What is the coolest man-made thing you’ve ever seen up close in real life?

[LesClaypool]

Finishing up our trip to Lucerne, Florence, and Rome on Saturday. It’s been extraordinary!

The single most impressive thing I’ve seen on this trip though, or ever for that matter (I think), is Michaelangelo’s Statue of David, at the Accademia, in Florence.

I’m as ignorant as they come when it comes to art...but if you see David up close and don’t come away flabbergasted I’d be shocked. 16 feet tall. Every vein and muscle striation perfect. Just extraordinary. How could someone be so talented at anything?

Made me think though...what’s the coolest/most impressive thing you’ve ever seen in your life, up close, etc?

*For the record, “boobs,” while technically not man-made (obviously a gift from god) is a perfectly acceptable response.

 

[Imtotallynottribe]

Finishing up our trip to Lucerne, Florence, and Rome on Saturday. It’s been extraordinary!

The single most impressive thing I’ve seen on this trip though, or ever for that matter (I think), is Michaelangelo’s Statue of David, at the Accademia, in Florence.

I’m as ignorant as they come when it comes to art...but if you see David up close and don’t come away flabbergasted I’d be shocked. 16 feet tall. Every vein and muscle striation perfect. Just extraordinary. How could someone be so talented at anything?

Made me think though...what’s the coolest/most impressive thing you’ve ever seen in your life, up close, etc?

*For the record, “boobs” is a perfectly acceptable response.

Tough call.

The first thing that springs to mind is the Law Code Stele of King Hammurabi at the British Museum as that’s quite literally when civilisation started. When we had a defined code of laws and conduct and didn’t just run around hitting each other with sticks.

The next thing was seeing “with my own eyes” a black hole (technically not seeing it but its effects) at the Flagstaff Observatory on their biggest telescope as that’s both the ending and beginning of something stellar.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Pyramids of Giza, Valley of the Kings in Luxor, Taj Mahal

 

[Fijimn]

Macchu Picchu

 

[SeaPA]

I guess since it's thought of as one of the 7 man-made wonders of the world, mine would be the Great Wall of China. It is indeed awesome, but I found the Dragon Spine Terraces to be equally amazing.

 

[Dr. Nole]

Something at NASA is 1st thing to come to mind.
Seeing the Saturn V rocket hanging above you...the command capsule etc.

 

[seminoledq]

Boobs

 

[Dr. Nole]

Boobs

The gift that gives the whole year Clark

 

[NDallasRuss]

Taj Mahal

 

[CC0492]

The gift that gives the whole year Clark

Well, unless you're the girl in the new Bumblebee movie. Then you're not really giving anything.

 

[Random_John]

The Magic Kingdom. They built the thing in a freaking swamp.

 

[LauderdaleNole]

Boobs

amen brother...if you can touch em then they're real

 

[62Nole]

Implants are man-made.

I had a buddy back in Atlanta years ago. He said he could only afford one implant for his new bride. I begged him not to do it because he would forever being playing favorite.

He didn't listen.

 

[Nole Lou]

Something at NASA is 1st thing to come to mind.
Seeing the Saturn V rocket hanging above you...the command capsule etc.

Funny, the Saturn V at the Huntsville space center was the first thing that came to mind. I don't know if it would be the MOST, but both that and being up close to a Blackbird a the museum in Warner Robbins both had that effect on me. Which is kind of weird, because I'm not an aviation junkie in the least.

I think it was the spy museum in DC had an enigma machine, and that was one of the coolest things, but not really because of anything in it's nature, just because I'm absolutely fascinated by that thing. But that was one of the most thrilling things I've seen.

Everything in Rome basically has that effect on me, but for some reason the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran kind of hit me the most. Maybe because I wasn't even aware of it, and didn't have it on the list, but it was right around the corner of the hotel and I wandered into it within like an hour of getting to the hotel. That knocked my socks off. Maybe everything after that is a little bit diminishing returns with just being hit with one thing after another of brilliance.

 

[funksouljon]

Technically it was woman-made, but my kids as newborns. Not sure how something that has occurred, literally, billions of times, can still be a miracle, but it was to me.

Oh, and boobs.

 

[funksouljon]

I've spent many hours amazed at the statue of David. I agree. Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, the interior is also pretty staggering.

hmm.

