The world's third-largest crystal sphere has sat in the Penn Museum since 1927 with the exception of one outlandish theft.

The abandoned coal loading dock is a canvas for unsanctioned art.

A Biblically notable site over the ruins of an ancient city that is now a protected World Heritage site.

A cave on the Maryland border where civilians took refuge during the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

Time travel with sweets across history at this research-based candy store.

An eerie, decaying ghost town destined to fade into the forest.

An "anarchical" no man's land, complete with garbage sculptures and a hobo-run "Landfillian Library."

An vast warehouse of everyday treasures in Berkeley, CA.

The century-old bell and clock tower at UC Berkeley is the third-tallest in the world, and has fossils.

Every Sunday, this Thai temple in Berkeley serves a backyard brunch.

A shape-shifting buy-sell-trade bookstore, born to Beatnik Era spirit.

Twelve grave-faced marble angels guard the emperor's tomb at Les Invalides.

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.

A restored 1920s cascade stairway provides one of the best views of Oakland's Lake Merritt.

The Flatiron Building's storied West Coast cousin is a lot more into religion.

An art collective teaching the more fiery, metal-y art forms.

A massive ultra-modern church presents a science-fiction view of Catholicism's inclusive future.

This mysterious series of teeny guerrilla installations sheds a whimsical light on street art in Oakland.

Oakland's beautiful monumental cemetery.

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

Bonsai garden in Oakland is curated by the first non-Japanese female bonsai master in the United States.

Julia Morgan's Moorish-Gothic labyrinth of fountains, trees, natural light and Oakland's notable dead.

This painted marvel is San Francisco's 400-foot ode to urban biking.

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