An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

Along a California highway is a kind of Jurassic Park made of metal.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

A nondescript building that's been functioning as a speakeasy for nearly a century and a half.

A library and museum dedicated to typography.

A nursery specializing in strange and beautiful succulents and cacti.

A "Titanic" superfan changed his name to Jack and set up this strange shrine to the blockbuster, complete with Korean food and Tarot readings.

This traditional garden in the San Fernando Valley doubled for Star Fleet Academy, and is irrigated entirely by wastewater.

Handmade treasures from around the world.

A hidden subterranean installation offers a view of the sky.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

A ruined hotel with an unlucky history and an eerie present.

This brightly made over hotel hides decades of suicide, serial killers, and mysterious deaths.

This dark, quiet forest on the outskirts of San Diego is dense with rumor and lore.

Two men, two visionaries of Venice Beach, one little hotel that smells like cookies.

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

This old mining town, deep in the California desert, has a year-round population of one.

This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

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

A still functioning vaudeville carousel that has operated for over a century boasts a colorful menagerie and past.

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