Places jfalkenthal Wants to Go

A celebration of once forgotten materials.

An art deco ice cream shop covered in vintage tiles.

Dyed by iron oxide over centuries, these sandstone rocks rise thousands of feet into the sky.

Where beautiful signs live on forever.

An abandoned relic of the city's failed experiment with below ground transit.

Inside, ancient treasures. Outside, modern contradictions.

The world's largest collection of mechanical puzzles is a cornucopia of analog bafflers.

A lesser-known part of the Kinsey Institute is this impressive collection of art, artifacts, and material culture related to human sexuality.

An "anarchical" no man's land, complete with garbage sculptures and a hobo-run "Landfillian Library."

A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.

A gap in the concrete has been transformed into a miniature playground for the mind.

A restored 1920s cascade stairway provides one of the best views of Oakland's Lake Merritt.

This mysterious series of teeny guerrilla installations sheds a whimsical light on street art in Oakland.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

An art collective teaching the more fiery, metal-y art forms.

Social saloon from a scrapped trans-Pacific 19th century steamer.

An abandoned, unfinished mansion on grounds strewn with lava rocks.

Once the gateway to the utopian dream-village of a Civil War embalmer.

A working model of the entire San Francisco Bay and much of the Sacramento River Delta, complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.

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

Internationally-recognized arts center housed in a century-old former military barracks.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

Masterful ceramic fountain and map of the Pacific Basin.

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