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

In this century-old literary safehouse, print is alive and well.

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.

Mutant vegetables, transgenic mosquitos, and atomic rodents span the walls of this one-of-a-kind museum.

A restored Pittsburgh house of God has been converted to a marvelous house of suds.

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.

This beautiful system of tunnels built into natural rock serves as a centuries old plumbing system.

The caldera of this mini-volcano has been turned into a naturally heated mud bath.