South Hill, Virginia, USA

Where will you dine when Highway 58 ushers you into South Hill? At Hardee's, because you like the taste of tender goodness? Or at Horseshoe Restaurant, because you know that any place in business since the 1930s has to be good? [2013]

Huntington, West Virginia, USA

What hungry behemoth is even bigger than Burger King? McDonald's, of course. Usually, when the arches move in, local fast-food stands go under, but here in Huntington, Frostop has weathered the attack. Its weapon: the hot dog, clad in West Virginia mail. [2013]

San Juan, Puerto Rico

What happens when communities get bitten by behemoths? Local restaurants flounder. Burger King is the second largest burger chain in the United States: When it moves in, culinary preferences change. Breaking news: Burger King has acquired Tim Horton's and is moving its headquarters to Canada. Stay tuned. [2009]

Bran, Romania

Rising above the town of Bran is Romania's most well-known habitation: Dracula's Castle. Power was exercised from the precipice here. This border fortress commanded the trade route between Transylvania and Wallachia. Want to buy it? It's now for sale, but you will have to outbid the Romanian government, which sees it as a heritage resource. [2014]

Bucharest, Romania

Many of the 'hero martyrs' who gave their lives in the Romanian Revolution of December 1989 are buried in this memorial cemetery in Bucharest. For almost twenty-five years now, one grave has been tended daily by a still-heartbroken mother whose son stood up to the Communist regime and made the ultimate sacrifice. [2014]

Bucharest, Romania

Twenty-five years after the fall of Communism in Romania, both large- and small-scale capitalism is flourishing on the streets of Bucharest. Romania is classified today as a solidly upper-middle-income economy. [2014]

Bucharest, Romania

Guess what the name of this piaţa was changed to in 1948 when Soviet tanks moved in? Stalin Square. In a sign of what was to come four decades later, the statue of Stalin was brought down in 1962 in the wee hours of the morning. Today, its name, Charles de Gaulle Square, reflects the historically close alliance between France and Romania. [2014]