The neighborhood of Eagle Rock is named after a gigantic boulder with a shadowy surprise.

From bench to vandalism to art, this silly prank seat was funny enough to become permanent.

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

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

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

Once the fastest ship from San Francisco to Tahiti, the Galilee now lays in pieces in three different cities.

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.

San Francisco's newly reopened hands-on science museum.

Odd stone and concrete monuments in the "Poet of the Sierras" eclectic folly garden.

Spiral labyrinth hidden in the hills above Oakland, CA.

Where the alchemists dream of transmuting base metal into gold was actually achieved.

Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.

Oakland's beautiful monumental cemetery.

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

With statues of Nelson Mandela and Harvey Milk this monument has been called the Mount Rushmore of California.

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.

A restored 1920s cascade stairway provides one of the best views of Oakland's Lake Merritt.

This peaceful garden is hidden on the grounds of a spiritual organization founded by a pioneer yogi.

A three-story, three-dimensional hobo clown in a tutu welcomes CVS shoppers.

The final resting place of a space program monolith, soon to be unveiled again to the public.

This painted marvel is San Francisco's 400-foot ode to urban biking.

The first fresco Diego Rivera painted in the United States can be found in the former San Francisco Stock Exchange.

A former hardware store near Yerba Buena is the official home of California's history.

The second building of its name to occupy this location might be the finest flatiron building in San Francisco.