Madrid's romantically ornate crystal palace has been offering shelter to plants and art for over a century.

This macabre masterpiece of a mural is one of Francisco Goya's "Black Paintings."

This 19th-century fountain's namesake animal isn't what you think it is.

Giant topiary dog once played a role in a terrorist bomb plot.

Two towns are linked by an engineering marvel masquerading as a boring suspension bridge.

Where the writer penned his famous story about a jumping frog.

The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California."

Founded in 1873 to support the needs of the gold mines flourishing nearby, this is the last water-powered foundry in the United States.

The tallest bridge in California was constructed for a project that was eventually cancelled.

A sculpture dedicated to Napa Valley's oldest mineral water company.

This historic California cemetery holds the bodies of veterans of both the Civil War and the Donner Party.

A quiet nook at the top of a little-known hilltop park named after California's first poet laureate.

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.

A whimsical antique shop with a strong air of mystery, filled with items from ages, and what feels like worlds, past.

Gold Rush ship-turned-hotel buried underneath San Francisco's financial district.

Noble beasts perhaps, but not the Emperor's dogs.

A shining, cold, black organ lies in San Francisco's financial district.

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

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

A historic hotel that made a cameo in Hitchcock's classic film has no intention of letting guests forget its fame.

Only hotel where you can legally launder money.

Created in 1972, the famous sculptor's intricately detailed monument to San Francisco is overflowing with city landmarks.

Early prototype for Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.