Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

This Civil War monument was designed by an eccentric architect and Gettysburg veteran.

A hidden gem, named after a San Franciscan icon, offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.

Brightly colored 30-foot-tall totems light up the desert sky just outside Las Vegas.

The original span of a high bridge across the deep Crooked River Gorge has been preserved for pedestrian use.

An old railroad grade built for the construction of Hoover Dam is now a recreational trail featuring several tunnels and sweeping views of Lake Mead.

The liveliest ghost town in the state.

Abandoned hotel with adjacent lake and golf course.

This massive solar generating facility in the Nevada desert has been plagued by difficulties.

These two K-9 memorials commemorate the sister cities of Edinburgh and San Diego.

In September 1974, a small group of athletes completed the first modern triathlon event in San Diego's Mission Bay.

These free-roaming horses were once destined to disappear from the land.

This work of engineering is imbued with elegance and ingeniousness.

An immersive Māori village where you can learn history and heritage through dance, ceremony, song, architecture, and food.

On a clear day, you can see all the way to the Virgin Islands from the top of this observation tower built in the 1960s.

This ultra-modern burial building would have stacked the dead like a giant filing cabinet.

"The prettiest love letters in the world" ... or so said Lord Byron.

Small on the outside, big on the inside, this church is an astonishing act of visual deception.

The secret medieval communication system will whisk your words above the noise of the crowd.

This giant middle finger statue sends an unambiguous message to Italy's bankers.

One of several skulls claiming to belong to the beheaded St. John the Baptist is on display at this Roman church.

This medieval church in Rome was almost destroyed following a terrorist attack in 1993.

Harlequin costumes, signed scripts, and armor-wearing puppets.

A 15th-century monumental Latin inscription on this house celebrates Lorenzo Manilio's love for Rome.