Most bridges aren’t gendered, but the Puente de la Mujer (Spanish for “Woman’s Bridge”) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is an exception. Located in the city’s Puerto Madero neighborhood, the 525-foot pedestrian bridge spans the Río Dique and rotates 90 degrees to allow ships to pass. The bridge’s unusual shape is said to resemble a man leaning over a woman as they dance the tango.

Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, the Sydney Opera House is a masterwork of modern architecture. Although the architect’s design was meant to evoke the sails of a boat, rugby-loving locals often call the Sydney Opera House “Nuns in a Scrum” or “the Nun’s Scrum.” This nickname refers to the huddle that rugby players assume, also called a scrummage — and the white coiffes (or perhaps cornettes) that Catholic nuns wear, which some see in the building’s distinctive “sails.”

California’s Silicon Valley is the world’s most famous tech hub, but before the 1970s, the area south of San Francisco used to go by a different moniker: the Valley of Heart's Delight. The area got its nickname from its fertile farmland and bountiful fruit orchards. By the 1950s, pears and apricots were overshadowed by the manufacturing of the first silicon chips in the valley, which made the region a natural hub for emerging technology companies.

Despite the fact that Hogwarts Castle is set in the Scottish highlands, Glasgow’s subway system is actually nicknamed “the Clockwork Orange.” Built in 1896, it is the third-oldest underground system in the world, after London and Budapest. In the 1970s, Glasgow introduced bright orange cars along this circular route, which led to the “Clockwork Orange” nickname — a nod to the iconic novel by Anthony Burgess.

Shoshone Falls is even taller than the famous waterfall that inspired its nickname. Reaching heights of 212 feet (compared to the 167 feet of Niagara Falls), these impressive falls are fed by Idaho’s Snake River. Shoshone Falls is one of the country’s largest natural waterfalls, and it first became a popular tourist attraction as travelers passed by it on the Oregon Trail in the mid-19th century.

In New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington, you’ll find parliament buzzing around the country’s most intriguing building, known as the Beehive. Serving as the Executive Wing of parliament, the Cabinet Ministers and the Prime Minister share offices in the 10-floor building, named for its distinctive shape. Designed by British architect Sir Basil Spence in 1964, the building opened in 1981 and has become synonymous with New Zealand’s government.

Some call it “the ugliest building in London.” Others call it the Walkie Talkie building. But officially, it’s 20 Fenchurch Street, a central London skyscraper that looks very much indeed like an oversized walkie talkie. And it holds a distinct honor: In 2015 the Royal Institute of British Architects awarded the building the Carbuncle Cup, which goes to “the ugliest completed in the last 12 months.”

In 1986, Life Magazine dubbed a barren stretch of U.S. Route 50 through the middle of Nevada “the loneliest road in America.” With no attractions or points of interest along the 400-mile route, the magazine said simply, “We don’t recommend it,” and that drivers would need serious “survival skills.” Despite the words of caution, the nickname stuck and has been embraced by the state’s tourism board.

Everything’s bigger in Texas, but the “Grand Canyon of Texas” is slightly smaller than the famous canyon in Arizona it’s nicknamed after. Located in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Palo Duro Canyon is still the second-largest canyon in the country. It measures 120 miles long and six miles wide on average, with depths reaching up to 1,000 feet.

Just over one square mile in size, Angel Island off the coast of San Francisco is often referred to as the “Ellis Island of the West.” Between 1910 and 1940, millions of immigrants from more than 80 countries passed through the immigration station, which served as the primary Pacific Coast gateway to the United States. Today it is a National Historic Landmark and part of a state park.

The Chocolate Hills on the Philippine island of Bohol get their name from the brown grass that covers them by the end of the dry season. According to local legend, two giants once fought here, tossing rocks at each other for days until they collapsed from exhaustion. The result of their fight was the Chocolate Hills. At least 1,300 hills dot the landscape today.

Winding its way through the national capital, the Potomac is aptly nicknamed the “Nation’s River.” The Potomac forms the southern headwaters of Chesapeake Bay, one of the East Coast’s most significant estuaries. The river flows for 380 miles through Virginia and Maryland. Not only does the Potomac represent the nation’s cultural heritage, but it also provides a critical habitat for wildlife.

In “The Grapes of Wrath,” John Steinbeck coined the nickname for America’s most iconic highway: Route 66. As his migratory characters traveled across the country during the Dust Bowl, Steinbeck deemed Route 66 the “mother road” for migrants traveling west. Although Steinbeck himself was never a migrant, he did drive Route 66 in 1937.

Pikes Peak isn’t the tallest mountain in the country, but it has earned the nickname “America’s Mountain” for good reason. The origins of the moniker go back to 1893, when Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesley, visited the mountain. Her brief, 30-minute stay at the summit inspired her to put pen to paper, and when she got back to Colorado Springs, the now-famous poem “America the Beautiful” was born.

Nicknamed "The Bean" for its shape, "Cloud Gate," by British artist Sir Anish Kapoor, gives a perfect view of the Chicago skyline in its reflective stainless steel surface. Tourists flock to the piece, which is located in Millennium Park, to grab a selfie or group photo when they’re in the city. To keep its surface shining, professional cleaners come by at least twice a day to polish the sculpture.

The world’s largest steel structure at the time of its construction in 2008, the Beijing National Stadium is better known as the Bird’s Nest for its twisting steel sections. In all, the stadium holds a staggering 50,000 tons of metal. The venue also has the distinction of being the only Olympic stadium to host opening ceremonies for both summer and winter games.

If you visit the Tower of London, you’ll come face-to-face with the oldest military corps in Britain: the Yeoman Warders, who are lovingly called Beefeaters. Known for their distinctive fuzzy hats and red uniforms, the guards were once tasked with protecting the British crown jewels (and when it was used as a prison, guarding the Tower of London prisoners). They now serve mainly a ceremonial role.

Bran Castle, located in Romania’s Transylvania region, is nicknamed “Dracula’s Castle,” as it’s said to be the inspiration for the castle in Bram Stoker's classic 1897 novel "Dracula". The stone fortress was built in the 14th century and is now open as a museum. The character of Count Dracula is often confused with the real-life Vlad Tepes (aka Vlad the Impaler), who had a different castle in the Principality of Wallachia that is now in ruins.

The iconic wrought-iron Eiffel Tower — measuring 1,063 feet to its top — was the tallest structure in the world when it was completed in 1889. At first, many Parisians deemed it ugly, a potentially dangerous eyesore to the city’s skyline, but later it earned the nickname, “La dame de fer” (Iron Lady). Today it attracts more visitors than any other paid monument in the world.

Nicknamed “The Crookedest Street in the World,” Lombard Street is a stomach-churning journey down one of San Francisco’s characteristically steep city hills. Paved in red brick and lined with pretty flowers, this single block in San Francisco’s Russian Hill district zig-zags the 27% grade slope with eight hairpin turns. A sign at the top recommends a speed limit of just 5 mph.

Completed in 1859, the Elizabeth Tower was originally called the Clock Tower. The entire tower is commonly known by the nickname “Big Ben,” but many visitors don’t realize that the nickname refers specifically to the great bell inside the tower. The tower was renamed to honor Queen Elizabeth II on her 2012 Diamond Jubilee.