A pair of mutilated bronze octopuses slump at the base of the monument honoring California's admission to the U.S.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

Wheels of chrome by the thousands adorn this California Historical Landmark.

Aqueducts have dramatically changed this old lake, now home to tufa towers and its very own species of tiny brine shrimp.

Standing in a state of "arrested decay," this ghost town allows for a detailed peek into Gold Rush life in an unusually harsh climate.

Giant, natural amphitheaters made of delicate geological formations called "hoodoos."

Here, at the “world’s longest art gallery,” you’ll find forty miles of ancient petroglyphs and pictographs.

Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.

Chevron maintains one “Standard” brand station per state so it doesn’t lose the trademark.

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

Ingenious bakery opens up the first Cupcake ATM at their flagship location in Beverly Hills.

The remains of a deserted steamboat sit rusting beside an old ferry pier and an abandoned train platform.

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

The timepiece that exonerated a labor radical accused of a parade bombing that killed ten people.

A sculpture of a salmon swimming through a brick building.

A 300-ship graveyard, with a few still visible at low tide.

This whimsical seashell-shaped place of worship was designed to blend into its surroundings.

A little marble compass above George Washington's (empty) tomb in the Capitol marks where D.C.'s four quadrants intersect.

A tiny survivor of the Donner Party disaster.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.