An old vending machine serves up unpredictable beverages from its seemingly magical insides.

A huge musical sculpture and other art installations on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grounds.

Perfectly preserved ancient monastery in an impossibly dramatic location on a rocky island in the Atlantic.

From the sky, a kaleidoscope of color brightens the grey landscape of the San Francisco Bay.

San Francisco Bay's ghost town.

This rare example of a "tidefall" is a spectacular drop from the cliffs down onto the beach.

A historic hotel in an old California railroad town with a rowdy reputation.

The remains of a deserted steamboat sit rusting beside an old ferry pier and an abandoned train platform.

The final resting place of a woman who never gave up on love.

The rusting remains of the largest assembled WWII fleet on the West Coast.

The timepiece that exonerated a labor radical accused of a parade bombing that killed ten people.

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast.

Nestled in the heart of San Francisco’s bustling Financial District stands a unique homage to the Mayan and Beaux Arts.

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

Radioactivity still cause for concern at this urban explorer's paradise.

A 140-year-old castle with underground caves hidden in San Francisco.

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

A promotional sun clock on the site of San Francisco's great raceway.

The graffiti-covered remnants of a former triangulation station are balanced precariously on this California peak.

A rough granite monument marks the spot where Europeans first caught sight of the San Francisco Bay.

Another of California's unused Cold War missile defense complexes has become a graffiti gallery.

The most beautiful Taco Bell in the world even has surfboard parking.

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

Here, Father Agapius Honcharenko established his homestead, becoming the first nationally conscious Ukrainian to settle in the United States.