Places Edited by Sandi Hemmerlein

An L.A. traffic island where the faces of locals have been carved into massive granite eggs.

This quirky UFO-shaped curiosity is often mistaken for the airport’s control tower.

The space-age building is home to one of the few remaining rotating restaurants in America, and the only one that inspired a 1980s sitcom.

A rare surviving example of a pre-WWII Japanese garden, restored after years of neglect.

"The greatest unknown literary treasure in Los Angeles."

Happy harbor seals frolic and snooze on this warm, sandy stretch of coast.

An Old West film set seen in countless TV shows and movies is open for the public to explore.

A strange mishmash of ruins and abandoned structures hint at the park's many lives.

Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.

The beloved dining spot stands at the cross-section of Hollywood and the Old West.

The quirky salon doubles as a retro museum run by the world's leading "hairstorian."

Inky sludge oozes to the surface of this beach thanks to a rare natural tar seep.

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

Crumbling pink walls and murder memorials preserve the pioneer history of Joshua Tree.

Windswept and remote, this island was once the home of a rare mammoth and today is home to a rare tree.

This unique sanctuary invites you to interact with the beautiful birds.

This vintage animatronics show is the Vegas version of a walk through the woods.

Sunset-colored dunes of volcanic ash make taking a poor photo impossible.

All aboard the world's longest miniature railway.

Mediums from a psychic utopian community lead a trippy VR journey on a parked desert bus.

Dozens of lights dangle from the branches of what may be the brightest tree in Los Angeles.

Dozens of feral felines rule a segment of Hollywood's only graveyard.

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.