One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

The giant pair of sexy legs sticking out the window of this costume store have become its main draw.

San Francisco's oldest operating hotel, with a Victorian atmosphere and a "haunted" fourth floor.

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

Only hotel where you can legally launder money.

Created in 1972, the famous sculptor's intricately detailed monument to San Francisco is overflowing with city landmarks.

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

San Francisco's oldest surviving monument and meeting place for 1906 survivors.

The miraculous hydrant that saved the Mission District in 1906.

A still functioning vaudeville carousel that has operated for over a century boasts a colorful menagerie and past.

The memorial to the victims of the Jonestown Massacre carries the names of 918 lost, including one name people wish wasn't there.

Neoclassical Revival mansion and set of horror cult classic Phantasm.

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

Where the alchemists dream of transmuting base metal into gold was actually achieved.

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.

The largest drain hole in the world.

Puzzling...this tree looks like an assemblage of dismembered monkey limbs.

Each summer, the migratory bats living beneath the bypass form "batnadoes" at dusk.

The deepest lake in the United States, and once the site of epic destruction that lives on in legends.

A trash dump made beautiful by nature's power.

A lighthouse built to save lives that took quite a few with its treacherous location.

This natural marble cave is one of only five national monuments in Oregon.

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.