A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

This opulent hotel has been visited by Spider-Man, Charlie's Angels, and the Ghostbusters.

A narrow passage next to a cafe leads to a courtyard exploding with murals, tags, and paste-ups.

A life-sized mammoth sculpture marks the spot where the remains of a Columbian mammoth were discovered in 2005.

Carnivorous plants, medieval aphrodisiacs, and the largest original wood structure glass conservatory in the western hemisphere.

Olfactory delights in San Francisco's Botanical Gardens.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

Golden Gate Park's historic collection of plants.

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

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

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

The narrowest street in Canada was once a spot for dastardly doings, now a historic piece of Chinatown.

With the touch of a button, you can read a randomly selected short story.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

Meet manatees face-to-face at this zoo for native species.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

The granddaddy of all tourist traps, built on ice water, jackalopes, and a giant dinosaur.

A music-filled, booze-soaked oasis in the desert.

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

Since 1973, this block has been home to the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco.

Recovered from the brink of extinction, at home in the Financial District.

"the sweltering inhabitants of Charleston and New Orleans, of Madras and Bombay and Calcutta, drink at my well . . . The pure Walden water is mingled with the sacred water of the Ganges."

California's most comprehensive horticultural library.

This functioning parish church is also the site of many concert performances due to its wonderful acoustics.