This weird abode has inspired everything from the "House on Haunted Hill" to a robot hunter's pad.

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

Chevron maintains one “Standard” brand station per state so it doesn’t lose the trademark.

This eatery transports diners to a place that no longer exists: East Germany.

This Japanese treats shop may have been the first business to mass-produce fortune cookies in the United States.

Furniture tries to escape an abandoned building in San Francisco.

This teeny-tiny park built by a San Francisco man in 1962 is mostly stairs.

Sitting atop San Francisco's tallest hill, a cross honors the victims of the Armenian genocide.

This painted marvel is San Francisco's 400-foot ode to urban biking.

These WWII-era murals were initially booed as a libelous portrayal of the American dream but have survived multiple attempts to have them destroyed.

A former hardware store near Yerba Buena is the official home of California's history.

At the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, a small sign basically begs for a high-five.

Once the fastest ship from San Francisco to Tahiti, the Galilee now lays in pieces in three different cities.

Home of modern dancer famously strangled by her own scarf.

Depicting scenes of everyday life - and specific individuals - in Great Depression era San Francisco.

The first fresco Diego Rivera painted in the United States can be found in the former San Francisco Stock Exchange.

San Francisco's first World's Fair, dedicated to the wonders of California.

America's oldest Italian restaurant is a San Francisco institution.

A monumental cross hides in the trees in Golden Gate Park.

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

An enormous artwork that colorfully celebrates over 150 years of US military achievements.

The largest whiskey stash on the West Coast survived the 1906 fires--but not without heroic effort.

This grinning pup statue is all that's left of what was once a ubiquitous Bay Area diner chain.