These structures were inspired by both Native American shelters as well as, strangely, an ice cream shop.

A small museum in the Bay of Pigs gives the Cuban perspective on the famously failed U.S. invasion.

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.

An "inside out" building in the historical center of Paris, featuring Europe’s largest modern art museum.

This demon atop the Notre-Dame de Paris looks utterly bored.

A once-booming Mississippi River town with a history of racial violence is now eerie and mostly abandoned.

In the hometown of the Catholic saint and Nobel Peace Prize winner, a memorial dedicated to her legacy.

This elegant monument to those who fought against fascism is inspired by the shape of the poppy flower.

A wacky two-story folk-art assemblage of carved and found objects, with lights, motion, and sound now in need of financial support.

An Italian restaurant became a rock-and-roll hangout and the lair of the "Hollywood vampires."

A relic from a forgotten bakery chain still spins atop a diner.

“It's the quality” (but probably also the drive-through donut tunnel) that has attracted diners since 1968.

This Chase branch is an homage to Old Hollywood.

Once the central jail for Los Angeles, this building housed inmates like Al Capone, those arrested from the Zoot Suit and Watts Riots, and individuals imprisoned for their sexuality.

The neighborhood of Eagle Rock is named after a gigantic boulder with a shadowy surprise.

The mall's looks were inspired by the cowboy extras who used to meet up—and cause real trouble—at this Hollywood hub.

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

A classically trained chef makes beloved burritos inside a gas station.

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

This Hollywood dive houses a mural painted by the artists who animated its namesake film.

Hollywood's oldest hotel is the site of the first Academy Awards, the birthplace of Marilyn Monroe's career, and the home of Montgomery Clift's ghost.

An expansive book store, art gallery, and curio shop with wares ranging from tarot cards to novelty socks.

L.A.'s oldest operating bowling alley is a beautifully restored homage to its speakeasy days.

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