Noble beasts perhaps, but not the Emperor's dogs.

Visible below the waves are memorials to the city's Gold Rush dead.

A monument to the love people have for their pets.

Once the fastest ship from San Francisco to Tahiti, the Galilee now lays in pieces in three different cities.

A modern mechanical planetary system, part of a 10,000 year clock.

A library and museum dedicated to typography.

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

Approximately 250,000 people left homeless by the great earthquake and fires found shelter in Golden Gate Park.

Sitting atop San Francisco's tallest hill, a cross honors the victims of the Armenian genocide.

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

A pair of slides and a tree-lined stair corridor have been an urban oasis for nearly 40 years.

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

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

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

An artsy hidden staircase leads to breathtaking views of San Francisco.

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

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

The rustic cabin-like decor of this Arts and Crafts-style church reflects the love of nature central to its little-known theology.

A mysterious painting of the self-declared Emperor of the United States watches over a local hof-brau.

Russian history in San Francisco.

The restored and active Victorian-era final resting place of San Francisco.

The miraculous hydrant that saved the Mission District in 1906.

On a cornerstone of the City Museum is the head of a monstrous serpent stolen from an Aztec pyramid 400 years ago.