This historic home has survived wars, drought, and financial woes to become a California landmark.

Traditional, pre-Hispanic food is served alongside classic favorites in this family-owned Mexican restaurant.

An ominous concrete cube cuts a dystopian silhouette atop this California mountain.

An old whaling station now serves to give the public a look at the commercial whaling industry, no longer a part of Monterey's economy.

This municipal playground was co-created by the father of one of the most playful characters ever.

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

A Looff creation in Santa Monica best described as “a California-Byzantine-Moorish-style fantasy.”

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

A second generation sun-powered marvel lights up the night.

Giant origami crease patterns engraved in Santa Monica intersections may even be visible from space.

One of the first skyscrapers in Santa Monica, and a famous getaway for the Hollywood elite of then and now.

A massive volcanic plug is now a protected area that hosts a number of bird species.

Eat a tasty meal in the house where John Steinbeck was born.

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.

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."

Once America’s most beautiful army base, this abandoned military fort on the coast of Monterey Bay has been left to the elements.