The California capital city once stood 10 feet lower than it does today.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

This giant temperature attraction created some giant electric bills.

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."

A pier that used to act as a busy ferry dock is now a decaying favorite of local fisherman and urban artists.

Two mammoth statues inspired by equally tall tales lure tourists to this roadside attraction.

Finally the worlds of UFO enthusiasts and beef jerky lovers have come together in this roadside shop.

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

Where a staggering 747 ships were constructed during World War II.

Antiques by the Bay.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

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

An amazing collection of fantastic reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and insects.

This turn of the century masterpiece has a mysterious goaty interloper.

Commonly referred to as the most photographed Victorian home in the United States.

The oldest burial ground in the city, final resting place of city founders, Ohlone natives and murderers alike.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.

A storybook European village in Berkeley.

Stripes of flowers bloom each spring in a 50 acre rainbow of color.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

World-famous, Pink's still manages to keep its prized cult fetish status.