Places Birbholder Wants to Go

Acres of natural wonders left behind by a socialite-turned-gardener.

In the days before HD projectors and IMAX, some of the most powerful projectors belonged to planetariums.

This temple, built by an eccentric religious leader before his death, sits guarded and in ruins.

Abandoned bridge hidden deep in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Arcadia is home to a haven for nature geeks and 80s TV lovers alike.

The sun acts as a key that only fits this giant keyhole twice a year.

The Mighty Wurlitzer organ continues to belt out the tunes at downtown El Segundo's historic home for silent and classic movies.

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

An increasingly eccentric apartment building, topped with winged beasties.

Sister store to the Echo Park Time Travel Store.

What began with a single, 357-pound chunk of the Canyon Diablo meteorite grew to be an impressive collection. 

An airy would-be solution to a housing shortage.

A stellar example of Art & Crafts architecture, and a movie set to boot.

A spiritual retreat in the heart of Los Angeles offers stunning gardens and a labyrinth to lose yourself in.

During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.

A small museum filled with over 1,000 clocks, and one particular clock calibrated to run until the year 9999.

Noirish green neon marks the location of one of the oldest private detective agencies in France.

A mechanized clock where a man fights off a dragon, crab, and rooster.

This modest marker near Notre Dame identifies the very center of Paris.

The celebrated eyesore created by starry-eyed sweethearts.

This Netherlands museum holds a gloriously mechanical collection of ornate musical automata.

In a city filled with Frank Gehry buildings, one stands out as one of the architect's weirder works.

A bigger-than-life pun that has become a beacon of altruism.