Samir S Patel's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Springdale, Utah

The Narrows

The hike through a narrow river flanked by the 2,000-foot-tall walls of Zion Canyon is one of the best in the world.
Clark County, Nevada

Valley of Fire

The drama of nature in full effect in this Nevada State Park.
Cleveland, Ohio

World's Largest Rubber Stamp

Cleveland's giant "free" stamp is a nod to the Civil War, but was misinterpreted for years.
Carlstadt, New Jersey

The Meadowlands

Infamous marsh filled with toxic waste, World War II-era London rubble, and dead mobsters galore.
Brooklyn, New York

India Street Pier

The return of something once considered a basic part of life.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Grand Prismatic Spring

The largest hot spring in the United States is, as the name suggests, a stunning show of natural color.
Thingvellir, Iceland

Þingvellir

The picturesque birthplace of Icelandic democracy is drenched in the blood of its brutal past.
Grindavík, Iceland

Blue Lagoon

Medicinal spa created with the discharge from a geothermal energy plant.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Morning Glory Pool

A beautiful geyser under environmental threat.
Holbrook, Arizona

Petrified Forest National Park

See massive fossils that are over 200 million years old in northeastern Arizona.
Mammoth Cave, Kentucky

Mammoth Cave

The world's longest known cave system.
Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Old Faithful Geyser

One of nature's most well-scheduled phenomenons resides in Wyoming's Yellowstone National Park.
Xiulin Township, Taiwan

Taroko Gorge

An extraordinary natural landscape of mountains, waterfalls, and rocky cliffs riddled with tunnels.
Xiulin Township, Taiwan

Eternal Spring Shrine

A waterfall runs right through the middle of this Taiwanese shrine to the hundreds of workers killed while building a nearby highway.
Taipei City, Taiwan

Tuned Mass Damper of Taipei 101

Enormous pendulum helps keep Taiwan's tallest building from swaying.
Taipei City, Taiwan

Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

Memorial to the father of the Republic of China.
Hong Kong

Chungking Mansions

Teeming with illegal goods and services, this towering maze of vice is also a popular tourist accommodation.
Hong Kong

Central-Mid-Levels Escalators

The world's longest outdoor covered escalator system transports commuters through Hong Kong's hilly terrain.
New York, New York

'The Sphere'

This sculpture by artist Fritz Keonig survived the 9/11 attacks and now stands as a monument to the victims.
Istanbul, Turkey

Obelisk of Theodosius

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.
Istanbul, Turkey

Serpent Column

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.
Istanbul, Turkey

Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.
Istanbul, Turkey

Tombs of the Sultans

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.
Istanbul, Turkey

Piri Reis Map at Topkapi Palace

1513 Turkish world map, full of European state secrets and snarky commentary.