Places Edited by Cindy Cesare

Giant jewel-toned statues fill the grounds of this Cambodian Buddhist temple in California.

The world's tallest palm trees look like the whimsical kind of plant you'd find in a Dr. Seuss story.

10,000 flowered plants bloom in the City of Roses.

The quirky salon doubles as a retro museum run by the world's leading "hairstorian."

This vintage animatronics show is the Vegas version of a walk through the woods.

This mother-daughter run curiosities shop is a beautifully odd mix of taxidermy and exotic plants.

Step inside the first house designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, considered to be one of the first Art Nouveau buildings.

Malibu's first beach home features an astonishing trove of ceramic tiles.

The remains of an abandoned dinosaur theme park litter the woods just off the highway.

The Hopi-style structure was built by the man who discovered Desert Hot Springs' famous mineral water.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

Fragments of architectural wonders from around the globe are embedded in the newspaper building's walls.

A pair of slides and a tree-lined stair corridor have been an urban oasis for nearly 40 years.

Giant origami crease patterns engraved in Santa Monica intersections may even be visible from space.

Ninety feet off the valley floor is an ancient dwelling put under protection of the U.S. government by Teddy Roosevelt.

A Cuban artist reclaimed his impoverished neighborhood as a dreamy folk art kingdom.

A sculpture of the famous photograph stands on San Diego's "Greatest Generation Walk."

The freeway that never was.

The unusual burial monument of Arizona's first governor.

Brightly colored 30-foot-tall totems light up the desert sky just outside Las Vegas.

An inconspicuous footbridge beloved by San Diego locals.

A vista of the city and sea from atop the little-known viewing deck on an unassuming Columbus statue.

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

This little blue house pokes out over the campus of UC San Diego, seven stories high.