The world’s tallest outdoor lift stretches along the stone pillars that inspired the floating mountains in the movie “Avatar.”

Booksellers and public artworks fill this vibrant promenade along the disused railroad tracks.

This quirky collection of furniture also happens to be a public art installation.

The decommissioned steam engine’s whistle can still be heard three times a day at one of Japan’s oldest train stations.

Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

A series of smile-themed sculptures created by artists from all over the world fill this Tokyo shopping district.

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

Hot springs monkey spa in the middle of Hell's Valley.

27-room home built with the fortune of a sugar magnate.

One of the last remnants of the city's Chinese nightclub scene is now a dive bar selling killer mai tais.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

San Francisco's oldest operating hotel, with a Victorian atmosphere and a "haunted" fourth floor.

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

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

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.

A speck of nature and art in one of San Francisco’s most notorious neighborhoods.

The historic building's ornate stained glass fixture has survived the devastating 1906 earthquake, ensuing fires, and multiple redevelopment attempts.

A modern frieze of ancient Grecian mythological figures playing a national pastime.

The neighborhood church casts a breast-shaped shadow that locals have come to call the “two o’clock titty.”

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

At the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, a small sign basically begs for a high-five.