 

[Nole Lou]

Oh, I'll add one more. A few months ago, I got to see the original 2001 Space Odyssy on a 70mm print at the Mall of Georgia Imax theater, one of the biggest, if not the biggest, commercial screens in the country. On top of it, it's got steep stadium seating, so you're closer to the screen than most modern IMAX screens.

That was probably one of the most amazing man-made things I've ever seen. Love it or hate it, I love every frame, and watching it in that scenario was mind crushing for two and a half hours.

 

[SeaPA]

Taj Mahal

I haven't seen the building, but I saw the guitar player in Daytona a few years back. He was very, very cool. Not sure how the building compares.

 

[kooterridesagain]

The David in person also stunned me, its the piece of art that just left me in awe and i could have spent an hour staring at it. I wasn’t that excited to see it as the Textbooks do it no justice.

Architecturally the Grote Markt in Brussels is my favorite repeat destination. The detail is mind blowing, I see something new each visit.

If you like flowers the Keukenhof in Holland is spectacular and the most photographed event annually in the world.

Haven’t been to Easter Island yet.

 

[NDallasRuss]

Taj Mahal

Oh, and Stonehenge. Even after seeing the information on how they transported/planted the huge stones, I still couldn't fathom how they actually got it to work. (Answer: Aliens!)

 

[F4Gary]

When you enter the Pantheon, the info plaque says "The Pantheon was built in 25BC. Let that sink in as you walk around inside it. I was there the year we were celebrating our 200th anniversary. It was built 1800 years before the USA!

 

[Gonolz]

If we are talking art, I have to go with Vermeer's The Milk Maid at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. I was astonished with the lighting and the way it came to life. I haven't seen David, but The Milk Maid impressed me much more than Mona Lisa.

Other than art, the man made Palm Islands in Dubai were pretty damn cool.

 

[lizfsu]

Boobs

I suppose they can be man-made

 

[Spearhead04]

I agree with f4gary. The Pantheon is incredible. Go there at night and just stare at the external columns lit up. Incredible. After that I’d go with the Hoover dam, Neuschwanstein Castle, Washington monument and numerous other structures in dc, Golden Gate Bridge, the biltmore, Doak Campbell Stadium, cape canaveral building, the Statue of Liberty, any number of the newer cruise ships that port in Fort Lauderdale (biggest in the world), Bellagio fountains, an aircraft carrier (can’t remember which one it was). My eyes have seen much more but my memory sucks.

 

[F4Gary]

I agree with f4gary. The Pantheon is incredible. Go there at night and just stare at the external columns lit up. Incredible. After that I’d go with the Hoover dam, Neuschwanstein Castle, Washington monument and numerous other structures in dc, Golden Gate Bridge, the biltmore, Doak Campbell Stadium, cape canaveral building, the Statue of Liberty, any number of the newer cruise ships that port in Fort Lauderdale (biggest in the world), Bellagio fountains, an aircraft carrier (can’t remember which one it was). My eyes have seen much more but my memory sucks.

I have been to all those except the cruise ships and agree!

 

[surfnole]

I've spent many hours amazed at the statue of David. I agree. Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, the interior is also pretty staggering.

hmm.

https://goo.gl/images/o22YBc

 

[MIKE_G]

When you enter the Pantheon, the info plaque says "The Pantheon was built in 25BC. Let that sink in as you walk around inside it. I was there the year we were celebrating our 200th anniversary. It was built 1800 years before the USA!

The Pantheon was the first thing I thought of. I think the fact it just seemed to come out of nowhere as we were walking through the streets of Rome had something to do with why it sticks in my memory. Most of the big attractions are sort of segregated from normal every day traffic, but the Pantheon was just bam, right there in the middle of a busy street with gelato shops and cafes and shoe stores and whatever.

 

[funksouljon]

https://goo.gl/images/o22YBc

Yep, exactly.

 

[funksouljon]

The Pantheon was the first thing I thought of. I think the fact it just seemed to come out of nowhere as we were walking through the streets of Rome had something to do with why it sticks in my memory. Most of the big attractions are sort of segregated from normal every day traffic, but the Pantheon was just bam, right there in the middle of a busy street with gelato shops and cafes and shoe stores and whatever.

