One of the best absinthe distilleries in the United States.

An abandoned, unfinished mansion on grounds strewn with lava rocks.

A decommissioned Naval base now rents itself out for people who want to blow stuff up.

Playable, historic pinball machines fill this Alameda museum.

Antiques by the Bay.

This (occupied) house is 10 feet wide and full of spite.

One of the last remaining Carpenter Gothic churches is situated on a wildflower conservatory overlooking the bay.

Once the gateway to the utopian dream-village of a Civil War embalmer.

A creepy steel gremlin has protected the Bay Bridge since 1989.

Centuries of biking history are nestled in the shadow of the birthplace of contemporary mountain biking.

A crumbling Beaux Arts monument to the Bay Area's age of rail.

With statues of Nelson Mandela and Harvey Milk this monument has been called the Mount Rushmore of California.

The memorial to the victims of the Jonestown Massacre carries the names of 918 lost, including one name people wish wasn't there.

George Lucas donated this park to honor the birthplace of his two biggest movie franchises.

Collective dedicated to restoring steam engines.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

A restored 1920s cascade stairway provides one of the best views of Oakland's Lake Merritt.

This infamous prison has a store where you can buy goods crafted by incarcerated people.

A pier that used to act as a busy ferry dock is now a decaying favorite of local fisherman and urban artists.

Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.

An vast warehouse of everyday treasures in Berkeley, CA.

A playground built by the kids that is a child's wonderland, and a helicopter parent's nightmare.

Oakland's beautiful monumental cemetery.

Worker-owned cooperative and resource for those looking to lighten their ecological footprint.