Places lepainperdu Wants to Go

A restaurant on Staten Island showcases a different grandmother’s cooking every night.

A little-known cafe in an old copper bridge tower with 360-degree views of the harbor.

An Italian restaurant became a rock-and-roll hangout and the lair of the "Hollywood vampires."

A treasure hunter's tiny bar, harboring celebrities since 1959.

This California family's ancestral melon is sold only here.

At this 1940s-era neighborhood favorite, you can still drink a cherry phosphate.

Feeding hungry Ballard boat workers since 1922.

Keeping Ballard's heritage alive with delicious, lightly battered Alaskan wild cod.

This century-old confectioner's outlet store was plucked right out of the Seattle World's Fair.

This café is dedicated to serving coffee roasted by Native American-owned companies.

This old-fashioned roadhouse's quirky neon sign is as famous as its enormous dumplings.

This solo operation offers the world's only whey wines in flavors such as chocolate-orange.

A meditative space out of a fantasy story.

This stately structure has been abandoned for half a century.

A museum dedicated to a sea that should have never been.

Where there's quartz, there must be gold. Thus is the story of the mines of Julian, and the titillating times of the Gold Rush.

This Pringle-shaped ledge makes for the perfect photo op.

Spend a day hanging out with domesticated Russian foxes.

This large collection of tiny things revels in the art of fine machinery well made.

This unique sanctuary invites you to interact with the beautiful birds.

Behind this beachfront shop lies a spectacular, colorful sea cave with an equally colorful past.

The most unique castle in all of Southern California, entirely constructed from repurposed materials.

Once a place of peaceful repose, this sanitarium now faces an uncertain future.

An old railroad grade built for the construction of Hoover Dam is now a recreational trail featuring several tunnels and sweeping views of Lake Mead.