Places williamf Wants to Go

An old whaling station now serves to give the public a look at the commercial whaling industry, no longer a part of Monterey's economy.

Centuries of crashing waves carved out this small hole in the rock, which lights up at certain parts of the year.

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

Life in this isolated, hilltop lighthouse was lonely, but it sure was lovely.

Eat a tasty meal in the house where John Steinbeck was born.

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

Abandoned bridge hidden deep in the San Gabriel Mountains.

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

The ghostly remains of an accidental sea.

A hand-built folk art installation covered with messages of God's love.

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."

Version of the French Riviera destroyed by the sea.

This strange seaside tower got its name from a wealthy eccentric who would hide coins among its stones.

The helicopter that "Tricky Dick" absconded from the White House in on his last day in office.

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

A relief that wraps around the concourse of Los Angeles's World Trade Center marks one of the city's failed urban design plans.

Giant Redwood-themed cafeteria operates under the golden rule, "Dine Free Unless Delighted."

The words of the neighborhood's most famous poets adorn four concrete walls.

Perhaps the most unique of any Frank Gehry design for one simple reason: Gehry himself actually lives here.

This serene oasis in an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood holds some of Gandhi's ashes and got Elvis into Eastern Philosophy.

This Chinese art gallery is hidden inside the Sunrider Corporation headquarters.

A Swedenborgian glass church surrounded by redwoods sits perched atop a massive landslide area.