A 125-meter long "tribute to the Brazilian people."

The longest continuously operating Elk's Lodge in the country.

Standing in for the first ship to navigate the Northwest Passage.

Once the site of speeding horses, now home to picnickers and public concerts.

San Francisco’s century-old Christmas Tree.

The legendary statue-hating superintendent of Golden Gate Park is honored with... a statue.

Chevron maintains one “Standard” brand station per state so it doesn’t lose the trademark.

27-room home built with the fortune of a sugar magnate.

A monumental cross hides in the trees in Golden Gate Park.

The largest whiskey stash on the West Coast survived the 1906 fires--but not without heroic effort.

The rustic cabin-like decor of this Arts and Crafts-style church reflects the love of nature central to its little-known theology.

Reverend Franzo Wayne King administers spiritual enlightenment through the music of the jazz legend.

Recovered from the brink of extinction, at home in the Financial District.

Barely visible foundations remain where Stow Lake’s “observatory” once welcomed visitors.

Amazing meticulous gardens of personal wood carvings, Hydrangea, Canna, and many other flowers.

A famous alternative culture epicenter and where Joplin serenaded young hippies.

Russian history in San Francisco.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

A Barbary Coast watering hole built into a Gold Rush shipwreck.

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

In this century-old literary safehouse, print is alive and well.

Visible below the waves are memorials to the city's Gold Rush dead.

A shop full of natural curiosities, carnivorous plants, and costumed taxidermied mice.

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.