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

The headquarters of a secretive order is also a beautifully-designed park.

A psychological self-portrait in the form of a giant, segmented head.

A shrine built to combat the bad karma of a commercial venture.

For centuries young Thai men used this Giant Swing as a slingshot to heaven.

Bangkok's men with dangerous jobs come here in search of protective talismans.

The headquarters of the Mahanikai school of Buddhism, Thailand's largest monastic order.

Centuries of crashing waves carved out this small hole in the rock, which lights up at certain parts of the year.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

Yo, Adrian!

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.

France's most famous cemetery, with some of its most curious tombs.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast.

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

This incredible collection of vintage pinball machines can be played at 25 cents a pop.