This bridge over the River Cuale leads to a neighborhood that was once an escape for Hollywood's elite.

A Lovecraftian altar of nightmarish bronze chairs sits ominously on a boardwalk in Puerto Vallarta.

A 90-acre park on former landfill that hosts an annual kite festival.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

This lighthouse has been guiding shipping into the Golden Gate since before the American Civil War.

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

Built in 1906, this unique building was the first Hindu temple in the United States.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

The oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States is a nostalgic jewel.

Tiki luxury on Nob Hill.

27-room home built with the fortune of a sugar magnate.

There is no trying to fall in love with this Star Wars fountain, you just do or do not.

Get lost in this haunting fairytale art walk through a man-made eucalyptus grove.

One of the smallest parks in San Francisco honors the legacy of the "Mother of Civil Rights in California."

Furniture tries to escape an abandoned building in San Francisco.

Get a taste of Chamorro cuisine, family-style, at this popular restaurant.

Forgotten and then destroyed by fire, this was once one of the largest saltwater swimming pools in the world.

Sitting atop San Francisco's tallest hill, a cross honors the victims of the Armenian genocide.

This old-world mansion with lush gardens is a gem in the heart of Silicon Valley.

A classically inspired temple in Redwood City.

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

The most beautiful Taco Bell in the world even has surfboard parking.

The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.