Buzz
Once again, we find ourselves blending the realms of open-world video games and reality, venturing into unexplored glitches, discovering secret zones, and uncovering the playful inside jokes left behind by programmers fueled by too much caffeine. If you missed our previous explorations, we've covered this territory before, but rest assured, the caffeine-driven coders—both in the virtual and real worlds—are still wide awake, and we've managed to gather 10 more treasures for your enjoyment and confusion.
10. Standing at the Crossroads
"Well I’m standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona / Such a fine sight to see / It’s a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford / Slowin’ down to take a look at me." These iconic lyrics from the Eagles' 1972 classic "Take It Easy"—written by Jackson Browne—likely selected the town of Winslow for its meter (and somewhat awkward rhyme with "corner"). Nevertheless, this small town has blossomed into a modest yet thriving tourist spot, with its statue and mural installation now attracting visitors from all over.
The statue, which many point out bears no resemblance to either Jackson Browne or Glenn Frey (who performed the song), stares endlessly at the mural as if it were a reflection. Built in 1999 through the efforts of the aptly named Standin’ On a Corner Foundation, it capitalizes on the fact that nearly everyone passing through the town feels compelled to stop and snap a selfie on a random street corner.
Today, this statue attracts hundreds of visitors every day to the small town of Winslow, home to about 10,000 people. Many of them owe their livelihood to a mention in a song by Glenn Frey, a former member of the Eagles. There's also a memorabilia shop where you can buy T-shirts and mugs while listening to a never-ending playlist of Eagles tunes, or you can simply tune into any classic rock station for a similar experience.
9. Busted Plug Plaza
Blue Sky, an artist hailing from Columbia, was commissioned by a local bank to create this unique work for the bank's 75th anniversary. The result is a towering four-story structure made of concrete, steel, and aluminum, resembling a fire hydrant and known as "Busted Plug Plaza."
According to the artist’s website, this was initially conceived as a project named "Downtown Fountain," a cement sculpture that vaguely resembled a hydrant, with plugs representing various sections of the downtown area. Regardless, this colossal 306-metric-ton (337-ton) fire hydrant remained covered under tarps throughout its construction, brought to life by the collaborative efforts of architects, engineers, and city planners, and was finally revealed to the amazed and bewildered residents of Columbia in 2001.
Interestingly, other towns in the United States have once claimed the title of the World’s Biggest Hydrant, but none compare to the sheer scale of Busted Plug Plaza. The artist shared his thoughts on his creation: "There’s one thing about all my public works. And that is, if anybody looks at it and thinks it’s art then I’ve failed because it’s not meant to look like art. I want it to look like something bizarre and something they’ve never seen before. And the last thing I want them to think is that it’s art." Well said.
8. Easter Egg Island
Ever dreamt of discovering a deserted, tropical island all to yourself for a peaceful getaway? Just off the coast of Petit St. Vincent in the Caribbean, there's a small island where this fantasy can easily become reality.
Mopion Island, resembling something straight out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon, is a mere 30 meters (100 ft) wide and features nothing but a charming thatched umbrella. It’s been photographed countless times for travel brochures, posters, and postcards, and is likely a frequent subject of many paintings. Visitors leave their mark by writing their names on the umbrella’s post, though we’re amazed it isn’t already completely covered in ink. As of now, this tiny sand patch surrounded by crystal-clear water holds the title of Trip Advisor’s third-highest-ranked attraction in St. Vincent.
7. UFO Welcome Center
We've already established in this series that extraterrestrials sometimes deliver or collect mail from remote locations, thanks to a specially designed mailbox. Jody Pendarvis, a South Carolina resident, has taken this idea even further by transforming his home into a giant flying saucer, which he calls the UFO Welcome Center.
Mr. Pendarvis is fully committed to his mission: "Seriously, I am here to welcome the aliens from out of space." Since building the Center in the 1990s, he claims to have received several extraterrestrial visitors, and he has some theories about their intentions: "I don’t believe they actually want to land. I think they’d just rather fly around, live on their own ship and maybe come visit, maybe not." And if they do decide to land? "Aliens can fly from the north or the south and just land in the parking lot and come and chit chat with me."
The small town of Bowman, with its population of 1,200 and a single blinking stoplight, has so far embraced Jody and the modest influx of tourists his unique project attracts. It's become the town's most notable feature: "Since this is the only attraction in Bowman, I think I’ll run for mayor and maybe I’ll get it," said Mr. Pendarvis, a perfectly reasonable man.
6. Hidden Solar System
In 1971, sculptor Ivan Kozaric presented the city of Zagreb, Croatia with his latest creation, "The Grounded Sun"—a 2-meter (6.5 ft) bronze sculpture of the Sun. As the name suggests, it’s essentially a giant bronze sphere positioned on the ground in the city’s main square. While it may be interesting to some, it’s not quite what one would call an Easter egg. That distinction belongs to the installation designed by artist Davor Preis in 2004. Since Kozaric’s Sun was placed at the heart of the city, Preis envisioned the entire Solar System as part of the installation, with each planet spread throughout the city.
Naturally, the planets closest to the Sun—Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars—are all located within the city square, but the more distant planets are harder to find and require some trekking. The installation wasn’t officially publicized, and it wasn’t until students from Zagreb University revealed the locations that most residents even knew of it. The sculptures of the planets were crafted to the same scale as Kozaric's original Sun, with the planets’ distances from the sculpture also following the same scale. And for those fond of astronomy, Pluto—despite its reclassification as a dwarf planet in 2006—was still included in the installation.
