effinbeachin's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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San Francisco, California

Paxton Gate

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.
San Francisco, California

Loved to Death

This shop specializes in oddities and Victorian-inspired wonders.
San Francisco, California

Alcatraz Island

In all of the 29 years it was in operation, no prisoners ever escaped successfully... or so they claim.
Newberry Springs, California

Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark

The "Fun Spot of the Desert" is now a haunting ruin, and a reminder that putting a water park in a desert is a bad idea.
Cabazon, California

Cabazon Dinosaurs

The "world's biggest dinosaur" once housed a creationist museum in its abdomen.
Irvine, California

Orange Balloon

One of the largest helium balloons in the U.S. is a 112-foot ginormous orange.
Tustin, California

Tustin Blimp Hangar #2

This enormous World War II relic is one of the largest wooden structures in the world.
Simi Valley, California

Ronald Reagan’s Situation Room

The White House Situation Room was taken apart in 2006 and shipped to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
Long Beach, California

The RMS Queen Mary

The awe-inspiring ship from the golden era of cruising has an incomparable history and a reputation as one of the world’s most haunted places.
Los Angeles, California

Traffic Circle Gondola

A lonely Gondola stuck on a traffic circle sits in a spot where it once would have floated down the Grand Canal.
Los Angeles, California

Marilyn Monroe's Crypt

Her final resting place was intended to be modest and private, but the power of her popularity continues to draw visitors.
Beverly Hills, California

Greystone Mansion

Stroll the grounds built by murder, suicide, and dirty oil money at one of Hollywood's most filmed mansions.
Beverly Hills, California

Spadena House

Storybook cottage in Beverly Hills was once the site of 1920s silent film studio, affectionately known as "The Witch's House."
Los Angeles, California

The Babylon Court

This centerpiece of the Hollywood & Highland shopping center is a recreation of a long-lost movie set.
Los Angeles, California

Mel Brooks Handprint

There are lots of hands and feet stamped in the cement in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, but Mel left behind something extra.
Los Angeles, California

Hieroglyph Murals at the Egyptian Theatre

The decor of this Hollywood movie palace just barely predated the opening of King Tut's tomb.
Los Angeles, California

Stone Gates of Hollywood

These two monoliths have stood at the entrance to the neighborhood since the days it was called "Hollywoodland."
Los Angeles, California

Necromance

Medical and zoological curiosities for sale.
Los Angeles, California

Crossroads of the World

A few iconic structures are all that remain of America’s first outdoor shopping mall.
Los Angeles, California

Urban Light

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.
La Cañada Flintridge, California

Descanso Gardens

Hiding amid the largest camellia collection in the country lies a charming children's maze, donated by a secret admirer.
Los Angeles, California

La Brea Tar Pits Dragonfly Fossils

These delicate buggers are some of the rarest fossils that have bubbled up from the Tar Pits.
Los Angeles, California

Reggie The Alligator

Raised illegally, Reggie now lives at the Los Angeles Zoo after authorities spent years tracking him down.
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles Zoo Botanical Gardens

The L.A. Zoo has a secret garden of rare bootleg cycads, a palm specimen dating back 280 million years.