I apologize if the image at left is a bit hard to make out, but if it looks like a bunch of junk to you, then you're seeing it clearly. This is the outdoor portion of the City Museum in downtown St. Louis. It's absolutely the most unique place I've ever seen, and it's completely made of "found objects."

The City Museum was built using reclaimed materials like salvaged bridges, construction cranes, traffic signposts, old chimneys, and even two abandoned airplanes -- all found within the city limits. A mix of children's playground, art exhibit, and architectural wonder, the museum was imagined up by sculptor Bob Cassilly, whose next project aims to turn an abandoned cement plant into an adventure land complete with sculptures, industrial silos, working (but obsolete) machinery, and navigable waterways.

I love that this guy can take what would otherwise be junking up a landfill and turn it into something so creative. It's hard to explain how amazing this place is, but just to give you an idea: one of my favorite parts was an area that opened up to a five-story-high ceiling and housed five or six sets of staircases and spiral slides (yes, slides! five stories high!). Pictures hardly do it justice, but check out this photo tour to get a sense of the museum.