A massive, majestic mammal watches over pedestrians from his perch atop a former B.P.O.E. lodge.

A superbly preserved example of Georgian residential architecture that was once home to one of the founders of Alexandria, Virginia.

This advertisement for talcum powder was painted on the rock face and has since defied removal.

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

An eccentric priest's tribute to George Washington, this chapel tells the story of the American Revolution.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

The huge granite obelisk that towers over a small California town.

A glimpse into the lives of the the Miwok and Paiute people in Yosemite National Park.

The interior of the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining" was based on this Yosemite original.

Long the exclusive domain of birds and vagabonds, this little-known Central Park peninsula is open to the public once more.

A small peaceful park and waterfall tucked amid the urban grind of Midtown Manhattan.

Visitors flock to see this church tower's unintended feature: It happens to resemble a giant chicken from multiple points of view.

These unusual rooms on wheels are holdovers from the 1960s.

Volcanic stone sentinels stand watch at a Korean Bell Garden in Virginia.

Where pardoned turkeys once spent their all-too-brief final days.

The romance of early commercial flight still fills this Art Deco destination.

Herbert Hoover's "Brown House" rural presidential retreat was a PR disaster amid the start of the Great Depression.

The narrowest house in America is seven feet of pure spite.

Ask nicely, and stewards of a centuries-old charitable tradition will give you free bread and beer.

Tiny horses tethered to antique rings are scattered around the city.

Delightful disarray of found objects and clutter.

An emporium for the weird, creepy, rare, and just plain gross.

The seamy, underground secrets of Portland's criminal past.