Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

In the basement of a San Francisco performing arts center, a small museum dedicated to the history of showgirls.

Under the shadow of its towering parent tree, a rare specimen of sequoia produces ghostly white leaves.

This Alamo Square mansion is rumored to have hosted satanic rituals and other occult practices.

Prone to disastrous fires, the city of San Francisco has the Guardian, a fireboat gifted by residents, to watch over them from the bay.

Masterful ceramic fountain and map of the Pacific Basin.

The neighborhood church casts a breast-shaped shadow that locals have come to call the “two o’clock titty.”

A modest reminder of treacherous waters at the Golden Gate.

Home of modern dancer famously strangled by her own scarf.

A quiet nook at the top of a little-known hilltop park named after California's first poet laureate.

A 1920s home transformed into an immersive art experience, where every room is a portal to another realm.

The oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States is a nostalgic jewel.

A free, public museum dedicated to the fascinating science of sight.

A man-made island in scenic San Francisco Bay.

A walk down memory lane in the heart of one of San Francisco's most notorious neighborhoods.

The miraculous hydrant that saved the Mission District in 1906.

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.

One of the oldest producers of hand-folded fortune cookies still uses its original secret recipe.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

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

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

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

This residential door allows San Francisco muggles a glimpse at the wizarding world.