Places Michael Woodruff Wants to Go

Appropriation-friendly collection of books, periodicals, and more.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

Alleyway plaque commemorating the death of a fictional character in The Maltese Falcon, not far from the author's home.

Adolph Sutro's little-known, geographically inaccurate, deprecated monument.

Since 1973, this block has been home to the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco.

Longtime headquarters of controversial boys' club for the world's wealthiest and most powerful.

The giant pair of sexy legs sticking out the window of this costume store have become its main draw.

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

A promotional sun clock on the site of San Francisco's great raceway.

A library and museum dedicated to typography.

Half of a house.

The randomness of this wall of lava lamps helps encrypt up to 10 percent of the internet.

The stones that traveled from Spain to eventually become a holy place for San Francisco's nature worshippers.

A collection of memorabilia from the Beat era in the back of a San Francisco bookstore.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

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

A Barbary Coast watering hole built into a Gold Rush shipwreck.

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.

This private residence was the template for one of the most beloved television homes of all time.

This shop and studio is dedicated to the art of the book, from letterpress to bookbinding.

A historic hotel that made a cameo in Hitchcock's classic film has no intention of letting guests forget its fame.

A still functioning vaudeville carousel that has operated for over a century boasts a colorful menagerie and past.

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.