In the basement of a Berlin hostel – in a corridor connecting their brewery to the luggage storage area – is a shrine to a pop culture icon with a surprising connection to the city’s history. (Hint: It’s David Hasselhoff.) 

Plus: Atlas Obscura has a new book coming out! Pre-order your copy of Wild Life today.

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Dylan takes us on a tour of three places that have shaped his life.

Listen to our episodes about the Corn Palace, House on the Rock, and Gold Medal Flour.

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How a woman in her 70s inspired some of the biggest labor uprisings in American history.

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This elaborate architecture throughout Iran served a very unique purpose - gathering pigeon guano. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pigeon-towers-iran

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Travel writer Susan Orlean is an admitted terrible tourist. But she’s an expert at getting lost – with a purpose. Today, she takes us to some of the places that have shaped her life. And she talks about throwing out the guidebook – opening herself up to these experiences – and the art of getting lost.

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Barry Enderwick has made and tasted more than 1000 sandwiches from across history. Today, he and Dylan make – and eat three sandwiches that each tell us something about history, culture, and ourselves. 

Pre-order Barry’s book, Sandwiches of History: The Cookbook, today!  We also have a new book coming  Pre-order a copy of Wild Life today!

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For one day every July, the Assateague Channel on Virginia’s marshy eastern shore is filled with the bobbing heads of swimming ponies. These feral horses are celebrities in the area, but nobody actually knows exactly how they got there. Atlas Obscura senior editor Gemma Tarlach tells us the story and wrote about it here.

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In 2008, a researcher floating in a boat in Lake Huron had an idea for how to learn more about our prehistoric ancestors. It involved sonar, a lot of patience, and some very bumbling AI caribou. Listen to Morgan Springer’s original story here. For more stories about the land, water, and inhabitants of the Great Lakes, check out Points North wherever you get your podcasts.

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We're working on another listener-led episode and want to know: What is your favorite unusual road trip destination? The weirdest road trip memory holed deep in your subconscious. Where was it? What did it look like? What do you remember? Maybe there is a place you have taken a friend, or your own kids and just thought. Oh man, they are going to freak out… It can be a good memory, a bad memory, or just a weird one. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, or send a voice memo to Hello@AtlasObscura.com. 

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Anna Swan had an adventurous life before settling in Seville, Ohio and building a house large enough to fit her large life.

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Today we have two classic episodes to share about hidden histories of America. In one, we’ll hear the story of an unconventional Revolutionary patriot – an enslaved woman who sued her enslaver. And in the other, we’ll learn about a group of Native American veterans who developed an unbreakable secret code during World War II – and the unlikely location where their legacy is preserved.

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The story of a big idea, and a big duck – and how this duck would go on to become an important architectural landmark that would influence buildings all around the world.   

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/big-duck

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Thomas Downing, who arguably invented fine dining in New York City, had a secret going on underneath the floor of his popular oyster house. Writer Briona Lamback tells us the story. If you want to read the full article, check out the link here. And if you’re looking for an oyster experience, Briona recommends Brooklyn-based The Real Mother Shucker, the city’s only oyster cart.

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Gilbert Baker’s pride flag design is now a worldwide symbol for LGBT freedom and liberation. Now, his former stomping grounds remember his efforts with a beautiful mural. But there’s more to this pride-filled house than meets the eye. SEE the mural for yourself here and learn more about the artist here.

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This tiny stone cabbage has a big backstory stretching from the rich, treasure-laden halls of Beijing’s Forbidden City...through a harrowing wartime escape...to its prized place at the National palace museum in Taipei, Taiwan.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jade-cabbage

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Author Doug Preston brings us back into the world of his latest book, The Lost Tomb, with a story of a remote lake in the Himalayas where hundreds of human skeletons were discovered – puzzling scientists and researchers for years.

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This museum in New York is a recreated 19th century glove making workshop complete with sizing tools, cutting blocks, and irons. It’s also  part studio, part exhibition space and the brainchild of a craftsman who dedicated his life to the art of glove-making.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-glove-museum

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In the 1850s, one anonymous Massachusetts shoemaker became a national celebrity – all by exhibiting his “family” of captured grizzly bears.

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A hospital and rehab center for birds in Manhattan started with a woman who just wanted to do all she could to help an injured goose. Decades later, it has become an institution.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/wild-bird-fund

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Places editors Michelle Cassidy and Jonathan Carey bring us stories about two specific languages that were created by people who gave us a glimpse into their worlds and cultures – real and imagined.

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History buff Torri Yates-Orr gives us the tea on Nefertiti, Cleopatra, and Amanirenas – and explains why we often don’t hear their full stories in history class. 

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In Atlanta, on this historic Auburn Avenue, sits a small bookstore and reading room that’s been called “an interactive art museum of Black Thought” 

LEARN MORE: https://www.forkeepsbooks.com/

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James Baldwin’s former home in the South of France is a site that many visit hoping to feel the essence of the great African-American writer. But should it be?

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In the early days of drinking in America, bartenders passed down drink recipes simply via word of mouth. Then, a suit-wearing, itinerant bartender decked out in diamonds changed everything. 

Plus, big news! “Atlas Obscura: Wild Life” is coming soon to bookstores near you. Pre-order your copy now!   

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What is your favorite unusual road trip destination? Plus, Dylan wants your travel questions. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message, or send a voice memo to Hello@Atlas Obscura.com.

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Noah Purifoy was a pugilistic LA artist who eventually filled a 10 acre plot of land in Joshua Tree, CA with his off-kilter art. 

Noah Purifoy’s Outdoor Museum: http://www.noahpurifoy.com/joshua-tree-outdoor-museum

Learn more about Dale Davis: https://dalebdavis.com/

Listen to our episode about Leimert Park: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/podcast-leimert-park-ii

Listen to our episode about the Watts Towers Art Center: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/podcast-watts-towers

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/noah-purifoy-s-outdoor-desert-art-museum

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Ultimate slow travel adventurer (and friend of the show) Bernie Harberts returns to tell us what happened when he spent months floating alone at sea. Bernie is also an author and filmmaker. You can read more about Bernie's travels at his website www.riverearth.com.

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Listener stories of hitting the road, parents in tow. We’ll hear about an unexpected run-in with a group of lumberjacks, a rare road trip with parents visiting from Thailand, and a heart-pounding incident in Istanbul. If you have a suggestion about our next call out episode or a place you would like us to look into, please write us an email at hello@atlasobscura.com. Or call us and leave us a message at 315-992-7902.

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We visit a London neighborhood that’s the epicenter of Caribbean culture and a place that aims to be the home for Black British history. Learn more about the Black Cultural Archives here.

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During the 1970s, archaeologists and fishermen stumbled across an abandoned military weather station on the coast of Labrador. It was labeled “Canadian Meteor Service.” The problem was: the Canadian Meteor Service didn’t put it there. In fact, the Canadian Meteor Service didn’t even exist.

MORE: You can visit Weather Station Kurt at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, which is only about 980 miles from its original location!

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