Places Annie Oortman Wants to Go

A lovely summer day by the sea becomes a nightmare.

Secret US military film studio in the Hollywood Hills.

The last of its kind in the country.

Room 32 of the Alta Cienega Motel has grown into a shrine to the Lizard King.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

A bright California graveyard with a decidedly dark side.

The short oil boom of Venice Beach, and its swift removal from the tourism-laden landscape.

Dioramas and animatronics lead you through the story of Bhagavad-gita, the Indian literary classic.

From pre-war whiskey cocktails to prohibition-era speakeasy secrecy, this bar has seen it all.

Apartment building was once posh playground to the Hollywood elite.

The diverse and sometimes odd cultural heritage of the Golden State is collected, examined, and displayed in this proud museum.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

Santa Monica's oldest restaurant, decorated with set pieces from the Mutiny on the Bounty.

A treasure hunter's tiny bar, harboring celebrities since 1959.

An offbeat angle on the ocean viewed through an antiquated lens.

Giant origami crease patterns engraved in Santa Monica intersections may even be visible from space.

The dramatic upward-curving roof is one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture that still stands today.

Somewhere between an art studio and a print shop, this artists storefront is a house of worship devoted to type.

Stroll the grounds built by murder, suicide, and dirty oil money at one of Hollywood's most filmed mansions.

Perhaps the most unique of any Frank Gehry design for one simple reason: Gehry himself actually lives here.

Her final resting place was intended to be modest and private, but the power of her popularity continues to draw visitors.

An ultra-modern vista that has been featured in so many films the house is a celebrity in its own right.

World War II-era Nazi compound nestled in the Santa Monica hills.

A quirky old tree covered in tokens, cans, and bottles of wishes.