Places SoCal Creature Wants to Go

The decaying adobe remains of an old homestead are just off the beaten path in Joshua Tree National Park.

Since World War II people have been decorating this stretch of the Yuma desert with signatures arranged out of rocks.

Semi-recognized center of the world, with many oddities.

A monument to a one-legged kidnapper, horse thief, and charlatan asks visitors to throw rocks in a pile.

These lush groves of fan palms rise up like oases out of southern California's Colorado Desert.

The remnants of an early automobile route across shifting sand dunes can still be found in the deserts of Southern California.

Burping, gurgling geothermal mud pots by the Salton Sea.

At this deceptively beautiful beach, nothing is what it seems.

Erroneously called the world's tallest flagpole, this landmark is devoted to "good neighborliness."

In the middle of the desert, miles from any human life, sat an anomalous pay phone that still magically answers your calls.

The most isolated mailbox in America lets desert travelers record their passing.

A volcanic tunnel illuminated by natural skylights offers a shaded respite from the desert sun.

The abandoned train depot now doubles as a well-placed rest stop for those who take the road less traveled.

This stretch of beach along California's central coast is a busy highway for the largest seal in the northern hemisphere.

Historic marionette theater features thousands of handmade puppets and free cups of ice cream.

L.A.'s oldest operating bowling alley is a beautifully restored homage to its speakeasy days.

The so-called "Statue of Liberty of Los Angeles" is on a one mutant mission to keep L.A. weird.

A "Titanic" superfan changed his name to Jack and set up this strange shrine to the blockbuster, complete with Korean food and Tarot readings.

A Los Angeles cemetery that was once at the center of a Supreme Court dispute.

Outposts of this restaurant chain were shaped like jaunty chapeaus.

Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.

A cult following celebrates the legend that belies this curious podiatrists' office sign which has worked its way into song, literature, animation, and the visual arts.

Non-profit time travel mart sells goods you would need for a trip through the fourth dimension.

A master of deception, Harry Houdini's greatest trick may have been living in two places at once.