A modest reminder of treacherous waters at the Golden Gate.

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

Approximately 250,000 people left homeless by the great earthquake and fires found shelter in Golden Gate Park.

Once the site of speeding horses, now home to picnickers and public concerts.

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.

A garden oasis filled with flowers mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare.

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

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

This one-block alleyway is stuffed with street art that is colorful, cultural, and intensely political.

A former hardware store near Yerba Buena is the official home of California's history.

A shining, cold, black organ lies in San Francisco's financial district.

One of the last remnants of the city's Chinese nightclub scene is now a dive bar selling killer mai tais.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

Antiques by the Bay.

A decommissioned Naval base now rents itself out for people who want to blow stuff up.

The Flatiron Building's storied West Coast cousin is a lot more into religion.

A massive ultra-modern church presents a science-fiction view of Catholicism's inclusive future.

From buttons to beads, flounces to fripperies, this textile museum and shop honors the history of needlework.

A sparse, solitary sequoia still stands as a living tribute to the famous conservationist who planted it—but it's dying.

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.

Renaissance hospital featuring a rotating door into which unwanted babies were dropped.

The famous sculptor left his mark on this Italian wall in an internationally protected example of street art.

A random tree outside a Budapest hotel has become a DIY shrine to the late singer.

From Austrians to Nazis to Soviets, this historic Budapest fortress has a history as complex as the city itself.