The largest whiskey stash on the West Coast survived the 1906 fires--but not without heroic effort.

Guns that have been defending San Francisco since 1904.

An art supply shop holds the secrets of this quiet neighborhood's raucous Barbary Coast past.

This giant head is all that remains of a once proud statue that survived an earthquake but not a fall off of a wagon.

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.

A masterpiece in Golden Gate Park by virtue of the artist’s debt.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

Forgotten and then destroyed by fire, this was once one of the largest saltwater swimming pools in the world.

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

Recovered from the brink of extinction, at home in the Financial District.

Early prototype for Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim.

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

Gold Rush ship-turned-hotel buried underneath San Francisco's financial district.

The grand, column-fronted, sculpture-adorned home of the ambitious digital library.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

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

Longtime headquarters of controversial boys' club for the world's wealthiest and most powerful.

The miraculous hydrant that saved the Mission District in 1906.

A promotional sun clock on the site of San Francisco's great raceway.

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

This partially buried wreck is one of the most complete of its kind but is only revealed when the sea allows.

Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

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