This lighthouse has been guiding shipping into the Golden Gate since before the American Civil War.

It is locally loved and ridiculed for literally looking like poop.

Quite possibly the oldest love poem known to humankind.

1513 Turkish world map, full of European state secrets and snarky commentary.

Turkish adventurer antiques in the heart of the Grand Bazaar.

This remarkably well-preserved Egyptian plinth is pretty well traveled for a giant piece of stone.

Art Deco stylings conceal the true nature of this bridge.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

A pair of pure white felines guard the entrance to a spot of California real estate established as an artist's haven.

One of the largest Marian shrines on the West Coast stands rather unexpectedly in Silicon Valley.

A statue commemorate Tommie Smith and John Carlos's brave protest at the 1968 Olympics, a watershed moment for civil rights.

A small etching on the white marble parapet was written in runic script by a Viking mercenary.

Legend says if you stick your thumb in the hole and it gets wet your wish will be granted.

Five sultans and their families rest in eternal splendor, teeming with overlooked beauty and drama.

A fountain standing as a testament to a doomed alliance.

Ancient serpentine sacrifice holder that has stood the test of time.

A section of the long chain that blocked enemy ships from entering Constantinople.

The legendary luxury train passage is commemorated with a charming museum inside its former eastern terminus.

Large miniature theme park with 100-plus models.

The sole surviving relic of the San Francisco neighborhood cobbled together from old horsecars and streetcars.

The final resting place of the Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico.

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

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

Furniture tries to escape an abandoned building in San Francisco.