This sculpture by artist Fritz Keonig survived the 9/11 attacks and now stands as a monument to the victims.

This cemetery has graves dating back to the 17th century, including the city's oldest carved tombstone and an ominous cryptogram.

This historic address is home to the beloved ball and is an almost totally empty building among the most expensive real estate in the world.

Take shelter from Hawai'i's tropical heat under the massive canopy of largest Banyan tree on the island.

This museum of Hawaiian and Polynesian culture is the legacy of the last descendant of the Kamehameha Dynasty.

The only royal palace on U.S. soil has been a territorial capitol, a military headquarters, and a prison for a queen.

Once the site of the Hawaiian monarchy, this building was originally designed as a palace.

A collection of memorabilia from the Beat era in the back of a San Francisco bookstore.

These WWII-era murals were initially booed as a libelous portrayal of the American dream but have survived multiple attempts to have them destroyed.

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

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.

The oldest burial ground in the city, final resting place of city founders, Ohlone natives and murderers alike.

Since 1973, this block has been home to the most concentrated collection of murals in San Francisco.

Radioactivity still cause for concern at this urban explorer's paradise.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

One man's prolific, decade-long quest to turn trash into artistic treasure.

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

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

Prone to disastrous fires, the city of San Francisco has the Guardian, a fireboat gifted by residents, to watch over them from the bay.

A collection of 20th-century automata, penny arcade games, and musical contraptions.

This Japanese treats shop may have been the first business to mass-produce fortune cookies in the United States.

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

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.

This park is home to well over 100 handmade birdhouses.