Places thepencilburner Wants to Go

All of Chicago's wood-paved streets are long gone but two alleys remain.

The only Bahá'í house of worship in North America and one of only a handful worldwide.

Chicago's largest cemetery is full of beautiful Victorian monuments and more than a few ghost stories.

What was once one of the country's largest confectionary plants is now an abandoned ruin, but is still pretty sweet.

The site of the first couple's first kiss is commemorated by the most adorable presidential monument ever.

A century-old hotspot for jazz, frequented by everyone from Charlie Chaplin to Al Capone.

This unauthorized stone mermaid was secretly carved out of public stone before being permanently preserved.

A century-old network of freight tunnels underneath the city's historic business district.

A hollow cement depiction of time's inexorable effect on the human body.

The subtle science of a master molecular gastronomist.

A gothic church spire sits atop this skyscraper, the tallest church in the world.

A haunting statue called "Eternal Silence" has quite the reputation among visitors with active imaginations.

An antiquated German apothecary on Chicago's North Side.

An enormous park-like oasis, full of famous Chicagoans’ graves.

A Bibliophile's Dream.

A giant bronze coil of feces is both a tribute to doggie defecation and a reminder to pick it up.

A monument to the art of slicing people open.

A speakeasy takes on Chicago's drinking culture.

Four glass boxes hover over 1,000 feet in the air to give visitors an unparalleled view of Chicago.

A Boeing mechanic and his wife leave a whimsical, stone sculptured garden as their legacy.

This Puget Sound military post has a long, turbulent history as a gateway to the Pacific.

This tiny home built on revenge appears to be scarcely wider than a Volkswagen.

This remarkable collection devoted to the study of fish includes 1 million preserved specimens from all around the world.

Keeping Ballard's heritage alive with delicious, lightly battered Alaskan wild cod.