Places nicholasgarside Wants to Go

A tiny theater hidden in an alley plays a constant stream of short silent films for anyone willing to peer through the peephole.

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

This museum in San Francisco's Chinatown is one of the oldest and largest archives of Chinese American history and culture.

Wander down a side street dedicated to one of the members of the Beat Generation.

Around the perimeter of San Francisco’s second-largest park is a meandering 2.7-mile path designed to inspire contemplation.

At the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, a small sign basically begs for a high-five.

Part mural and part sculpture, this work of art sits in the middle of the Promenade, as if swimming in a river of asphalt towards the ocean.

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

This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.

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

Since 1973, this block has been home to the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco.

This residential door allows San Francisco muggles a glimpse at the wizarding world.

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

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

A pair of slides and a tree-lined stair corridor have been an urban oasis for nearly 40 years.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

Bring your own cardboard to the slippery slopes of concrete hidden in a neighborhood park.

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

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.

A 1920s home transformed into an immersive art experience, where every room is a portal to another realm.

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.

“It's the quality” (but probably also the drive-through donut tunnel) that has attracted diners since 1968.

Where religious effigies, magic soaps, and occult candles are brought to customers at wholesale prices.