Places Edited by Sandi Hemmerlein

One of the ghostly stops along Route 66.

The best-preserved Roman small town in North Africa.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

This California estate was either haunted by ghosts or the Marx brothers.

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

This abandoned horse racing track was an exercise in hubris from its inception.

This Southern Californian Conservation Center is home to singing and howling apes.

The wild west is still alive and well at this authentic mining town watering hole.

Los Angeles's oldest cemetery allows visitors to trace the history of this proud city.

A ghost town at the airport is now a refuge for blue butterflies.

The echoes of a railroad town that solemnly mark the end of the line.

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

The home of one of California's most important horticulturalists wilts amidst a lovely park.

A bomb shelter and some fireplaces are all that remain of the house Fred Roberts tried so hard to keep standing.

On a barren hillside in the Yucca Valley, the recently restored Desert Christ Park has attracted pilgrims and kitsch hunters for over 50 years.

The last orange grove of the San Fernando Valley is owned and protected by CSU Northridge.

A repository of Pasadena history.

Smooth basaltic rocks tell a tale of ancient glacial waterfalls.

An outdoor sculpture park of giant pink robots and post-apocalyptic Christmas scenes.

Lehigh Valley barge No. 79 still gets tugged along - but now it houses a museum and unusual performances.

An unfortunate geological resemblance to Satan has labeled this Pasadena gorge as a passage to the underworld.

Medical and zoological curiosities for sale.

One of Hollywood’s favorite government buildings.

A community of artists and entrepreneurs seeks a simpler life on London's waterways.