Place to eat: Encounter Bar and Restaurant, Los Angeles, California, United States

About this place:

This classic example of googie architecture was built in 1961 to celebrate the completion of Los Angeles International Airport as a then-new "Jet Age Terminal." With it's 135 foot parabolic arches and flying-saucer center section, the Theme Building (its proper name) was declared a historic monument by the city of Los Angeles in 1992. Now called the Encounter Restaurant and Bar, its a fun place to grab a drink or a snack between flights at LAX. The interior underwent a major renovation in 2007, and it now offers 360 degree views of the airport along with self-consciously futuristic decor. (Think crater-shaped bar and lava lamps.) The food at Encounter is reasonably good and reasonably priced, but that's probably secondary to the sheer experience of taking in the views from the iconic building.