary history both rare and well done.

A stunning medieval castle houses this eclectic, interactive tribute to all things wine.

This ancient walled garden turns fog into food.

A relic from a forgotten bakery chain still spins atop a diner.

One of the capital's last independent milk bars remains a crucial community watering hole.

Step into a cartoon at this Seoul café that aims to evoke a two-dimensional scene.

A giant knight, sex education, date shakes, and Jesus coexist happily in this Coachella Valley desert oasis.

This pub built its reputation pouring post-shift pints for employees of the cemetery with which it shares a wall.

In Phetchaburi, Thailand, a roadside vendor cooks his fare with 1,000 mirrors and the power of the sun.

A replica of the ice houses that once formed the basis of a local ice cream industry sits proudly in the middle of traffic.