Four hundred granite steps were built into this massive rock by the National Park Service.

An ominous concrete cube cuts a dystopian silhouette atop this California mountain.

Built by the inventor of the radio, this abandoned hotel has housed early radio employees, military men, and a dangerous cult.

This abandoned boat was left in place thanks to its rotting beauty.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.

Internationally-recognized arts center housed in a century-old former military barracks.

Concrete strongholds stand guard over the Golden Gate.

A quiet nook at the top of a little-known hilltop park named after California's first poet laureate.

A pair of mutilated bronze octopuses slump at the base of the monument honoring California's admission to the U.S.

A shining, cold, black organ lies in San Francisco's financial district.

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

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

The former Naval shipyard is open for exploring - mostly.

Dive bar built out of the remains of a whaling ship.

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

This mysterious series of teeny guerrilla installations sheds a whimsical light on street art in Oakland.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

Worker-owned cooperative and resource for those looking to lighten their ecological footprint.

A unique market that brings together various goods and cultures.

Oakland's beautiful monumental cemetery.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

The lowest point in North America is home to an undrinkable pool surrounded by fields of geometric salt flats.

A gas station has taken the place of the home of the 19th American President.

This small plaza encourages people diagnosed with cancer to never give up hope.