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

This hands-on math museum believes in turning concepts into constructs.

A library of rare occult books in Los Angeles.

It should come as no surprise that the best view of the Hollywood sign is from Batman's lair.

Remants of foundations, streets, and streetcar tracks inhabit the cliffs where a landslide occurred in 1929.

The abandoned zoo enclosures offer a perfect place to experience the other side of the bars.

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

Art in the form of a winding, man made crack in stone.

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

A quiet marker in memory of local men and women lost in WWI.

The first AIDS memorial chapel in San Francisco and one of only a few in the U.S.

Created in 1972, the famous sculptor's intricately detailed monument to San Francisco is overflowing with city landmarks.

A monumental cross hides in the trees in Golden Gate Park.

This giant head is all that remains of a once proud statue that survived an earthquake but not a fall off of a wagon.

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

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.

Appropriation-friendly collection of books, periodicals, and more.

The stones that traveled from Spain to eventually become a holy place for San Francisco's nature worshippers.

San Franciscans leave gifts and messages for the magical beings that live behind the tiny, mysterious door installed on a tree in Golden Gate Park.

An overlooked and unassuming engineering marvel.

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.

A tiny theater hidden in an alley plays a constant stream of short silent films for anyone willing to peer through the peephole.