Places juliachrista Wants to Go

A quirky little oasis in the California desert where rescue animals abound.

A meditative space out of a fantasy story.

An eerie natural formation that looks right back at you.

This outdoor observatory offers stellar views and a scale model of our solar system.

The illuminating collection of L.A. street lights is run by the city and only opens one day per month.

During prohibition, corrupt city officials ran drinking dens under the streets of Downtown Los Angeles.

Crypt mausoleum in cathedral's basement contains relics of third century Roman martyr, Saint Vibiana.

Historic funicular railway, believed to be the shortest railroad in the world.

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

A faux European lane smack dab in downtown L.A.

The abandoned husk of a mental institution that failed to save a Jazz Age icon still sits nearly unchanged.

100 massive sculptures in the Hudson River Valley.

This stone gatehouse was once the entrance to a historic mountain resort, and it had a cameo in a cheesy cult horror movie.

For over 80 years, Mayan ruins stood proudly in a most unlikely location.

A journey to a hand-crafted island involves a trip across this lattice bridge.

The largest known open fault in the United States is basically a giant natural refrigerator.

An upstate New York garage advertises its services by literally putting the automobile above all else.

"Gnome Chomsky" was once the largest gnome in the world, but is now simply tall for his kind.

This sound-art installation features songs composed using only the Mid-Hudson Bridge as an instrument.

This old cement mine has been used as everything from a mushroom farm to a recording studio.

Now the final resting place of prominent artists and musicians, it was originally founded to separate the rich from the poor in death.

One man's swirling six-acre monument of stone.

This sprawling taxidermy collection celebrates the art and history of sport hunting.

The small burial plot is located in a mall parking lot.