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Palm Desert, California
Curves and Zigzags
A black and white painted wall creates an optical illusion in the California desert.
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Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Permanently Closed
San Francisco, California
Benkyodo
This Japanese treats shop may have been the first business to mass-produce fortune cookies in the United States.
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Cambria, California
Nitt Witt Ridge
A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.
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Los Angeles, California
Chandelier Tree
Dozens of lights dangle from the branches of what may be the brightest tree in Los Angeles.
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San Francisco, California
Labyrinth at Land’s End
A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.
Santa Ana, California
‘We Too Were Once Strangers’
A giant stalk of celery honors the Japanese farmers who once cultivated the area.
Vidal Junction, California
Colorado River Aqueduct
This extraordinary project brings water from the Colorado River to Southern California.
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena Historical Museum
This building has lived several lives and now houses the history of South Pasadena.
Two Harbors, California
The Little Red Schoolhouse of Two Harbors
A remote one-room schoolhouse on Catalina Island, once a lifeline for local children, now abandoned.
Fountain Valley, California
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Statue
A statue of one of Mexico's founding fathers, located... not in Mexico
Moss Landing, California
Shakespeare Society of America
An archive and museum with a mind-boggling collection of Shakespeare-related objects.
Beverly Hills, California
John Wayne Statue
One of two Southern California statues celebrating “The Duke,” this one towers over a Beverly Hills sidewalk.
Yucca Valley, California
Morongo Basin Historical Museum
A desert community’s history is captured by this collection of artifacts and memorabilia.
Westminster, California
Asian Garden Mall
The heart of Little Saigon in Orange County is also the first and largest Vietnamese shopping center in the U.S.
King City, California
The Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum
This museum honors the farming past of the “Salad Bowl of the World.”
Point Arena, California
Point Arena Lighthouse
Climb 200 stairs up the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast for an unbeatable view.
Stockton, California
Stockton Diamond Railroad Crossing
In a forgotten Central Valley industrial park lies the busiest railroad junction in California.
Barstow, California
NASA Goldstone Visitor’s Center
A small space-exploration exhibit hidden in a hotel.
San Bernardino County, California
Cadiz Dunes Wilderness Area
A remote field of nearly pristine sand dunes in the heart of the Mojave Desert.
Petaluma, California
‘A Fine Balance’
A public art installation featuring clawfoot bathtubs on stilts sparks admiration and controversy from locals.
San Diego, California
Star of India at The Maritime Museum of San Diego
The world’s oldest active sailing ship.
Laguna Beach, California
'The Greeter'
This wooden statue commemorates a man who spent nearly 40 years waving hello to the people of Laguna Beach.
Taft, California
West Kern Oil Museum
Wander through desolate oil fields littered with rigs.
La Jolla, California
Birch Aquarium at Scripps Seahorse and Seadragon Exhibit
Go deep on these fascinating fish, and get a bonus lesson on the importance of marine conservation.
