10 Oddities That You Can Only Witness In New York

New York tends to serve as a hub for unique people with unique interests. Artists and offbeat characters are known to flock there for the wondrous atmosphere and endless potential. Even if you're someone who thinks they've been around the block a few times, you haven't "seen it all" until you explore the curious and extraordinary New York. From weird art projects to quirky tourist attractions, New York -- and New York City, in particular -- never runs out of fun oddities to observe. Here are a list of 10 noteworthy places that the eccentric in you will be fascinated by.

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10 Gulliver's Gate: A Big Little World

Could you imagine if our majestic world -- with all of its culture and sights -- could be condensed down to 50,000 square feet? At Gulliver's Gate in Times Square, you can explore a miniature version of life. Consisting of recreations of over 25 cities in five different continents, you'll see tiny versions of buildings, cars, people and landmarks. With plenty of hidden interactive easter eggs to discover, you'll want to analyze every single aspect of this peculiar art exhibit. There's even a tiny airport that actually functions.

9 Greenwich Locksmith

You wouldn't think visiting a locksmith would be on your itinerary for a trip to New York. The locksmith in Greenwich Village, however, is a bit different from most. While the building used to be completely unassuming, owner Phil Mortillaro decided to spice up the entrance by designing an art pattern made out of keys on the front door. He then crafted an entire chair made entirely out of keys. He's since welded keys together to decorate the entire building. While you can still go to Greenwich Locksmith for your typical locksmith needs, the establishment could now be considered an art exhibit as well.

8 Union Square Metronome

There's a giant digital display of numbers on a building in Union Square, but not many can decipher what it means. It's actually a clock, but it doesn't tell the time in the usual way that many are used to. The seven digits on the left tell time in a regular way with hours, minutes, seconds, and tenths of a second.

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The digits on the right-hand side, however, represent how much time is left in a 24 hour day, with the numbers seemingly going backward. This leaves the center digit to count hundredths of a second. If that weren't confusing enough, it also emits puffs of white smoke throughout the day.

7 MMuseumm: Smallest Museum In NYC

This museum dedicated to the modern world resides in an elevator shaft. It turns out an exhibit this size can still pack a big punch. Current items on display include ISIS currency, belongings lost by immigrants traveling in the Arizona desert, homemade gas masks, objects made by prisoners, and last meal receipts. Previous items on display include tissues used by world leaders, embalming accessories, and plastic from the Pacific ocean. Essentially, this tiny museum aims to tell all different kinds of stories about all different kinds of people and the state of our current times.

6 Obscura Antiques And Oddities

You've never seen an antique store like this one. Located in Manhattan's East Village, this store is so fascinating that there is even a Discovery Channel reality television show about it entitled Oddities. The type of items you can expect to be on sale are curiosities such as taxidermied animals, prosthetic limbs, a mummified cat, and art made from nail clippings. There is no limit to how strange or bizarre the items sold here can be. The owners scrounge through garage sales, flea markets, and more to find only the weirdest of the weird to put in their shop.

5 Boar Statue In Sutton Place Park

There are some unique sculptures and statues throughout the city, but the large boar statue standing proud in Sutton Place Park seems particularly random -- especially since Sutton Place is a historically elegant neighborhood, where the rich and famous like Henry Kissinger and Marilyn Monroe used to reside.

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Apparently, the bronze statue is a replica of what was initially a marble statue from the Renaissance era. Philanthropist Hugh Trumbull Adams saw it in a store, loved it, and bought it for the park in the 1970s. The locals are pretty used to it by now, and kids even like to climb on it.

4 The Naked Cowboy

The Naked Cowboy is just that: a naked cowboy who struts around Times Square for tourists to gawk at. The Naked Cowboy -- whose actual name is Robert Burck -- started walking around the city in nothing but cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, and white underwear. He also carries a guitar to strategically place in front of himself to make it look like he's entirely nude. He strums his guitar and poses for pictures, and is said to make up to $1,000 in tips each day. This is either the best or the worst gig ever, depending on how you look at it!

3 Trailer Park Lounge

The Trailer Park Lounge on 23rd Street is a super fun restaurant that is themed to look like a trailer park. Head up to their Tacky Tiki Lounge and order a cocktail such as "Jim Bob's IQ," or, in true trailer park fashion, a nice cold beer. You'll also get to dine on some good barbecue and the best of Southern comfort food. The decor is tacky in the best way, with Christmas lights, neon signs, and plenty of other random paraphernalia. While it certainly might not be the fanciest of establishments, it's kitschy and fun and full of photo ops.

2 Sewer Alligator Tribute

Have you ever heard that urban legend about alligators crawling out of sewers? Turns out, it's not entirely untrue. In 1935, an alligator climbed out of a sewer in Harlem but was quickly beaten to death by a bunch of angry New Yorkers. When artist Tom Otterness created his "Life Underground" series of statues distributed throughout subway stations in 2001, he was inspired by this crazy story.  Now, if you head to the L train (14th St.) platform, you'll see a bronze alligator emerging from a manhole and dragging back a businessman (with a moneybag serving as his head) with its teeth.

1 Dream House

This art installation on Church Street in Tribeca will mess with your mind in the best way possible. Dream House has rooms with different colored lights and relaxing music playing in the background. Sit on a plush pillow, inhale the distinct smells coming from incense, and take it all in. Those who have visited before swear you'll be immersed in an entirely new world, leaving the problems of your actual world behind you for the duration of your stay. Dream House was created in 1993 by modern composer La Monte Young and visual artist Marian Zazeela, who also happen to be a married couple.

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