Places Alex SF Wants to Go

Every autumn, this hillside is ablaze with red summer cypress.

More tin toys than you can shake a clapping monkey at.

This bizarre residential building is the masterpiece of Von Jour Caux, the “Gaudí of Japan.”

A small museum in a ward on the east side of Tokyo showcases the works of one of Japan's greatest ukiyo-e artists.

Inside the columbarium, thousands of colorful, high-tech Buddhas guard the ashes of the dead.

The monastery survived the Communist revolution in Mongolia as a religious museum.

An off-the-beaten-path monastery in the northern hills of Ulaanbaatar.

Established hundreds of years ago, Gandan remains the premier Buddhist monastery in Ulaanbaatar.

A huge communist-era propaganda monument and mural that offers stunning views of the Mongolian capital.

Enormous statue of the Emperor of the Mongols.

The art on the walls of the Mexican Electricians' Syndicate pulls no punches in its messages against capitalism and authoritarianism

These "antimonuments" confront the Mexican authorities by memorializing the most troubling events in the country's modern history.

Mexico’s first synagogue set up by and for the Ashkenazi Jewish community.

The outside of this theater is decorated with a Diego Rivera mural that explores the history of Mexico.

This giant expressionist head crowns a museum devoted to a beloved Mexican leader.

A tribute to the 20th-century ball that cast a spotlight on Mexico’s LGBTQ community.

Murals made with millions of colorful stones adorn the abandoned building.

This covert museum showcases booties worn by a rescue dog and slippers owned by Queen Elizabeth II.

These spectacular, symbolic serpents lie within the shadow of the Great Temple.

A Volkswagen Beetle decorated with millions of beads connects Mexico's past and future.

An airy Art Deco space devoted to the weird and wonderful folk art traditions of Mexico.

Diego Rivera's massive tiled fountain and failed infrastructure project.

Visiting this cacophonous collection of vintage novelties is like stepping into the mind of a crazed toymaker.

66,000 pieces of art, donated by one of the world's richest men.