Oakland's beautiful monumental cemetery.

A historic hotel in an old California railroad town with a rowdy reputation.

Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.

A speck of nature and art in one of San Francisco’s most notorious neighborhoods.

Where a staggering 747 ships were constructed during World War II.

International delicatessen has been owned and operated by the same family for more than 110 years.

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.

One of the largest free-standing structures ever built, this dirigible hangar is now simply a giant skeleton.

This abandoned boat was left in place thanks to its rotting beauty.

Over 315,000 preserved amphibians and reptiles in jars.

A brooding mansion of clinker brick stands out among the Victorian houses of Pacific Heights.

A crumbling Beaux Arts monument to the Bay Area's age of rail.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

Antiques by the Bay.

The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.

This (occupied) house is 10 feet wide and full of spite.

Amazing meticulous gardens of personal wood carvings, Hydrangea, Canna, and many other flowers.

San Francisco's oldest operating hotel, with a Victorian atmosphere and a "haunted" fourth floor.

The memorial to the victims of the Jonestown Massacre carries the names of 918 lost, including one name people wish wasn't there.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

An vast warehouse of everyday treasures in Berkeley, CA.

San Francisco's most expensive hotel suite includes a secret passageway rumored to have been used by JFK.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.