5. The Monster Pad
Here’s the second entry from Boulder, Colorado, a city known for its quirky inhabitants (after all, this is the setting for Mork and Mindy). Nestled in a charming neighborhood near the iconic Flatirons, this well-kept '80s-style house doesn’t seem to have anything too remarkable about it at first glance. However, the owner apparently decided that the place needed something more, so he added lifelike, full-sized statues of Mike and Sulley from Monsters, Inc. right in his living room window.
The statues stand in place all year long, delighting children and giving hippies a good scare. One can only wonder whether the owner is a big fan of the movie or perhaps managed to get these statues at a bargain price, less than what a stylish paint job would have cost. The figures don ghost sheets on Halloween, wear Santa hats during Christmas, and overall seem much more like something Jeffrey Katzenberg would keep in his personal den rather than a living room centerpiece in Boulder. No one really knows who lives in the house or whether they have any connection to Pixar.
4. The Lil’ Desert
The Desert of Maine has been drawing visitors for nearly a century, and it certainly embodies the characteristics of a desert. The heat from the sand dunes raises the temperature by about 20 degrees compared to the surrounding areas, and in the summer, this small region can easily reach over 32°C (90°F).
This 47-acre geological anomaly was formed by a combination of natural erosion and poor farming practices. Glaciers from the Ice Age ground the local rocks into sand, which was then buried deep beneath the topsoil. As time passed, a farming family in the 1700s eroded the topsoil over generations, gradually exposing a patch of sand that grew steadily. Throughout the 1800s, the family attempted to combat the advancing dunes but finally gave up in the early 1900s. They eventually sold the land for $300 to Mr. Henry Goldrup, who transformed it into the tourist attraction it remains today.
If you happen to visit, there are tram tours, guided hikes, and even Frisbee golf to enjoy. Just be sure to skip the camel statues—they've been around since the '50s, serving as stand-ins for the live camels that were once part of the experience.
3. E.T.’s Final Resting Place
Finally, we've come across the literal crossroads where video games and reality collide. In other words, an Easter egg that features a video game embedded in the real world.
There had long been a rumor that, following the infamous video game crash of 1983, Atari disposed of a massive amount of copies of its notoriously bad E.T. The Extra Terrestrial video game by burying them in a public landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Atari never fully confirmed or denied the story, and it seemed so fittingly outrageous that most people assumed it was at least a wild exaggeration. But it turns out, it was true.
In April 2014, trash company owner Joe Lewandoski, archaeologist Andrew Reinhard, and oddly enough, filmmaker Zak Penn, teamed up to search for the ultimate Easter egg—the lost Atari E.T. dump. The games had been buried in a 12-meter-wide (40 ft) hole in a 300-acre landfill over 30 years earlier. Yet, within hours of digging, they struck gold, uncovering not just E.T. cartridges but also a few Missile Command and Centipede games for good measure.
Howard Warshaw, the game designer behind E.T., was present during the excavation. Reflecting on his intense production schedule for the game ('It is the fastest video game developed in video game history as far as I know'), he also offered a philosophical take on his alleged role in destroying an industry: 'Thirty-two years ago I made a game that people called ‘the worst game of all time’ that toppled a billion-dollar industry. Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not. The fact is, I did something 30 years ago that is still bringing people together, enjoying it, creating excitement.'
2. Homeless Jesus
At first glance, the art installation shown above may appear to be a real homeless person, which could very well be the artist's intention. The piece has even had the police called on it at least once. A bronze sculpture of a hobo resting on a park bench might seem like an unusual public art choice—until you take into account the wealthy neighborhood it's placed in, as well as the crucifixion-like marks on its feet.
Indeed, the statue—valued at $22,000 and gifted to the Episcopal Church by a parishioner—is meant to portray Jesus as a humble wanderer, which might help explain why it was rejected by two other cathedrals before it found a home in Davidson, North Carolina. Credit where it's due, the church that accepted the statue appears to appreciate the artist’s vision—Reverend David Buck noted, 'It gives authenticity to our church . . ...this is a relatively affluent church, to be honest, and we need to be reminded ourselves that our faith expresses itself in active concern for the marginalized of society.'
Timothy Schmalz, the Canadian artist behind the statue, has taken a miniature version to the Vatican and even received a blessing from Pope Francis. He hopes to one day have a Homeless Jesus statue installed in Vatican City. Meanwhile, the parishioners of the Davidson church have warmed to their version and have even been seen praying in front of it on occasion.
1. The Lil' Post Office
Tourists to southern Florida often stop to take photos of the world’s smallest post office, pictured above, in the town of Ochopee. Inside, they find all the things you might expect—trinkets, keychains, postcards—and one thing you might not: a postal worker. Yes, the Ochopee post office actually functions as a post office, even if only two or three people pick up their mail there.
If the building just looks like a little shed, that’s because it used to be exactly that. In 1953, the original post office/general store burned to the ground, and instead of rebuilding it, well, you get the idea. For awhile, the little shed served as both the post office and bus stop for Trailways bus lines. When the decision was made to move the building, the job probably only took around half a day—a couple local residents plopped it onto a wheelbarrow and hauled it off to its current location.
In case you were wondering, the building has all the modern conveniences—a computer, a phone, even air conditioning. Oh, except a bathroom. We suppose that keeping things bottled up is something of a postal worker stereotype, but it still seems like a pretty glaring oversight.