It also was previously gold plated as well. Darn Mongolians.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Seems kind of lame, but I think the Eiffel Tower is amazing. I was so surprised by the size of it. Been to Paris 20-25 times and still get a kick out of seeing the tower and the surrounding green spaces.

On the modern side, I’ve always been a military plane junkie. Love flyovers. I saw the B-2 bomber once and couldn’t believe it was real.

 

[SeaPA]

This is a pic of a small section of the Dragon Spine I mentioned above; everything you can see in any direction looks the same. It's the method of rice farming in this region of China. The terraces were carved into the hills & mountains 600+ years ago (so obviously by hand & with whatever rudimentary tools existed at that time). Start at the top of the mountain, carve a terrace; drop down 6 or 8 feet, carve another, until you get to the bottom of the mountain. Then they used bamboo piping to run water (from the river in the valley) up to the top terrace. Fill it, once if fills it spills over & fills the next, until they're all filled, at which time you remove the water flow & plant the new rice crop.
Truly amazing in that it allowed for production of food for the entire region, and also results in a stunning visual effect.

 

[seminoledq]

How do we know these things were all REALLY built by man?

---Steph Curry

 

[ReliableOstrich]

I’ll add macchu picchu as well.

I saw all the ancient Roman stuff on the same trip after I spent two weeks in Egypt.

Bad idea. After seeing all the antiquities in Egypt dating back to 2000-3000BC, then seeing stuff in Rome from around the year 0 you’re just like “who are these Johnny come latelys”. Sorta tongue in cheek, it’s all amazing to see, but Egypt really changes your perspective. Highly recommend it.

Angkor Wat temple complex and the 1000s of pagodas in a Bagan (Myanmar) are also simply amazing and beautiful structures.

I’d be remiss I didn’t also point out a couple wonders I see everyday, the Brooklyn Bridge and Empire State Building. 13 years and I still stop and pause everyday at those engineering marvels.

 

[seminole97]

Sorta tongue in cheek, it’s all amazing to see, but Egypt really changes your perspective.

The amazing thing to me is that those flourishing civilizations could essentially disappear.
Like, what the...???

 

[ReliableOstrich]

The amazing thing to me is that those flourishing civilizations could essentially disappear.
Like, what the...???

Cycle of human civilization.

One day folks will be saying that about us, provided we exist beyond a 300 year blip on history’s radar and whoever conquers us doesn’t revise the history books to take credit for our innovations.

Ancient Egypt, combining a few periods, lasted over 2000 years. So we’re a little over a tenth of the way there.

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Adding a few more:

- Shuttle launch around 2-3am back in the 90s. The whole sky was lit up for like 10 minutes. You could literally read a book w/ the amount light the shuttle created.

- City of Venice and the 5 towns of Cinqueterra

- Ouarzazate (Morocco). You'll know it for the Kasbash where they shot part of Gladiator and Lawrence of Arabia

 

[RunRonnieRun]

Any time I see a major city — especially Manhattan — from a distance it takes my breath away a little bit.

 

[FSUDoles]

One thing that I will always stop and stare in awe is the B-2 Stealth Bomber. Dating back to the first time I saw it live at the Air and Sea Show in Fort Lauderdale and even today....I'm stunned by the shape, the eerie silence, how it virtually disappears at certain angles...and the fact something like that could fly at over 600 mph with a range at nearly 7,000 miles....and can carry up to 40,000 pounds of weaponry. I appreciate everything mentioned above, but this piece of art/machinery/scientific advancement is by far the coolest thing I've ever seen.

 

[CC0492]

Any time I see a major city — especially Manhattan — from a distance it takes my breath away a little bit.

I'm right there with you. The last two times I flew to Philly and Boston I was staring out the window at the island of Manhattan. Seeing all of the buildings as a cluster on that tiny strip of land surrounded by water is amazing. Surprised how that island just doesn't flip over with all that weight on top of it like that!

 

[ReliableOstrich]

On shorter flights back into NYC (or any major metro) I always checkout flightradar24 to see what the most likely approach is and which side of the aircraft will have the best view of the city. Love taking photos from above.

Did this flying from Beirut to Amman last year, Middle East Airlines is one of the only carriers that flies over Syria (only certain parts of it). But figured it would be interesting to take some pics of Syria from above, being in of the only maybe 3-4 aircraft above the country at that moment.