Gastown Steam Clock, Vancouver

On a street corner of this Victorian-era warehouse district stands the world's first steam clock, and probably the city's most photographed attraction. The timepiece plays the Westminster Chimes every hour and whistles every 15 minutes with a gush of steam. Despite its Gothic style, it's not as old as it looks. Famed inventor and horologist Ray Saunders built the clock in 1977 to muffle steam from underground lines that were used to heat local buildings.