You can't make this stuff up.
Thanks to a really awesome New York Times article on the Center of the World (yes, really), we wanted to investigate this strange spot located practically just over the California border west of Yuma, Arizona.
The town, called Felicity, was deemed the actual Official Center of the World, and there's a plaque there to commemorate it. Started by a Frenchman named Jacques-Andre Istel, the "town" has at most a handful of residents, but you can stop and check out the site only from December through March (call ahead and make sure they're open).
It's the perfect bizarro roadside stop. Istel, who owned a slew of parachute schools, bought the land before he knew what to do with it. Fast forward a few decades and he's built a church, a Wall for the Ages (which, basically, recounts big events in history, because of course) and a 21-foot-tall hollow pyramid that houses the actual Center. Rumor has it that if you go and stand on the exact spot, you get a certificate from a town official and get to make a wish. There's a 15-minute tour you can take that includes watching a 7-minute video explaining the whole place. You can also pay $200 and have your name inscribed on the Wall for the Ages--gotta make a buck somehow!
Essentially, this place is one big trippy experiment and next time you're on Interstate 8 you should stop by.
The town's church and Wall for the Ages.
The pyramid that covers the actual center of the world.
A section of the original stairway from the Eiffel Tower.
