Places Edited by James Ricci

Along a California highway is a kind of Jurassic Park made of metal.

The grand, column-fronted, sculpture-adorned home of the ambitious digital library.

Ninety feet off the valley floor is an ancient dwelling put under protection of the U.S. government by Teddy Roosevelt.

The Citrus Variety Collection at UC Riverside contains two trees of each of the 1,000+ varieties of citrus.

This rare tortoise skeleton has been hanging around the downtown Los Angeles museum for over a century.

Machinery left over from California's once thriving mercury industry now attracts artists and explorers.

A popular winter vacation destination for migrating monarch butterflies.

This graveyard is the eternal home of the residents of a vanished California town.

One man's prolific, decade-long quest to turn trash into artistic treasure.

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

The remnants of a failed socialist commune can still be found just off a California highway.

This concrete ship has had four careers - World War I tanker, floating amusement park, fishing pier, and artificial reef.

This odd California folly seems like it was almost designed to accumulate urban legends.

One of the largest free-standing structures ever built, this dirigible hangar is now simply a giant skeleton.

The so-called "Bridge of Thighs" in Palm Springs allows nudists to discreetly cross the road.

This controversial depiction of the "Founder of California" looks as though it was sculpted from mashed potatoes.

This crumbling Death Valley mining complex was known for its use of giant, 20-mule team wagons.

In a city filled with Frank Gehry buildings, one stands out as one of the architect's weirder works.

This subtle Berkeley paving stone actually marks off a lawless tube of air that extends into space.

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

A giant can of fruit cocktail is all that remains of what was once the world's largest cannery.

The headquarters of a secretive order is also a beautifully-designed park.

This 'Murder House' grand mansion has starred in everything from Bones to Buffy.

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.