There are lots of hands and feet stamped in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, but Mel left behind something extra.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

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

An offbeat angle on the ocean viewed through an antiquated lens.

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

An abandoned Jazz Age dream home and con man's hideout in Death Valley.

Hollywood's oldest hotel is the site of the first Academy Awards, the birthplace of Marilyn Monroe's career, and the home of Montgomery Clift's ghost.

Millions of years of oxidation make a drive down this winding Death Valley road surprisingly colorful.

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.

L. Frank Baum wrote part of the "Wizard of Oz" series in this wooden Victorian beach resort.

Ancient human, animal, and geometric figures drawn in the earth.

A burnt orange monolithic dome structure perched on a hillside near Interstate 280.

A pair of large white marble lions guard this stretch of the Mojave Desert, and it is utterly mysterious how they got there.

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

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

Named after a bandit and the star of several Hollywood prehistoric landscapes, these sandstone formations are a historical part of the Los Angeles natural landscape.

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

The giant pair of sexy legs sticking out the window of this costume store have become its main draw.

This unlicensed collection of fast-food memorabilia sits on the site of the first ever McDonald's restaurant.

The ghost town that ended up on Ebay.

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.

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

A "Titanic" superfan changed his name to Jack and set up this strange shrine to the blockbuster, complete with Korean food and Tarot readings.