The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

This private residence was the template for one of the most beloved television homes of all time.

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.

San Francisco's urban bison herd has persisted in the face of extinction, development, and disease.

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

A winding path built in secret on the edge of the continent.

A psychedelic labyrinth on the San Francisco bay.

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

Though tiki culture has gone in and out of fashion, the Tonga Hut has always been flying the flag in Los Angeles.

The exterior of this home was used for the hit television show, The Brady Bunch.

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

The blinking light atop the iconic landmark has been sending secret messages for decades.

An historic and oft-filmed spot for musclebound iron pumpers on the Pacific coast.

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

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.

A little barn in the middle of the city preserving Hollywood treasures since 1985.

The site of a classic series of Laurel and Hardy pratfalls.

The quiet canyon has a tumultuous history involving a doomsday cult.

Magical-looking cottages that inspired one of the most famous animated films ever.

This glamorous old building is said to have inspired the Tower of Terror.

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.

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

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

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