Standing in for the first ship to navigate the Northwest Passage.

Noble beasts perhaps, but not the Emperor's dogs.

Home of modern dancer famously strangled by her own scarf.

This print shop boasts one of the largest pinball arcades in San Francisco.

One of the world's tallest Ferris wheels takes visitors high above Las Vegas in a spinning party room.

Masterful ceramic fountain and map of the Pacific Basin.

This shop and studio is dedicated to the art of the book, from letterpress to bookbinding.

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

The first AIDS memorial chapel in San Francisco and one of only a few in the U.S.

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

Perfect your fly fishing technique on their practice ponds.

Shoot for par over the bodies of the dead on this cemetery-cum-golf course.

At the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, a small sign basically begs for a high-five.

Olfactory delights in San Francisco's Botanical Gardens.

California's most comprehensive horticultural library.

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

Once the fastest ship from San Francisco to Tahiti, the Galilee now lays in pieces in three different cities.

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.

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.

Alleyway plaque commemorating the death of a fictional character in The Maltese Falcon, not far from the author's home.

Only hotel where you can legally launder money.

Half of a house.

A mysterious painting of the self-declared Emperor of the United States watches over a local hof-brau.