Runic's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Tokyo, Japan

Omoide Yokocho

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”
Tokyo, Japan

Godzilla Head

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.
Charleston, South Carolina

Tavern at Rainbow Row

The oldest liquor store in the country is a model of resilience and mischief.
Oakland, California

Cleveland Cascade

A restored 1920s cascade stairway provides one of the best views of Oakland's Lake Merritt.
Oakland, California

Phap Duyen Tu: The Buddha Shrine of Oakland

A hardware store Buddha statue installed to deter vandalism wound up attracting Vietnamese immigrants who came to pray.
Richmond, Virginia

The Grand Kugel

This 29-ton granite ball spins around at the slightest touch thanks to a scientific phenomenon.
Richmond, Virginia

James River Park Pipeline Walkway

Heron, whitewater rapids, and urban industrialism all add to the beauty of this concrete nature walk.
McLean, Virginia

CIA Museum

A secretive collection featuring objects that were designed specifically for U.S. intelligence operations.
San Francisco, California

The Shipwrecks at Land's End

A 300-ship graveyard, with a few still visible at low tide.
San Francisco, California

Fort Miley Batteries

Big gun installations, built over a massive cemetery, now abandoned & hidden in trees.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Abandoned Jazzland

A theme park that suffered massive flooding during Katrina was abandoned, and now proves irresistible to trespassing explorers.
Montgomery, Alabama

Civil Rights Memorial

Designed by Maya Lin, the memorial honors 41 individuals who died fighting for equal rights between 1954 and 1968.
Seoul, South Korea

Trick Eye Museum

South Korea's love of the silly photograph is on full display at this goofy collection of trompe l'oeil paintings.
Washington, D.C.

National Museum of Crime and Punishment

America's Most Wanted's set resides in this tribute to the history of crime and punishment.
Washington, D.C.

International Spy Museum

Home to items never before seen by the public.
Washington, D.C.

Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon

The remains of Martha, the last known passenger pigeon, serve as a tool to educate about conservation.
Locust Grove, Virginia

Grave of Stonewall Jackson's Arm

The resting place of a Civil War celebrity's amputated limb.
Fredericksburg, Virginia

Monument to the Angel of Marye's Heights

The Kirkland Monument remembers a selfless Civil War hero who braved the battlefield to give water to his dying enemies.
New York, New York

Times Square Hum

A pedestrian island in the middle of world-famous Times Square emits a strange (and purposeful) humming noise.
New York, New York

One Times Square

This historic address is home to the beloved ball and is an almost totally empty building among the most expensive real estate in the world.
Richmond, Virginia

The Markel Building

Inspired by a foil-wrapped potato, (seriously) the Markel Building has been deemed one of the 10 ugliest buildings in the world.
Rougemont, North Carolina

Castle Mont Rouge

A sculptor's dream castle turned fantastical ruin.
Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

Mesa Verde National Park

The ancient dwellings of the Puebloans, located in the cliffs of majestic mesas.
Deadwood, South Dakota

Mt. Moriah Cemetery

A cemetery housing wild west legends in South Dakota.