The now-abandoned tunnels were built for the transcontinental railroad on the route where the first wagon train entered California.

In 2004, a Dave Matthews Band tour bus dumped 800 pounds of waste off a bridge and onto an unsuspecting tour boat below.

This awkward aquarium sculpture is one of the strangest statues in Chicago.

These pretty kitties killed and ate as many as 135 railway workers.

At Chicago's revered Field Museum, visitors are invited to learn about and literally explore DNA.

The twin towers in this Chicago fountain use 50 foot tall video screens to spit on people.

A hot dog stand where the heads are just as hot as the dogs.

Years of archaeology, just chillin' by the water cooler.

This $3 million model train takes you through Chicago, Seattle, and the thousands of miles in between.

Each of these gorgeous, intricately decorated rooms is painstakingly crafted to the scale of 1 inch: 1 foot.

This massive stained-glass masterpiece is thought to be the largest Tiffany dome in existence.

The Laureates here get something even more coveted than a Nobel Prize: free parking for life.

The grand, column-fronted, sculpture-adorned home of the ambitious digital library.

With the touch of a button, you can read a randomly selected short story.

A faux European lane smack dab in downtown L.A.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

A giant chess set, minus the psychedelic drug trip.

The century-old bell and clock tower at UC Berkeley is the third-tallest in the world, and has fossils.

These picturesque Hawaiian falls are home to a rare species of fish that uses a special sucker to climb up cliffs.

This legendary urban waterfall creates a dazzling display of rainbows.

One poet's handmade, anachronistic home.

This colorful boulder serves as a canvas for political statements and artistic expression.

For nearly 50 years, this San Francisco nonprofit has been serving as a mix of recycling center and art school.

A hidden gem, named after a San Franciscan icon, offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.