Places flaneux Wants to Go

An abandoned car and strange wooden debris are among the scattered remains of the old sand and gravel quarry.

Graffiti-covered ruins that were once part of a farm owned by a mental hospital.

The tragedy of the Japanese internment camps is remembered here by a stark "Soul Consoling Tower."

This ramshackle ghost town is comprised of mining-era buildings collected from around the region.

Thousands of migrating monarchs overwinter clustered amongst the eucalyptus trees.

Friendships have been forged over ham and eggs every Wednesday morning for a century.

A 1950s Googie burger stand is now a Los Angeles landmark.

An abandoned Cold War missile radar site.

Semi-recognized center of the world, with many oddities.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

A hidden world of exotic succulents and cacti.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

Celebrating the transformation of trash into objects of beauty.

In the middle of the desert, miles from any human life, sat an anomalous pay phone that still magically answers your calls.

An iconic location along the Los Angeles River where countless movie scenes are filmed.

Like a kitschy mirage in the Mojave, this eatery serves up classic 50s-style diner meals and a dinosaur sculpture garden.

Spiral labyrinth hidden in the hills above Oakland, CA.

Arcadia is home to a haven for nature geeks and 80s TV lovers alike.

Nursery with extensive collection of flesh-eating plants operated by the author of "The Savage Garden."

Outposts of this restaurant chain were shaped like jaunty chapeaus.

Storybook cottage in Beverly Hills was once the site of 1920s silent film studio, affectionately known as "The Witch's House."

Gorgeous purple flowers drape from the world's largest blossoming plant.

Before it was abandoned and left to rust alongside the road, this riverboat starred in a John Wayne movie.

A nursery specializing in strange and beautiful succulents and cacti.