Places rbalevine Wants to Go

This mission, established in 1771, is the most remote of California’s Franciscan missions.

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.

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

Centuries of crashing waves carved out this small hole in the rock, which lights up at certain parts of the year.

Elephant seals and sea lions have turned the abandoned buildings on this island into their endangered love shack.

One of the most elaborate displays of Jellyfish is on display at the aquarium.

This Big Sur waterfall drops 80 feet directly into the Pacific Ocean, and inspired the hillside house up top.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

A "gravitational anomaly" located in the redwood forests just outside of Santa Cruz, California.

A cozy bookstore and coffee shop in the heart of Cartagena's Old City.

A dangling church built over a Colombian gorge.

An unusual and beautiful form of mass transit serves the city's steepest neighborhoods.

Home to 23 voluptuous and instantly lovable sculptures by one of Latin America's most celebrated artists.

This unofficial museum details the rise and fall of Colombia's most notorious narcotrafficker, Pablo Escobar.

The (usually) serene burial place of the world's most notorious drug lord.

Ripped apart by a bomb in 1993, the shell of Pablo Escobar's infamous vacation house still stands.

Colombia's first concrete structure doubles as a replica of Versaille's Petit Trianon Belvedere and a symbol for development.

Erected in 1803, it is the first astronomical observatory that was built in the Americas.

This picturesque mansion has gone from opulent ruin to nature museum.

These unusual stone structures are actually fish traps crafted by an ancient civilization.

The remains of an ancient settlement in one of the oldest archeological sites in South America.

The gondolas let you glimpse a bird's-eye view of one of the world's highest capital cities.

This 12-inch-tall wooden sculpture of a winged Virgin Mary has inspired much devotion and countless replicas.

This historic street in Quito is known for its seven stone crosses—and one presidential assassination.