An alley covered with 20 years of bubble gum.

The key to turning shifting dunes into the green oasis of Golden Gate Park.

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.

Abortion, prohibition, religion, war, and fear all play a part in the history of this idiosyncratic Pacifica castle.

One of the largest free-standing structures ever built, this dirigible hangar is now simply a giant skeleton.

A pair of mutilated bronze octopuses slump at the base of the monument honoring California's admission to the U.S.

Once close to extinction, there is no shortage of elephant seals on the beaches of Año Nuevo State Park.

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

A brooding mansion of clinker brick stands out among the Victorian houses of Pacific Heights.

One of few lasting examples of the brief octagon craze that developed into folly.

Rare collectibles from automated musical instruments to 250 unique automobiles.

Early prototype for Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim.

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

A working model of the entire San Francisco Bay and much of the Sacramento River Delta, complete with regular tides that change every 14 minutes.

This museum looks at the history of one of America's most famous prisons and most beloved albums.

An extraordinary final resting place full of oversized art, amazing statues, and dead celebrities.

Gold Rush ship-turned-hotel buried underneath San Francisco's financial district.

The headquarters of a secretive order is also a beautifully-designed park.

The show's fictional Korean medical camp was created in the Santa Monica hills.

This abandoned boat was left in place thanks to its rotting beauty.

Every year, over 25,000 monarchs overwinter in Pacific Grove.

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

Alleyway plaque commemorating the death of a fictional character in The Maltese Falcon, not far from the author's home.

The lighthouse central to the 1980s horror classic "The Fog" is, in fact, located in one of the foggiest areas of the Pacific Coast.