A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

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

An vast warehouse of everyday treasures in Berkeley, CA.

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

An amazing collection of fantastic reptiles, amphibians, spiders, and insects.

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

Where the polar bear watches over everything, and every drink is a double.

This black shoreline is made up of exploded lava particles.

Hide from the tourist hordes in these relatively unknown, and unguarded lava caves.

These picturesque Hawaiian falls are home to a rare species of fish that uses a special sucker to climb up cliffs.

A once-glowing grotto at the bottom of Waikapalae Wet Cave.

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

Gaudí's famously flamboyant architectural style is on full display in this sprawling park and garden.

This underground church is topped with a 500-foot cross that is seen by many as a beacon of fascist hubris.

One of the few remaining ancient aqueducts described by Frontinus as 'the most solemn testimony of the Empire.'

A vinyl-lover's Shangri-La.

It's not your typical library, memorial, or book store.

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

Canyon walls shrouded in ferns.

Trails through lava-carved tube-caves display sparkling bacteria and a rich history.

A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.

The old Niles Canyon Aqueduct in the San Francisco Bay Area is a bemusing and secret trail through nature for wayward travelers.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

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