Places opaellunea Wants to Go

This little blue house pokes out over the campus of UC San Diego, seven stories high.

The southernmost outpost of the Russian Empire in colonial America.

One of the last remaining Carpenter Gothic churches is situated on a wildflower conservatory overlooking the bay.

One of the largest Buddhist communities in the West sits on the site of an old hospital.

Wheels of chrome by the thousands adorn this California Historical Landmark.

California's own medieval Italian castle, authentic down to the 300-year-old iron maiden in the dungeon.

Experience Larry Spring's self-taught "common sense" laws of physics.

Celebrating the transformation of trash into objects of beauty.

Rodin's famous depiction of Dante's 'Inferno', amidst a sculpture garden of many of his other works.

America’s oldest community theater, this Boston club has been in operation since 1877.

It took years to decode its mysterious messages.

The oldest house in the capital of Silicon Valley.

This 252 step staircase offers stunning views of San Jose.

This restaurant's marvelous musical machines include a self-playing violin.

It is locally loved and ridiculed for literally looking like poop.

For roadside fast food, pull over at the giant orange.

A giant chess set, minus the psychedelic drug trip.

A life-sized mammoth sculpture marks the spot where the remains of a Columbian mammoth were discovered in 2005.

The headquarters of a secretive order is also a beautifully-designed park.

An extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts and mummies.

San Francisco Bay's ghost town.

The largest permanent Monopoly board makes one of the longest games even bigger.

This mysterious series of teeny guerrilla installations sheds a whimsical light on street art in Oakland.

A restored 1920s cascade stairway provides one of the best views of Oakland's Lake Merritt.