This symbol of peace is appropriately positioned overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

California's oldest wind harp represents a historic piece of America's Danish history.

An eccentric home stands out in an otherwise average neighborhood with mosaics, mini topiaries, and kinetic sculpture.

The Empire Mine is "one of the oldest, largest, deepest, longest and richest gold mines in California."

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

Forgotten and then destroyed by fire, this was once one of the largest saltwater swimming pools in the world.

Haunting and beautiful trees, doomed to die.

A sudden forest of traditional Papua New Guinean art works is hidden in a corner of Stanford University.

Reverend Franzo Wayne King administers spiritual enlightenment through the music of the jazz legend.

A mysterious painting of the self-declared Emperor of the United States watches over a local hof-brau.

A fashion designer's dazzling world of Japanese collectibles is hidden in a warehouse downtown.

Happy harbor seals frolic and snooze on this warm, sandy stretch of coast.

A B&B on a Victorian lighthouse station in San Francisco Bay.

A pair of mutilated bronze octopuses slump at the base of the monument honoring California's admission to the U.S.

Radioactivity still cause for concern at this urban explorer's paradise.

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.

Oldest building in California still in use.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

Recovered from the brink of extinction, at home in the Financial District.

Version of the French Riviera destroyed by the sea.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

A dwindling menagerie of anthropomorphic oil derrick animals still dot the barren California landscape.