The so-called "Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles" is on a one mutant mission to keep L.A. weird.

L.A.'s oldest operating bowling alley is a beautifully restored homage to its speakeasy days.

Giant Redwood-themed cafeteria operates under the golden rule, "Dine Free Unless Delighted."

A faux European lane smack dab in downtown L.A.

The beautiful 1920 Pantages Theatre remains hidden just underneath the LA Downtown Jewelry Exchange.

This park is home to California's first oil boomtown, with structures that have stood for more than a century.

In September 1974, a small group of athletes completed the first modern triathlon event in San Diego's Mission Bay.

A secluded hilltop monument marks the final resting place of Lucy, Presidio Park's beloved white deer.

San Diego's most historic and haunted home.

This historic graveyard was partially paved over to create a streetcar line.

It would be a crime to miss it.

A couple turned their front yard into an artistic masterpiece.

An inconspicuous footbridge beloved by San Diego locals.

A visionary, futuristic sculpture in Los Angeles that never met its extraterrestrial potential.

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

Once a purveyor of Santeria supplies, religious products , and household sundries, now closed.

A beautiful memorial tells the story of a formerly enslaved woman whose kindness shaped a burgeoning city.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

This brightly made over hotel hides decades of suicide, serial killers, and mysterious deaths.

A 50-foot tile mural mosaic for the 100-year anniversary of the Statue of Liberty.

This California eatery has made a name for itself by embracing Asia's rich history of eating bugs.

Founded by a high school teacher, this poetry magazine became a center for all things literary.

The real faces of Venice beach captured on Romanesque columns.

Santa Monica's oldest restaurant, decorated with set pieces from the Mutiny on the Bounty.