Portland, Oregon
International Rose Test Garden
10,000 flowered plants bloom in the City of Roses.
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Portland, Oregon
10,000 flowered plants bloom in the City of Roses.
San Francisco, California
A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.
Pacifica, California
The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.
Fort Bragg, California
A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
This quirky hot springs town known to locals as "T or C" was named after a radio show.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
A museum devoted entirely to the rattlesnakes and snake-related art.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
The official atomic museum of the United States explores the explosive and productive history of a much maligned energy source.
Carlsbad, New Mexico
The second-largest cave chamber in the world was discovered in 1898 by a 16-year-old and a friend known as "Pothead."
Truth or Consequences, New Mexico
The world's first commercial spaceport is a disappointment of cosmic proportions.
Buckeye, Arizona
A giant mascot, a car bomb, and the mafia mingle in the history of a defunct restaurant chain.
Gilroy, California
Home to the "Circus" trees created by Axel Erlandson.
Solvang, California
Get up close to emus and ostriches, or buy their tasty meat.
Castroville, California
It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."
San Diego, California
An inconspicuous footbridge beloved by San Diego locals.
San Diego, California
A couple turned their front yard into an artistic masterpiece.
Del Mar, California
This unique sanctuary invites you to interact with the beautiful birds.
San Diego, California
The world's largest outdoor organ is played weekly by one of just two civic organists in the U.S.
San Diego, California
Built for an exposition in 1915, these horticultural displays have stood the test of time.
San Diego, California
A hidden courtyard houses early 20th-century plaster masterpieces.
San Diego, California
One of the largest trees of its kind in California.
Los Angeles, California
This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bankāboth symbolic and chic.
Los Angeles, California
Resting place of Hollywood's immortals is also site of summer film screenings.
Los Angeles, California
World's largest collection of serial killer artwork and other macabre exhibits.
Morro Bay, California
A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.