asielen's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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San Francisco, California

Yerba Buena Tower

Condemned US Navy seaplane control tower turned officers’ club sits atop Yerba Buena Island.
Alameda, California

St. George Spirits

One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.
Albany, California

Albany Bulb

An "anarchical" no man's land, complete with garbage sculptures and a hobo-run "Landfillian Library."
Oakland, California

The Crucible

An art collective teaching the more fiery, metal-y art forms.
Berkeley, California

Old Berkeley Pier

A pier that used to act as a busy ferry dock is now a decaying favorite of local fisherman and urban artists.
Berkeley, California

Cesar Chavez Park

A 90-acre park on former landfill that hosts an annual kite festival.
Oakland, California

Lake Merritt's Bonsai Garden

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

The Bone Room

A store that sells all manner of bones, insects, and animal curiosities.
Oakland, California

Cathedral of Christ the Light

A massive ultra-modern church presents a science-fiction view of Catholicism's inclusive future.
Oakland, California

Mountain View Cemetery

Oakland's beautiful monumental cemetery.
Berkeley, California

Free Speech Monument

This subtle Berkeley paving stone actually marks off a lawless tube of air that extends into space.
San Francisco, California

Long Now Orrery

A modern mechanical planetary system, part of a 10,000 year clock.
San Francisco, California

The "Center" of San Francisco Monument

Adolph Sutro's little-known, geographically inaccurate, deprecated monument.
San Francisco, California

The Wave Organ

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.
San Francisco, California

Vaillancourt Fountain

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.
San Francisco, California

Balmy Alley Murals

Since 1973, this block has been home to the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco.
San Francisco, California

Plaque to Bummer & Lazarus

Noble beasts perhaps, but not the Emperor's dogs.
San Francisco, California

Paxton Gate

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.
San Francisco, California

The Pirate Supply Store at 826 Valencia

An essential stop before plundering, BYO Cutlass.
San Francisco, California

Exploratorium

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

Corporate Goddess Sculptures

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.
San Francisco, California

San Francisco's Cable Car Museum

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.
San Francisco, California

Mechanics' Institute Library and Chess Room

A library built during San Francisco's pioneer times is a student's retreat, bibliophile's sanctuary, and chess player's delight.
San Francisco, California

Lotta's Fountain

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.