A beloved carnival gets a modern makeover in Los Angeles.

This well-traveled chess park offers scenic views of the pacific and a colorful, eclectic clientele.

An L.A. traffic island where the faces of locals have been carved into massive granite eggs.

A fashion designer's dazzling world of Japanese collectibles is hidden in a warehouse downtown.

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.

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

The neighborhood shop is a sort of tiny cactus museum full of exotic specimens you can take home.

This hilltop park offers magnificent views and a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece.

The remains of the first punk club in L.A.

The programmatic glory of LA's giant whiskey barrel building has become an upscale reminder of the city's kitschy roadside past.

A faux European lane smack dab in downtown L.A.

A ghost town at the airport is now a refuge for blue butterflies.

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

A spiritual retreat in the heart of Los Angeles offers stunning gardens and a labyrinth to lose yourself in.

One man's vast collection of artifacts and ephemera from matchbooks and postcards to vintage neon signs and cars.

Historic funicular railway, believed to be the shortest railroad in the world.

This serene oasis in an affluent Los Angeles neighborhood holds some of Gandhi's ashes and got Elvis into Eastern Philosophy.

Scores of vintage street lamps shine along L.A.’s Miracle Mile.

A look into the Church of Scientology's deeply unfavorable view of psychiatry.

A library of rare occult books in Los Angeles.

Venue for strange sideshow displays and musical acts.

One man's homage to the sun continues to grow like a glass fractal.

Resting place of Hollywood's immortals is also site of summer film screenings.

Medical and zoological curiosities for sale.