Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

One of the largest Marian shrines on the West Coast stands rather unexpectedly in Silicon Valley.

A sudden forest of traditional Papua New Guinean art works is hidden in a corner of Stanford University.

The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

The century-old bell and clock tower at UC Berkeley is the third-tallest in the world, and has fossils.

The Internet Age began with a transmission from this biker bar.

A New England-style lighthouse along California's beautiful Highway 1 gets a re-do.

Elephant seals and sea lions have turned the abandoned buildings on this island into their endangered love shack.

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

The most beautiful Taco Bell in the world even has surfboard parking.

The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.

A giant chess set, minus the psychedelic drug trip.

An expansive and intricately restored mansion remains from over a century ago--and so do its ghosts.

More than 700 species live within this murky marvel of a swamp on California's coast.

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."

This cabin from the 1850s is one of the first structures built by Chinese immigrants in California.

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

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

Sports history, made in the Arroyo Seco.

The stately birthplace of California's statehood.

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.

Steinbeck's old stomping grounds, immortalized in Cannery Row.

One of the most elaborate displays of Jellyfish is on display at the aquarium.