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

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.

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

America's oldest Italian restaurant is a San Francisco institution.

An art supply shop holds the secrets of this quiet neighborhood's raucous Barbary Coast past.

Barely visible foundations remain where Stow Lake’s “observatory” once welcomed visitors.

Gold Rush ship-turned-hotel buried underneath San Francisco's financial district.

Amazing meticulous gardens of personal wood carvings, Hydrangea, Canna, and many other flowers.

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

A famous alternative culture epicenter and where Joplin serenaded young hippies.

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

One of the last remnants of the city's Chinese nightclub scene is now a dive bar selling killer mai tais.

A promotional sun clock on the site of San Francisco's great raceway.

This print shop boasts one of the largest pinball arcades in San Francisco.

A Barbary Coast watering hole built into a Gold Rush shipwreck.

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

A nondescript building that's been functioning as a speakeasy for nearly a century and a half.

Its buzzing collection honors vibrator history.

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.

This hidden courtyard in the Andorran capital hosts a unique contemporary sculpture park.

One Italian taxi driver covered his entire house in small seashells creating a weird bit of architecture that is preserved to this day.

This 2,000-year-old Doric bridge is still open to pedestrian traffic to this day.

The smaller of the three towers of San Marino is a former prison inaccessible from the ground level.

A 19th-century Baja cantina that many say is the birthplace of the margarita.