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

An elaborate gift from Claus Spreckels is now a piece of San Francisco history.

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

Forgotten and then destroyed by fire, this was once one of the largest saltwater swimming pools in the world.

Over 315,000 preserved amphibians and reptiles in jars.

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

A speck of nature and art in one of San Francisco’s most notorious neighborhoods.

The remains of a 12th-century chapter house in Golden Gate Park.

This partially buried wreck is one of the most complete of its kind but is only revealed when the sea allows.

Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

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

Not merely a museum – but a whirring powerhouse that offers a subterranean peek into the heart and soul of cable car operations.

This turn of the century masterpiece has a mysterious goaty interloper.

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

With the touch of a button, you can read a randomly selected short story.

A collection of memorabilia from the Beat era in the back of a San Francisco bookstore.

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.

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

This shop and studio is dedicated to the art of the book, from letterpress to bookbinding.

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

The remains of a ruined mansion memorialize the 1906 earthquake.

A 300-ship graveyard, with a few still visible at low tide.

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

The tea room that pushed the boundaries of adorable straight into...we can't find the words.