A visionary, futuristic sculpture in Los Angeles that never met its extraterrestrial potential.

Hollywood's oldest hotel is the site of the first Academy Awards, the birthplace of Marilyn Monroe's career, and the home of Montgomery Clift's ghost.

Outposts of this restaurant chain were shaped like jaunty chapeaus.

Beautiful Victorian buildings from L.A.'s forgotten architectural past.

A few iconic structures are all that remain of America’s first outdoor shopping mall.

This star-studded Old Hollywood restaurant is where fettuccine Alfredo made its United States debut.

The decor of this Hollywood movie palace just barely predated the opening of King Tut's tomb.

The blinking light atop the iconic landmark has been sending secret messages for decades.

The mall's looks were inspired by the cowboy extras who used to meet up—and cause real trouble—at this Hollywood hub.

A common entry point to the Griffith Observatory trail holds its own wonders.

An abandoned 1930s gas station turned bustling neighborhood park.

Although he donated over 3,000 acres to Los Angles, Griffith's life was marred by controversy.

Wild West history in Hollywood style.

The L.A. Zoo has a secret garden of rare bootleg cycads, a palm specimen dating back 280 million years.

This historic aviation building is now a museum owned and operated by Disney.

An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.

Colorado Boulevard’s historic bookstore, operating since the bustling city of Pasadena was merely some orange groves and a few ostrich farms.

Quite simply the largest tree in the world (by volume).

Daily jousts and dancing barrel makers in Munich's mechanical clock.

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

In a city filled with Frank Gehry buildings, one stands out as one of the architect's weirder works.

This former luxury resort in Kaua'i is now an abandoned relic.

The only royal palace on U.S. soil has been a territorial capitol, a military headquarters, and a prison for a queen.

A sign at the end of the Santa Monica Pier marks the traditional end of the legendary American highway.