San Luis Obispo, California
Madonna Inn
A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.
Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
San Luis Obispo, California
A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.
Palm Springs, California
This giant spider sculpture made from the iconic car is one giant visual pun.
Desert Hot Springs, California
The Hopi-style structure was built by the man who discovered Desert Hot Springs' famous mineral water.
Rancho Palos Verdes, California
A Swedenborgian glass church surrounded by redwoods sits perched atop a massive landslide area.
Rancho Palos Verdes, California
A "haunted" landmark on the coast of Southern California.
Palos Verdes Estates, California
Remains of a Greek freighter trapped off of Rocky Point in 1961.
Palm Desert, California
This simple highway curve has become a comedic pilgrimage site.
La Quinta, California
A giant desert bird that once swung music fans at Coachella now has a home in a nearby traffic circle.
Indio, California
A giant knight, sex education, date shakes, and Jesus coexist happily in this Coachella Valley desert oasis.
Palm Springs, California
A 250 million-year-old rock formation has earned a rather unique nickname.
Indio, California
A monument to the frontier doctor who came up with the idea of delineating highways with a painted line.
Desert Center, California
A wondrous place to watch a special flower bloom.
Blythe, California
Ancient human, animal, and geometric figures drawn in the earth.
Quartzsite, Arizona
The shop's owner has spent decades in the desert wearing nothing but a strategically placed sock.
Ehrenberg, Arizona
The stone-covered graves lie within the ruins of an Old West ghost town.
Calipatria, California
At this deceptively beautiful beach, nothing is what it seems.
Quartzsite, Arizona
A scrap-metal sculpture recalls an infamous 19th-century camel.
Quartzsite, Arizona
This memorial pyramid marker honors one of the United States Government's first official camel riders.
Buckeye, Arizona
A giant mascot, a car bomb, and the mafia mingle in the history of a defunct restaurant chain.
Phoenix, Arizona
Founded by members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, this one-room joint's James Beard–winning fry bread is light as a cloud.
Phoenix, Arizona
The site of a popular piano lounge owned by a former world champion boxer is now a place to rent a truck.
Phoenix, Arizona
A geological mystery on Camelback Mountain.
Charleston, South Carolina
Most historians agree that the so-called "Gentleman Pirate" wasn't much of either of those things.
Savannah, Georgia
A statue honoring 44 continuous years of greeting passing ships.