Places Edited by Sam O'Brien

Castro's communist ice cream mothership has been serving five-scoop "salads" for over 50 years.

A forsaken wonder in the middle of the East Side neighborhood.

Every year locals tumble 650 feet down to the bottom of the hill chasing a Double Gloucester cheese.

This magical space partly designed by Antoni Gaudi is one of the best examples of romantic gardening in the Mediterranean.

In the back of a nondescript sports bar is a museum-worthy mural by legendary cartoonists.

The block of aged dairy is probably still edible after 2,300 years in a peat bog.

A small structure built from used railroad ties honors the short term of America's 20th president.

This meticulously extracted nervous system allegedly came from a 19th-century custodian who donated her body to science.

There's an exclusive Beefeaters pub hidden in the Tower of London.

Originally a leper colony, the island is now an Armenian monastery that's home to an incredible manuscript library and eclectic museum.

This peaceful Sikh gurudwara serves around 50,000 free meals every day within its gilded walls.

A simple tribute to the microscopic arachnid that gives its juices and its life to help make a speciality German cheese.

This waterfront museum in Maine is dedicated to the history of the smoked-herring trade.

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

The oldest café in Montevideo preserves its history as the city's bohemian hub.

A brass plaque dedicated to a convicted cannibal hangs in the National Press Club, and that's not even the craziest part of the story.

This Seattle joint serves food inside an old train car once used by FDR.

This salad has two key ingredients: hearts of palm and green ice cream.

The sounds of the world's largest fully functioning pipe organ dazzle shoppers at a Philadelphia Macy's.

The trailblazing Swedish businesswoman created a beloved minty candy called polkagris.

Remnants of the rich history of fish salting in this ancient Mediterranean port town.

This restored Portuguese cafe may well be the most beautiful place in the world to grab a Big Mac.

When it opened during the final years of the embargo, all the drinks and cigars were free.

The nearly 120-year-old piece of pork wears a brass collar and was once a man's "pet ham."